Glacier National Park Photo Diary

I can’t put my finger on the exact moment I became aware of it, but Glacier National Park crept to the top of my destination desires years ago. It was really sneaky too. Nothing initially set it off or triggered the desire, but I suddenly found myself dreaming of visiting Montana and Glacier National Park before global warming caused any more irreparable damage. Wide, open ranges. Towering mountains. Prowling wildlife. Clear, clean, crisp air.

And as I sat and reflected on this particular desire, I realized that it shouldn’t have been all that surprising: I have always been drawn to the lesser-known, lesser-traveled, off-the-beaten-path, “you-fill-in-the-blank” destinations.

Not to say that I have to be completely off the grid to enjoy a destination, but rather I enjoy places that aren’t completely overrun by visitors, trashed, or full of scams. Places that I can immerse myself in. Talk with the locals. Feel something more than checking off experiences from a list.

(Which would explain my love for exploring ghost towns, visiting countries like Romania and Poland, and road trips to the middle of the desert.)

Related: Never Underestimate the “Unglamorous” Destinations

Glacier National Park Photo Diary: McDonald Falls
Sacred Dancing Cascade

My time in Montana fit into those parameters like a glove. I loved the sprawling fields, big sky views, and sheer size of the place. I loved driving along the highway and having so much space between cities and civilization (which is why I would LOVE to road trip through the Australian Outback!).

Arriving in Glacier National Park, I knew I was in the presence of something special.

And maybe I’m romanticizing a little too much. I’m a hopeless romantic at heart: I cry during the sunrise; I hummed the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack while kayaking in the Caribbean at night; the perfect time to visit San Francisco is while the fog is rolling in. I make no apologies.

I’m sure visiting Glacier National Park during the shoulder season after an early snow storm didn’t help my case. Most of the mountains either had snow or wore cloud hats. The trees were extra vibrant against the dark sky. Life breathed deeply.

Glacier National Park: Trail of the Cedars
Trail of the Cedars

And so did I.

Finally, I found myself away from the nasty air of Salt Lake City. I could taste the air I was breathing. And I didn’t mind it. Crisp, cool, clean.

Definitely not something this Southern California native is used to, if I’m honest.

As I drove around Glacier National Park along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, I wondered how I was going to describe my experience.

How do I adequately describe my thoughts, completely devoid of digital stimuli?

Would my descriptions of the sheer variety of colors do them any sort of justice? Purple rocks. Blue skies. More shades of green than a 96 pack of Crayola crayons.

Rubbish. Even my little niece can describe things better than that.

Then I looked at the 6 cameras Ashley and I were using for our trip and found my answer: I’ll let the pictures do the majority of the talking for me.

Related: How to Road Trip with a Dog

Glacier National Park is Beautiful!

river with green/blue water along tree-filled banks
There are numerous creeks and streams that run along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which provide endless backgrounds and stunning pictures.
Glacier National Park Photo Diary
Yes, the rocks are really PURPLE!
Going to the Sun Road
How can you not be amazed when the road ahead looks like this?

One of the most notable benefits of traveling during the off-season or shoulder-season is the reduction of crowds and congestion. I’m pretty sure that most roads through Glacier National Park are full of cars trying to take in all of the beauty.

Ashley and I genuinely wanted to take our time driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road, so we drove a little under the speed limit (which was usually under 30mph). On that rare occasion another vehicle approached from behind, I would pull over and let them pass. We wanted to take as many pictures as we could, smell all the smells, look for wildlife through the tree trunks as we crawled by, and marvel at where we were.

Imagine turning around a bend in the road and being presented with the view above: it happens so many times in Glacier National Park. I would slow to a crawl, taking in as much as I could. Once I had enough space behind me, I’d slow to a stop so Ashley could either stand up out of the sunroof for an unobstructed shot, or simply hold the cameras outside without worrying about stabilization.

But not for too long…because it was freezing!

Tree that looks like it has a nose
Doesn’t that look like a nose?
Oh, come on. What would YOU do?

I’m pretty sure Ashley just wanted to take a picture next to the nose, but she definitely didn’t need any hard-core pressing to shove her fist “up” one of the large openings on the tree.

It’s hard to believe that we’re in our 30s, working professionals at major companies, having traveled the world and “adult.” And yet when the opportunity arises to pretend to “pick” a tree’s “nose,” we jump at it without much hesitation.

(Okay, maybe SOME hesitation. We were in bear country, after all!)

Glacier National Park Photo Diary
I can imagine this being an awesome location for fairies to live…
Glacier National Park Photo Diary
Totally thought this was Gatorade instead of natural water.

I had no idea that the water could actually be turquoise. Having an overcast/cloudy sky did wonders for the natural beauty of Glacier National Park.

This was our first up-close-and-personal interaction with the blue water and it was a great introduction to what we were to expect along the way.

Going to the Sun Road
It’s like someone used a razor to carve a twisty road through the trees.
Lake Mcdonald
Almost like the Rainbow Mountains of Peru.

The mountains surrounding Lake McDonald were so vibrant and positively breathtaking. We learned that although fires are a natural part of the circle of life, the mountains opposite Lake McDonald suffered catastrophic damage from a wildfire a few years ago.

We were still able see some of the devastation as the land is taking its time reviving. It was almost eerie to see the skeletal trees creeping across the water.

Sometimes we have to walk a little ways off of our path and peer through the forest to find the beauty.
Yellow and green trees along the Going to the Sun road
By the time this posts, these trees are all covered in snow!

Have you ever been to Glacier National Park? What did you think? Did the colors pop? Did you see any wildlife?

Sharing is caring! Please show some love by sharing on PinterestFacebook or Instagram! Thank you!


PIN ME

Glacier National Park pins

Disclaimer: Adventure is Never Far Away is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites at no additional cost to you. Please note I only link to products and services I personally use or trust.