Home»All Photographs»19.07.15.Road Trip 8-Hidden Lake, Glacier Nat'l Pk to Duck Lake Lodge

This is the second of 2 galleries of Glacier National Park. We began the day in Fairmont, BC Canada, crossed the US Border, entered Glacier National Park at West Glacier Village, and took the Going-to-the-Sun Road (see Road Trip #7 gallery) to Logan Pass. We arrived at the Visitor Center as it was closing but in time to be entertained by a group of wild mountain sheep who were wreaking havoc in the parking lot.

Some visitors encouraged us to hike to Hidden Lake where there is a spectacular view. So without hesitation we set out on the trail. Initially we thought we could see the destination, approximately 200 yards from the parking lot.

Along the way returning hikers kept telling us that the overlook was just a little bit further. A little bit further turned out to be about 1.5 miles. Since this was unplanned, our hiking boots were in the car and we were wearing improper footwear. We had not eaten since late morning and we had no water. This lent a little bit of urgency to our hike as the sun was beginning to drop menacingly in the west. Had we known all the facts we probably would not have taken the hike. But as we look back, it was one of the highlights of our vacation.

Along the way we were treated to one beautiful vista after another. We saw some fascinating rodents, Big Horn Sheep, Mountain Goats and wildflowers. Hidden Lake is indeed a beautiful spot, but the most fun was meeting and hiking with a family from Minneapolis (Paul and Heidi and their children Elizabeth and Benny). Benny took quite a shine to Bob and peppered him with questions all the way back to the parking lot. As young as he is, he has a prodigious mind and an opinion on a broad array of subjects.

When we returned to the cars we said goodbye and traveled off into the night. We still had 18 miles of the narrow Going-to-the- Sun Road before arriving at the town of St. Mary.

Since we had made no arrangements for the night we found that there were no options in St Mary--the local hotels had no vacancies. When it looked like we were going to spend the night in the car, we were fortunate to hear about Duck Lake Lodge located in Babb, MT.

We turned north and arrived at Duck Lake Lodge just in time to be admitted at 11 PM. It was a blessing--one of our favorite lodging points along the way (see more of Duck Lake Lodge in the Road Trip 9 Gallery).