Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hiking
More of a stroll than a hike, the trail to
Running Eagle Falls
is 1,600 feet long, kid-friendly,
and wheelchair-accessible. The waterfall is interesting, as it changes from a double fall in
spring and early summer to a single one by late summer; it appears to emerge from within
the rock wall. The trailhead for this easy but scenic hike is on the park road roughly one
mile west of the Two Medicine entrance.
One particularly exquisite, and perhaps nostalgic, way to explore Glacier is by combin-
ing a boat ride with a hike. An excellent place to do so is in the Two Medicine Valley.
The
Glacier Park Boat Company
(406/257-2426,
www.glacierparkboats.com
, $12 adults,
$6 children 4-12, free for children under 4) offers 45-minute cruises, with optional guided
hikes, from the Two Medicine Lake boat dock to the far end of the lake, cutting 6 miles off
the hike to
Twin Falls
and
Upper Two Medicine Lake.
It's backcountry hiking without
the blisters. From the upper (unloading) dock, the hike to Twin Falls is just 0.9 mile, and
an additional 2.2 miles to the gorgeous upper lake.
No Name Lake,
at the base of the sheer
Pumpelly Pillar, is another spectacular hike made easier with a boat shuttle. Instead of 5
miles one-way, with the boat it is 2.2 miles with an 800-foot elevation gain. For those look-
ing to put more miles on their feet, there are trails on either side of Two Medicine Lake,
making a variety of loops possible. Farther north of Two Medicine, the
Cut Bank Trail-
head
offers fantastic hiking with even fewer visitors—perfect for solitude seekers.
Bicycling
There aren't many places in the country where you can hop on a bike, head to the nearest
highway, and pedal through spectacular scenery in every direction. Although the inclines
can be steep and the declines precipitous around East Glacier, the air is fresh, the traffic re-
latively limited, and the mountain vistas unrivaled.
For avid cyclists, it's possible to do a 137-mile loop in and around the park: Head south-
west from East Glacier on U.S. Highway 2 to West Glacier, then over Going-to-the-Sun
Road to St. Mary, then south on U.S. Highway 89 and Highway 49 back to East Glacier. Re-
member that eastbound Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed to cyclists 11am-4pm daily June
15-Labor Day, so plan accordingly.
In the vicinity of East Glacier, biking to the Two Medicine Valley, 12 miles northwest of
town, is a popular route. Bicycles can be rented in East Glacier from
Scenic View Bicycle
Rental
(900 Hwy. 49, 406/226-9238, $20 for 5 hours, helmet included).
