Many Glacier, Glacier National Park

I’d heard that a great place for wildlife sightings is Many Glacier, located about 15 miles from our campground.  According to the locals, the best time to see wildlife is in the early morning or evening.  As many of you know, I am not a morning person so I dragged Mark and Winston to Many Glacier one evening in hopes of sighting a bear.  While in Grand Teton and Yellowstone we were fortunate to see some wildlife; but no bears, despite the numerous signs about bear safety and keeping your picnic baskets safely tucked away.  So needless to say, I felt cheated that I didn’t get to see bears romping about in their natural habitat. 

Glacier National Park encompasses more than a million acres so I figured this would be prime bear sighting country.  While hiking to St. Mary’s waterfall we came up bear scat (that’s ‘poop’ for those not as wildlife savvy as others), convincing me that this was surely the place that I would spy my bear in the wild.  But alas, on the drive out to Many Glacier, we didn’t see anything.  I was in full whine mode on the drive back when Mark spotted a bear.  Yes, there he (or she) was in a meadow beside the road snacking on berries before bedtime.  It was just as amazing as I knew it would be. Ahh, I felt complete.  

The relatively short drive to Many Glacier is very scenic although the road itself leaves something to be desired.  The road ends at Swiftcurrent Lake which is one massive lake let me tell you.  Sitting on its shore is the Many Glacier Lodge built in 1914-15 by the Great Northern Railroad.  This lodge is the largest in the park and looks like something you would see if you were in Switzerland.  If we weren’t traveling in YOLO, I would have stayed the night.  The lodge, the lake and the views were amazing and my photos simply don’t do it justice, especially the photo of the lodge.

 

Swiftcurrent Lake 

 

 Many Glacier Lodge

 

 Bear Sighting

 

 Frolicking Bear - Not a Sight you See Everyday