Michael and I just spent 5 days in the Glacier National Park backcountry. We did a 53-mile loop route, commonly known as the Northern Loop and other similar names. It was amazing, challenging, and super beautiful.
Michael and I left Denver on July 23, spent a few days in Missoula (see some of my favorites here), and then headed up to Glacier National Park. We weren’t sure exactly what we’d be doing – car camping and day hiking or some backpacking or a mix of both.
Since we’d be arriving to Glacier in the afternoon there was no way we were going to be able to get a campsite, so we looked around at hotels and ended up at the Glacier Park Lodge. It’s a beautiful, old lodge. No air conditioning, TV, or elevators, but it did have a lot of character!
Due to thunderstorms in the forecast we decided to extend our reservation one more night.
After we got our backcountry permits (more about that below) and actually knew what we were going to be doing we took advantage of our free afternoon and drove the Going to the Sun Road. It was as beautiful as ever.
Securing the Backcountry Permits
As with most National Parks you need to have a permit to backpack in Glacier National Park. Those permits get snagged up quickly! Fortunately, they save half of them for walk-ins that can be reserved as much as 24 hours in advance. The best chance of getting a permit is to arrive at a backcountry ranger office when it opens at 7:00 am; however, if you want to be the first in line it’s better to get there an hour in advance to claim your spot. Also, you need to come with your plan A, B, and C routes. Maybe even D. Rangers are assigning permits in offices across the park, not just at the office you are in and spots can fill up before your eyes.
The night before we got our permits we planned out a few different routes. The rangers post the backcountry site availability online so we were able to tell what sites were open, which gave us a better idea of whether or not we’d get the permit we wanted.
We arrived at the Two Medicine Ranger Station shortly after 6:00 am and were the first ones there. We made some pour over camp coffee in the parking lot and were eventually joined by a few others. Luckily, none of the groups wanted the same sites. Then we all crossed our fingers that no one else waiting in line at offices around the park wanted them either.
The ranger called us in promptly at 7:00 am. Michael went up and told him the sites we wanted and got them all! Woohoo! Even the ranger was surprised how easily everything worked out. We finished the paperwork, watched a video on bear safety (where it told me what to do if a bear started eating me! Whhhhaat??) and left to go eat omelets at Whistle Stop. I kid you not when I say it was the best omelet I’ve eaten in years. Maybe even ever.
Anyways, here was the permit for our 6 days in the backcountry of Glacier National Park:
- Day 1 – July 27 – Start at the Iceberg/Ptarmigan trailhead and hike to Elizabeth Lake (foot) – 10.1 miles
- Day 2 – July 28 – Hike to Mokowanis Junction – 8.7 miles
- Day 3 – July 29 – Hike to Stoney Indian – 5.7 miles
- Day 4 – July 30 – Hike to Fifty Mountain – 8.2 miles
- Day 5 – July 31 – Hike to Granite Park – 11.9 miles
- Day 6 – August 1 – Hike back to the Iceberg/Ptarmigan trailhead – 7.6 miles
That’s 52.7 total miles in the backcountry.
Here is a map of the route, aside from the yellow line leading into Canada. We didn’t do that.
In the middle of day 5 on our hike to Granite Park we decided to hike all the way back to the Iceberg/Ptarmigan trailhead instead of staying one more night. This cut our trip down by one day and made our last day a big one at 19.5 miles.
I’ll share my packing list in another post.
You can learn more about backcountry camping in Glacier here.
Day 1 in the Backcountry
We woke up 7:00 am, got ready, packed up the car, and grabbed another amazing omelet from Whistle Stop (seriously, the best, plus there are very few other choices). We then drove up to Many Glacier. Shortly after we got into the park we saw a grizzly bear chomping on bushes not far off the road. We drove for another quarter-mile and saw a mama grizzly with two cubs higher up on a hill. Holy grizzly sightings! This did make me a little nervous to start hiking in the backcountry. Needless to say I clipped my bear spray onto my hip belt, so it was easily accessible.
