{"id":3442,"date":"2016-08-26T08:10:40","date_gmt":"2016-08-26T14:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=3442"},"modified":"2019-03-16T10:13:33","modified_gmt":"2019-03-16T16:13:33","slug":"glacier-national-park-montana-8-17-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=3442","title":{"rendered":"Glacier National Park, Montana (8-17-12)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Days 9 & 10 of Lupe’s 2012 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast.<\/em><\/p>\n

On the morning of 8-16-12, Lupe woke up not in Lanis’ Honda Element or in her “tiny house” (tent), but on a comfy soft bed in a motel in Bozeman, MT.\u00a0 Ahhh!\u00a0 This was the life American Dingoes were meant to live!\u00a0 Lupe was clearly enjoying motel life.<\/p>\n

Of course,\u00a0the soft life\u00a0lasted only until Lanis woke up.\u00a0 Then it was time to get back to the other life American Dingoes\u00a0were meant to live – exploring and adventuring in the big, wide world!\u00a0\u00a0For Lupe, it\u00a0was going to be a pretty passive day of exploring\u00a0from a pile of blankets and pillows in the back of the Element, though.\u00a0 Day 9 of Lupe’s 2012 Dingo Vacation was spent traveling.<\/p>\n

From Bozeman, Lupe, Lanis\u00a0and SPHP\u00a0went\u00a0to Helena,\u00a0and then on to\u00a0Flathead Lake and Kalispell.\u00a0 By evening, Lupe’s tiny house was set up at Whitefish State Park in Whitefish, MT.\u00a0\u00a0The state park\u00a0was quite a popular place.\u00a0 There were lots of other campers around.\u00a0 It was a pretty spot, but\u00a0felt more like being in a small community than a wilderness experience.<\/p>\n

Whitefish State Park featured\u00a0a scenic lake where people were boating.\u00a0 The lake even had a\u00a0small dog beach where Lupe could sniff around and wade in the water.\u00a0 Whitefish State Park had another interesting feature.\u00a0 It was situated right next to the railroad tracks.\u00a0 Trains rumbled by regularly during the night,\u00a0each event causing Lupe some excitement, and SPHP\u00a0some trouble trying to\u00a0keep her from rousing the neighbors.<\/p>\n

The next morning, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP left Whitefish State Park, and headed for Glacier National Park.\u00a0 To be certain to have a place to stay for the night, Lupe’s tiny house got set up almost right away at the Sprague Creek Campground\u00a0on the E shore of\u00a0Lake McDonald.<\/p>\n

\"Lake<\/a>
Lake McDonald from the Sprague Creek campground.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Lake<\/a>Once\u00a0the tent was set up, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP drove E on the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road.\u00a0 Lanis parked the Element at one of the higher viewpoint turnouts for a chance to take some photos.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe and Lanis along Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking WSW from Going-to-the-Sun Road.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Heavens<\/a>
Heavens Peak<\/a><\/span><\/strong> (8,987 ft.) <\/strong><\/span>(R) from Going-to-the-Sun Road.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"SPHP<\/a>
SPHP believes the mountain toward the R may be Mount Cannon<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(8,952 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The intention was to stop up at Logan Pass to explore some trails, but when Lupe got there, the parking lots were completely full.\u00a0 Lanis had to continue driving E beyond the pass.\u00a0 Down at Saint Mary Lake, SPHP had Lanis stop to check out the prices on the boat tours.<\/p>\n

It was $23.75 per person for the standard 1.5 hour boat tour on Saint Mary Lake, but the last tour of the day at 6:30 PM was a shorter 1.0 hour tour for only $16.00.\u00a0\u00a0Best of all, Lupe could ride along for free!\u00a0 Lupe had never been on a boat before in her entire life.\u00a0 Instantly, the plan became for Lupe to return at 6:30 PM for a spectacularly beautiful introduction to getting her sea legs!<\/p>\n

