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