By the time we found a parking spot, used a real bathroom for the last time, and geared up it was 11:11 am (make a wish!) when we started hiking.
The terrain for the day was to hike up 5 miles (2400 feet elevation gain) to Ptarmigan Tunnel and the hike down 5 miles to Elizabeth Lake. The climb started very gradual with views of mountains and wildflowers. At about mile 2.5 the grade increased and we were hiking through a forested area. Yay mosquitoes! The incline became more gradual again and we made it to Ptarmigan Lake. From here it was another mile of giant switchbacks along a mountain face before making it to the tunnel.
Not going to lie, it wasn’t easy for me. My cardio felt good, but my legs were getting pretty pooped on those climbs. I’d rather have it that way than the opposite though! I knew I just had to push it to the tunnel and it would be snack time and then all downhill hiking from there.
And then I made it and got to look at beautiful views on both sides of the tunnel!
Not a bad place for a snack break.
From the tunnel it was a decline along red mountain pass. The layers of rock in this mountain were stunning.
We eventually made it back down into the trees and hiked the remaining miles through the forest. There was a lot of “Hey Bear!” being yelled by both Michael and I. We didn’t want any surprises.
By this point I was definitely ready to be done. 10 miles was the most I’ve hiked since backpacking in Utah in April.
We made it into camp just after 4pm. First thing first, put food and toiletries in the bear bin. Every backcountry site has a specific area to store and prep food that is about 100 yards away from the tent sites. There is a strict rule that all food (or anything aromatic like toothpaste and food wrappers) stays in this area and that you drop it off as soon as you get into camp and pick it up right before you leave camp. There is absolutely no food allowed in tents. This helps minimize the chance of bears being drawn into the tent sites. The food prep area also serves as a gathering place for hikers to hang out and socialize.
Then we set up camp and went out to Elizabeth Lake to filter water. It was beautiful!! We hung out there for a bit skipping rocks. We finally decided that it was acceptable time to eat dinner (5:30) and made some ramen.
Afterwards we hung out by the lake again skipping rocks and hoping to see some goats. No luck with the goats, but we did see an osprey flying around.
We got into our tent around 8:00 pm and shortly afterwards it started sprinkling. Then around 9:00 pm it started raining hard with super loud thunder and super loud lightning. It was actually kind of cool. Good thing our tent is waterproof!
Day 2 in the Backcountry
We woke up and got out of the tent around 7:45 am. Things were pretty wet – rain on the outside and condensation on the inside. We decided to go to the food prep area to have breakfast and deal with the wet stuff later. We boiled water and made instant coffee and Mountain House scrambled eggs on tortillas. Yum.
Afterwards we took down the tent and brought everything to the beach to dry out. Fortunately, we only had a flat 8.7 miles to go for the day, so we weren’t in a rush. We just hung out at the beach soaking up the sun and skipping rocks. We finally packed up our gear and hit the trail at 11:00 am.
Basically all of the 8.7 miles was through the forest – tall trees, green bushes, and rolling hills. Again, there was a lot of “hey bear” going on.
We had a creek crossing at mile 3.5 and decided to take advantage of the open area and pretty views by stopping for a snack break. We hung out there for about 30 minutes. It was just so pretty!
Then it was back to the forest. We passed by a campsite and someone called out to us and let us know that there were two moose by the lake. Obviously, we went to go see them. And also, the lake was very pretty.
We made it to the Mokowanis Junction backcountry site by 3:45 pm.
We did the normal routine of hanging our food, setting up the tent, using the pit toilet, putting on warmer clothes, and applying bug spray. We had an early dinner of Backpacker Pantry’s cuban coconut rice and black beans and chatted with our camp neighbors a bit.
A deer kept coming around the campsite licking people’s tents and hiking poles for the salt. It was getting more difficult to scare her away, so we finally just decided to get in the tent and call it a night.
Day 3 in the Backcountry
We woke up and got out of the tent around 8:00 am. There was a little condensation on the inside of the tent roof, but nothing too major.
