Category: Glacier National Park Visits

We spent this past weekend in West Glacier at StepsAway 244 to do some spring cleaning and prepare the property for a new septic system. The snow is out early this year, at least compared to last year! We were able to remove all the outdoor electrical heat tape and heat matts; cleared the paving stones from the area destined to be the new drain field; we even managed to build a new paving stone sidewalk at StepsAway 254.

The Glacier National Park is amazing as Spring starts to hit. Birds are building nests everywhere – even where we wish they wouldn’t. We had many deer hiking around “the neighborhood”. But, by the far the most exciting visitor was this gorgeous fox. He/she came trotting into the backyard while I was sitting in the “Log Room”. He came right up to the back porch and looked at me through the back windows. After our brief connection, he strolled around the cabin, across the front yard and across the street, like he had probably been doing for several months without any human interference!

The official summer season is all but over for Glacier National Park and the surrounding communities, but it’s also the start of the quieter autumn “shoulder” season.  We took advantage this past weekend with a quick morning trip up to Bowman Lake.  Bowman Lake is about 6 miles inside the Park from the northwest entrance by Polebridge.  It was an under an hour to get there from our cabin (StepsAway 254). You don’t need 4-wheel drive, but a little ground clearance is helpful.

After the beautiful drive, we were treated to a couple of hours of cloudless, high 60 degree, quiet serenity!  The lake was nearly mirror-like, reflecting the mountains and making a couple of the kayakers look like they were floating above the lake’s surface in the distance.  Then the quiet was broken… Turn up your volume and have a listen:

This pack of wolves was making it clear that they too were excited that the seasons are changing.  There aren’t many places in the lower 48 where you can just sit peacefully and listen to the wolves howl.  This is definitely a “hair standing up on the back of my neck” experience.

It was also announced today that the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road has re-opened to visitor traffic.  It had been closed following the Howe Ridge Fire‘s infamous Sunday night run.  Another reason to visit during the cooler, shoulder season!

We stopped into Freda’s Bar Saturday night after returning from Bowman Lake.  It was the last night of the season for them, too, which was apparent from this photo. (To be fair, it was early and the crowd picked up as everyone came in to say their good-bye’s.)

But, seriously, don’t wait until next year to see Glacier National Park.  It has so much to offer during every season. (Need proof? See Seasons Through a Cabin Window.) Viewing the fall colors, snow shoeing and XC-skiing are favorite activities.  I also know of a group that congregates on the shore of Lake McDonald for sunset cook-out parties no matter the temperature.  Come, make your off season memories!

We want to point out to those following our progress (and just in case an IRS auditor is questioning whether we really did any work on our real estate investment this weekend after reading this post), we did finalize the placement of the new sign for StepsAway 244.  Harriet, the bear, is a little hard to see in the photo, but she’s as cute as a…, well, a teddy bear in person!

It’s no doubt that the Howe Ridge Fire burning on the northwest side of Lake McDonald, and the accompanying closure of the Lake McDonald Lodge and Going-to-the-Sun Road, has put a real damper on the usual Glacier NP activities this summer.  But, we just spent a fantastic weekend in StepsAway’s big cabin (StepsAway 244) and proved that there is so much to do in and around the Park, the fire is no reason to stay away.

We named the cabins “Steps Away” (StepsAway 254 and StepsAway 244) because they are literally (used correctly!) only steps away from both the entrance to Glacier National Park and the businesses of West Glacier Village.  Saturday night we decided to reconfirm our naming convention with a walking tour of food and beverage options.

A five minute walk took us across US Highway 2 to the Belton Chalet.  The Belton Chalet is famous for the historic building AND their restaurant.  Knowing that we were going to make several stops, we enjoyed an appetizer, a round of delicious drinks and split a dessert!  Hard to say no to creme brûlée – especially when our old friend Alex (ok, we met him once back on Memorial Day Weekend – see “political activist” in Friday Night Bear and Beers post) picked up the dessert tab!

Across a side street also along Hwy 2, we popped into the Glacier Highland Resort Restaurant.  This is much more of a family-style eatery with good grub – specializing in pies!  We each had a satisfying small meal and a draught (well, I had a draught) while admiring the view – the Belton (West Glacier) Amtrak Station is right across the highway.