There was still a lot time left in the day before then, though.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis and SPHP went on to the Many Glacier Hotel on Swiftcurrent Lake.\u00a0 Lots of beautiful trails into the backcountry leave from the Swiftcurrent Lake area.\u00a0 Lanis and SPHP were looking forward to doing some exploring\u00a0with Lupe!<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe and Lanis arrive near the Many Glacier Hotel at Swiftcurrent Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Many<\/a>
Many Glacier Hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before hitting any of the trails, it was time for lunch.\u00a0 Lanis went in to the Many Glacier Hotel to buy a couple of box lunches containing hamburgers and French fries.\u00a0 Lupe got to share, too, of course.\u00a0 American Dingoes love hamburgers!\u00a0 They will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today!\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis and SPHP ate the lunches down by dazzling Swiftcurrent Lake.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at Swiftcurrent Lake. It was pretty sunny and hot out. The sensible Carolina Dog liked staying in the shade, while digesting a sizable portion of Lanis’ and SPHP’s hamburgers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Swiftcurrent<\/a>
Swiftcurrent Lake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Swiftcurrent<\/a>After lunch, which didn’t take long with a Carolina Dog helping, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP drove around to the opposite side of Swiftcurrent Lake.\u00a0 The plan was to spend the afternoon\u00a0exploring the trail up to Iceberg Lake with Lupe.<\/p>\n

\"Swiftcurrent<\/a>
Swiftcurrent Lake and the Many Glacier Hotel from the opposite side of the lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Swiftcurrent<\/a>Disappointment awaited Lupe at the trailhead, though.\u00a0 Park regulations prohibited dogs (even American Dingoes) from going on any trails into the backcountry.\u00a0 Even on a leash, Lupe couldn’t go to Iceberg Lake, or pretty much anywhere else in Glacier National Park.\u00a0 It was just like Yellowstone National Park!<\/p>\n

The light finally\u00a0dawned on\u00a0SPHP.\u00a0 It was going to be the same at every U.S. National Park!\u00a0 Dogs weren’t going to be welcome at any of them.\u00a0 Regulations were going to prevent Lupe from really experiencing or\u00a0fully enjoying any of the National Parks that SPHP had planned to take her to on her Dingo Vacation.\u00a0 All she would be able to do would be sit in the Honda Element, or be on a leash in parking lots and campgrounds.<\/p>\n

There was nothing that could be done about it, either.\u00a0 It was a major blow.\u00a0 Glacier National Park is full of trails that look so promising on the maps.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis\u00a0and SPHP had been looking forward to exploring some of them.\u00a0 Now it seemed the only alternative was to avoid U. S. National Parks.\u00a0 It wouldn’t be fair or safe to leave Lupe stuck alone in the Element while Lanis and SPHP spent long hours away in the mountains.<\/p>\n

Well, at least Lupe could still get her first ever boat ride on Saint Mary Lake\u00a0in Glacier National Park.\u00a0 There was still time to kill before then, though.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis\u00a0and SPHP drove E out of Glacier National Park\u00a0intending to take a look at Duck Lake on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.\u00a0 The road to Duck Lake\u00a0proved to be\u00a0dusty and full of rocks.\u00a0 Lanis very reasonably wanted to avoid subjecting the Element to it.\u00a0 Lupe got close enough to see Duck Lake from a distance, but that was about it.<\/p>\n

\"Duck<\/a>
Duck Lake E of Glacier National Park on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Lupe never got all the way to the lake. The mountains in Glacier National Park are seen in the distance to the W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After\u00a0Lupe’s rather pointless\u00a0glimpse of Duck Lake, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP went to the little community of St. Mary at a highway junction just E of the Glacier National Park Entrance.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP stayed in the Element, while Lanis went in to kill a little time checking out the merchandise in an upscale tourist shop.<\/p>\n

At least it was a very nice looking building, but apparently even upscale tourist shops aren’t above selling such delicacies as Moose Poo.\u00a0 Naturally, Lanis was intrigued even before entering the shop.<\/p>\n

\"SPHP<\/a>
SPHP hoped Lanis wasn’t really going to stock up on Moose Poo! Even chocolate-covered Moose Poo didn’t sound very appealing. On the other hand, you can’t get Moose Poo just anywhere. Right now was Lanis’ big Moose Poo opportunity!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lanis eventually returned with a humongous soft drink, but Moose Poo-less.\u00a0 There was still some time to go before the 6:30 PM Saint Mary Lake boat tour.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis and SPHP went over to the lake, anyway.\u00a0 SPHP bought the boat tour tickets.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP then went on a little stroll along the lake shore.\u00a0 Finally, it was Saint Mary Lake tour time!<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The boat tour dock at Saint Mary Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were quite a few people on the tour, but the boat wasn’t entirely full.\u00a0 Once underway, Lupe wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself.\u00a0 Cruising on a lake was something she had never experienced before.\u00a0 She liked it, but\u00a0seemed to want\u00a0to get out there and explore the lake, perhaps without the aid of a boat.\u00a0 She threatened to leap overboard on several occasions.\u00a0 SPHP had to keep\u00a0Lupe on the leash and hang on to her.<\/p>\n

