Saturday, October 15, 2011

Glacier National Park - Day Three

This is our second year in a row visiting Glacier National Park. We did not expect to visit again so soon, but our recent move to Canada gave us an opportunity we did not think we would get (next years trip is already in the planning stages by the way).

This year, not plagued by a torn muscle, my husband was able to join us on one of Glacier's best know and iconic hikes. Day three was why we did not strain ourselves on days one and two. Day Three was reserved for the Grinnell Glacier ranger guided hike.

Just a quick advertisement ... if you ever go to Glacier plan your trip well in advance, make boat reservations and take this hike. Go with the guide. History, geography, flora and fauna. You won't even need to visit a ranger station. Everything you want to know can be packed into one day. There are other great hikes in the park, but this is Glacier Park in a nutshell.

The hike to the Grinnell Glacier overlook is a 3.8 mile one way hike with 1600 feet of elevation gain. For those less than fit hikers, the ranger guided hike is the way to go, especially since 2 miles each way are cut from the trip by crossing Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine in a boat. The ranger also takes numerous breaks along the way to educate his group on the rich and diverse geography of Glacier.

We didn't need the breaks, but took them to enjoy the views.


Grinnell Glacier - up close and personal

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