We made our way to the food prep area for breakfast (Mountain House breakfast skillet on a tortilla with instant coffee) and were able to chat with two of the other groups that stayed in our campsite. It’s always fun to hear about people’s different routes through the park and what brought them outside.
By the time we returned from breakfast the tent was slightly drier. We decided to pack it up anyways. Since we only had 5.6 miles for the day there would be plenty of time to let it dry out in the afternoon at our next campsite.
We left Mokowanis Junction at about 9:30 am. The route for the day was to hike 4.5 miles up and over Stoney Indian Pass and then straight down 1.1 miles to the Stoney Indian Lake. The way up was filled with switchbacks, waterfalls, and wildflowers. The scenery was simply stunning. I couldn’t get over how beautiful everything was! It did make the 2400 feet of elevation gain much easier to bear.
On the other side of the pass we could see Stoney Indian Lake, where we would be camping for the night. The switchbacks were pretty steep on the way down, but we were at the lake before we knew it. We hung out there for about 30 minutes chatting with the other hikers and filtering water then headed to our campground and set everything up by 1:00. Short day!
We went to hang out down by the lake. It was a warm sunny day so we laid out our wet shoes and socks (we had a stream crossing earlier) to dry. We sat by the lake admiring the scenery and occasionally walking in to cool off our feet. It was a relaxing afternoon.
Later that night we split Mountain House chicken fried rice and some beef jerky (why did we think one dehydrated meal was enough for us to split each night?!) for dinner. Then walked around the lake one more time. It was such a lovely evening we didn’t want to go back to the tent just yet.
When we did go back to the tent there was another deer licking it, just like the night before. She was getting after all that salt!
Then we called it a night.
Day 4 in the Backcountry
We went through our typical morning routine – wake up, breakfast (Purely Elizabeth granola & dry milk powder), pack up, and head out.
We left camp at around 9:30 am. The route to the Fifty Mountain backcountry campground was 2.6 miles of downhill (1700 feet) and then 5.6 miles of a gradual incline (2800 feet). I was ready to go! After the previous hike up Stoney Pass I was feeling confident. We were cruising pretty fast for the downhill portion, which was all through – surprise – a forested area.
Then the uphill started. It was slow and steady up, up, up. Unfortunately, I ran out of gas pretty quickly, but kept trudging along. Michael did a great job at pushing me and encouraging me up those inclines. We stopped for frequent quick water breaks. At about 1:00 pm there was a break in the forested area where we stopped for a longer (15 minute) snack and hydrate break. The views weren’t bad.
From there we had about 2 miles left to camp. Only a little more of an incline and then the landscape switched to a wide open meadow and flat terrain (yay flat!).
Earlier in day we passed a few people that were hiking from Fifty Mountain campground and they mentioned they saw five grizzlies in the meadow on their hike out that morning. Michael had also seen a large grizzly there the last time he hiked this trail a few years ago. Needless to say, we were on high alert.
We stopped to filter some water at the first stream we saw that wasn’t dried up. 45 seconds later Michael noticed a grizzly bear about 150 yards away. She (we think the bear was a female) was slightly too close for comfort. We were yelling to make her aware of our presence, but she didn’t really seem to care as she was busy eating away and roots and bushes. For a moment it looked like she was headed our way, but she eventually changed directions and headed to the other side of the trail. It was slightly scary, but she never got close enough to become too worrisome.
I had to zoom in and my hands were slightly shaking, so all I got was a blurry pic!
From there we were a 20-minute walk from the campground and rolled in at 2:45 pm. We did the usual routine of putting our food away and setting up camp. We hung out the rest of the afternoon chatting with the campground host (Fifty Mountain is the only backcountry site in Glacier that has one) and other hikers that passed through.
We made dinner (Good to Go smoked three bean chili with a packet of ramen mixed in) around 6:30 pm and spent the next two hours hanging out at the food prep area chatting and taking in the beautiful views.
Of course every night ends with a trip to the outhouse. Not a bad view to pee from, huh?