Well, it’s not really a Saturday night without a stop at Freda’s!  On the way over though, we realized that we had never gone in the West Glacier Camp Store.  It has a whole different selection of Glacier-oriented gifts oriented more toward, well camping.

Freda’s is the historic West Glacier Village bar.  We were lucky – our favorite bartender Al had the evening shift!  A couple rounds, new friends – including a honeymooning couple from North Dakota, a Romanian waitress from the previous stop, and a Local (!) – and fun conversations made for a memorable Saturday night.  Another 100 yards affirmed it – yep, StepsAway!

We approached Sunday a bit differently.  We decided to take the dogs with us for a drive up to the Canadian border.  This is one of our favorite spots.  It’s quiet.  It’s remote. And, although you cut through the Park on Camas Road, it’s actually not in GNP, but you can see it across the river.

Here we seldom see anyone.  The border crossing is closed but there’s a boat launch area for floating the North Fork of the Flathead River.  The temptation to step across the border illegally(!) is, according to Robert

Palmer, simply irresistible!  At this time of the year, the dogs enjoy wading into the cool, fresh Canadian runoff.  For some reason, sitting on incredibly hard, uncomfortable boulders gazing into the clear water while searching through the uncountable rocks for no real reason at all is something we always look forward to.

Being that the cabin is a short, very rural drive away, we allowed ourselves to be drawn into another of our favorite spots on the return trip – Polebridge.  This “town” consists of a few cabins, the world famous Mercantile and the Northern Lights Saloon.  We had missed the Labor Day festivities the night before, but honestly an uncrowded Northern Lights Saloon picnic table on a 70 degree, Dickey Betts’ Blue Sky Sunday afternoon with Huckleberry Margaritas served in Mason jars is like making time stand still.  It’s always hard for me to leave that place…

I think this time I was promised that we could stop at Home Ranch Bottoms for some food.  This is an oddly relaxing establishment along the North Fork Road.  Part bar, part restaurant, part gift store, part campground… it sits on a beautiful flat section of land (the Bottoms no doubt) surrounded by forests.  Here we can let the dogs introduce themselves to the other dogs – there are always other dogs – grab some decent BBQ wings and ribs, and meet more happy people who love this part of Montana as much as we do.

All this adventure and we were back at StepsAway in time to give the pups their late dinner and sneak in a nap before bedtime!

Since late July, as fires were breaking out across California, Oregon and Washington, we’ve had our fingers crossed hoping that our beloved Glacier National Park and surrounding communities would be spared.  But, we knew that a fire somewhere close by was inevitable….From InciWeb:

On the evening of August 11th, lightning ignited a fire on Howe Ridge, northwest of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. On Sunday, August 12th, windy and dry conditions fueled the fire to rapidly expand. Evacuation orders were issued for the North Lake McDonald road, Lake McDonald Lodge area, Sprague Creek and Avalanche Campgrounds and the Going-to-the-Sun road from the foot of Lake McDonald to Logan Pass (32 miles).

Although Lake McDonald Lodge is 11 miles up the Going-to-the-Sun Road from the StepsAway cabins (StepsAway 254 and StepsAway 244), the way this fire blew up on Sunday night has made a lot of people in the area very nervous.  Our hearts go out to those that lost properties along North Lake McDonald Road. For those that understand what a special place GNP is, that must be a gut wrenching loss.

Thankfully, the cabins are safe (knock on wood!).  Our only monetary loss, was a cancellation due to concerns about the air quality. No big deal compared with what is happening to so many others!!!

These wildfires are very much natural events and are necessary to thin and rejuvenate the forests.  However, that logic is insufficient to balance the disappointment and sadness that Glacierites (me included) experience when this beautiful place burns.

The good news, if there is some – it appears that the efforts to minimize the losses are working.  Although 3500 acres IS big, this fire could have been catastrophic if it weren’t for the fire crews fighting to contain it.  To those firefighters, we say, “THANK YOU!”

Though the property losses are tragic, and the Lodge, camping area and road closures are inconvenient, one should realize that Glacier National Park is a big place! People are still filling the Logan Pass parking lot via the east entrance at St. Mary and the Lodges at Many Glacier and East Glacier are very much worth visiting.  And, in time, the rains will come, the air will clear and the majestic Crown of the Continent will endure.