It was great time relaxing on the beautiful lake listening to the tour guide, who was also the captain of the ship.\u00a0 The views were magnificent, the people friendly, and price was quite reasonable.\u00a0 Lupe\u00a0and SPHP highly\u00a0recommend the evening cruise on Saint Mary Lake!<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe on her first ever boat ride on Saint Mary Lake in Glacier National Park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Wild<\/a>
Wild Goose Island in Saint Mary Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was only 7:30 PM and still light out,\u00a0when Lupe returned from the boat\u00a0tour having earned her sea legs.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis, and SPHP returned to Logan Pass.\u00a0 The visitor center was closed.\u00a0 Most of the crowds were gone.\u00a0 There were plenty of places to park now, even though\u00a0a large section\u00a0of the parking lot was cordoned off for people who were setting up telescopes to view the expected Perseid Meteor shower after dark.<\/p>\n

SPHP stayed with Lupe at the parking lot while Lanis took a stroll along the Hidden Lake trail.\u00a0 After a little while, SPHP noticed a trail across\u00a0Going-to-the-Sun Road that didn’t have the usual no pets sign.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP started crossing the road to\u00a0take a look at the view from over there, and see if the trail looked promising.\u00a0\u00a0Instantly, a\u00a0ranger came running over to make certain Lupe wasn’t going to set a single paw on the trail.<\/p>\n

SPHP asked the ranger\u00a0if there were any trails at all in Glacier National Park where dogs could go?\u00a0 The ranger\u00a0said the only exception to the no pets policy was the Trail of the Cedars nature trail.\u00a0 Dogs could go there, but it was miles\u00a0away close to Avalanche Creek.\u00a0 (Not true, as it turned out the\u00a0next day!\u00a0 Sadly, there were no pets signs there, too.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Lanis returned.\u00a0 SPHP was disappointed to learn he hadn’t gone far enough to get to the Hidden Lake viewpoint, but Lanis was happy with what he’d seen.\u00a0 He did have some photos of the Logan Pass area.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Clements Mountain<\/a><\/span><\/strong> (8,760 ft.)<\/strong><\/span> and the Hidden Lake trail at Logan Pass. The trail leads to the L of Clements Mountain where there is a viewpoint overlooking Hidden Lake. Lanis didn’t go that far.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Logan<\/a>
Logan Pass, Glacier National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mountains<\/a>
Mountains N of Logan Pass. Lupe wasn’t allowed to set a single paw on a trail heading off in this direction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the sun set behind the mountains, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP returned to the Sprague Creek campground at Lake McDonald\u00a0for the night.\u00a0 Glacier National Park was gorgeous, and Lupe did have a good time on her first boat ride ever on Saint Mary Lake.\u00a0 However, since Lupe couldn’t\u00a0explore the trails in the park, it was clear Lupe’s stay was going to be short.\u00a0 SPHP resolved to at least take Lupe to the Trail of the Cedars nature trail\u00a0the next morning.<\/p>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Adventure<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Prior Adventure<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from\u00a0Lupe’s 2012 West Coast\u00a0Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span> or Master Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Days 9 & 10 of Lupe’s 2012 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast. On the morning of 8-16-12, Lupe woke up not in Lanis’ Honda Element or in her “tiny house” (tent), but on a comfy soft bed in a motel in Bozeman, MT.\u00a0 Ahhh!\u00a0 This was the life American Dingoes were meant to live!\u00a0 … Continue reading Glacier National Park, Montana (8-17-12)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[429],"tags":[105,106,26,492,495,497,494,104,417,493,496],"class_list":["post-3442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2012-west-coast","tag-american-dingo","tag-carolina-dog","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-glacier-national-park","tag-going-to-the-sun-road","tag-lake-mcdonald","tag-logan-pass","tag-lupe","tag-montana","tag-saint-mary-lake","tag-swiftcurrent-lake"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/P1030692.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3442"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20766,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3442\/revisions\/20766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}