Side note: This section of the hike made me realize how out of shape I am and it was quite humbling. Prior to my heart issues I worked pretty hard at my cardio endurance (AKA 5 years of marathon training) and could hike at a quick and easy clip through the mountains. Now, obviously, a lot of things have changed. It’ll take time to get back where I was. I have to be patient and listen to my body. I also have to learn how to trust it again. I had bouts of worry throughout the hike of whether my heart could handle it or not, which is a large mental toll. It’s annoying and it sucks. But, I did it and everything was fine! It was a good exercise for my mind and body.
Day 5 in the Backcountry
We had a longer mileage day (11.9 miles), so we decided to actually set an alarm for once and get an earlier start so that we could beat the heat a bit. We rolled out of bed at 7:00 am then went through the morning routine and left camp at 9:30 am.
Since I hit the wall pretty early yesterday I had a larger breakfast – a Mountain House breakfast skillet on a tortilla and a Bobo’s Oat Bar.
The hike started with a nice, steep incline on the Highline Trail. After about a mile the trail leveled out and went from gradual declines to gradual inclines. It felt much easier than the day before!
The sky was very hazy all day due to smoke flowing in from California.
We ran into one couple coming the opposite direction. They warned us that they had seen a bear on the trail for a little bit, but it had since gone. We remained on high bear alert. The Highline Trail goes along the middle of a ridge with a steep way up and a steep way down, so if we encounter a bear on the trail there is no where to go. Fortunately we didn’t see anything. Except for beautiful views, of course.
We took a break at mile 7.6 near a stream. It was a comfortable, open place where we could also filter water. A group of hikers going in the opposite direction also stopped for a break there. It’s always fun to take a long break chat with other people.
We started up hiking again and Michael posed the question – Should we just hike all the way back to the trailhead?
The meant hiking the same mileage, but doing it in one day instead of two. This also meant one day closer to a beer, a shower, and a real bed.
I liked the idea of it, but hiking a 19.5-mile day was a big deal for me and I was a little bit nervous about how my body would handle it. However, knowing that my pack was light, I had plenty of water, and that the terrain wasn’t anything strenuous, I gave the idea a thumb’s up. Instead of 4.3 miles we had 11.9 miles left to go for the day.
We hiked the remaining section of the Highline Trail and arrived at the Granite Park Chalet around 2:45 pm. We took a water, snack, and bathroom break then headed up and over Swiftcurrent Pass. Fortunately it was only a 700-foot climb. From there it was flat trails and steep switchbacks down to the trailhead.
The views were incredible. On one side we were walking towards a view of the Grinnell Glacier and surrounding waterfalls. On the other side we were walking towards a beautiful chain of lakes. Since my body was pretty worn out by this point the gorgeous scenery helped keep me motivated and moving.
The last few miles were flat and through trees. By this time my feet were hurting. They were not used to this! Surprisingly the rest of my body felt pretty good. I was expecting to feel 10x worse. Good job body!
We rounded a corner through the trees and spotted the parking lot. I let out of a couple of loud whoops. We went to the car and immediately put on sandals and clean shirts. It was the best feeling. The second best feeling: splashing my face with water. Oh, so good.
Our car was conveniently located outside of the Swiftcurrent Restaurant. We snagged two seats at the bar and ordered beers and burgers. It was a happy ending to a happy adventure.
Conclusion
Overall, the 5 days in the Glacier National Park Backcountry was absolutely wonderful. The scenery was insanely gorgeous. I could not stop saying “It’s so pretty!!!”. The backpacking loop was filled with beautiful waterfalls, glaciers, mountains, alpine lakes, trees, and wildflowers. We saw bears, sheep, a goat, and marmots. We chatted with a variety of different people (men, women, hound, old, newbies, seasoned hikers) along the trails. I learned made some backpacking mistakes, learned a lot, and challenged both my body and my mind.
Best of all Michael and I could get spend time together doing something that we both love. Even better yet was that my heart issues weren’t limiting us or overshadowing our fun. About time!
Next we are headed to North Cascades National Park! I can’t wait to explore a new place!
Here are some more pictures. I took about 1000.
