Lake McDonald and leaving Glacier

Having little time to go through Glacier National Park makes it hard to show everything I saw. For  the time spent I saw a lot. It is one of my most favorite National Parks that I have ever been to. It will be on my list for visiting again.

These remaining images are while heading out of the West side of Glacier National Park. You get to see a tree on a cliff right above the road. There is McDonald Creek and Lake McDonald. There are also some photos of some scenery as we headed to I-90 on our way to Coeur d'Alene.

Happy Halloween

Halloween is pretty much over but here is an older photo of some pumpkins we carved. Enjoy!

Dancing around a fire in the woods, pumpkin carving.

Logan Pass, Going-To-The-Sun Road, Glacier National Park

As you have likely seen from my other post, Glacier National Park is a gorgeous place. Today we We will take a look at the Logan Pass Area along the Going-To-The-Sun Road.

This mountain goat was only a few feet from me while I was taking photos from the side of the road.

Meet my friend the mountain goat. This little guy was nibbling on small rocks and licking the salt covered blacktop of a pull out near the top of Logan Pass. He was causing quite the stop in traffic. The vehicles coming up the mountain all wanted to get a photo of the mountain goat. There was a long line of cars basically stopped. I found out later that there was also road construction going on that caused us wait for about 20-25 minutes. 

I was taking some photos of the mountain goat from only a few feet away and he was ignoring me. The problem is he was not up for giving me a good pose. So I decided to ignore him and take a bunch of other photos of the area. You will be able to see some of them further on in this post. The goat finally finished his mineral rich meal and headed down the mountain side. I then got a few good shots of him. The one above is one of them.

While on our adventure through logan pass we also saw rocky mountain bighorn sheep. I was not able to get a photo of the bighorn because they were so far away. I had to borrow a stranger's binoculars to barely see then on the side of one of the mountains. Maybe next time...

These next few photos are from the east side of Logan Pass. You will see photos from both sides of the pass and from right on top of the pass.

5 photo panorama - The mountains and area around Logan Pass are steep and green. Waterfalls can be seen every and at every turn. The emerald green of scenery can seem unreal. I could easily spend a month there exploring and taking photos.

These next six photos are taken from the area just west of Saint Mary Lake. These are the views from the road. Just think if you hiked around there!

7 photo panorama - looking up Saint Mary River Canyon, west of Saint Mary Lake.

A waterfall cascading down into Saint Mary River Canyon

Mountain along the Saint Mary River Canyon

5 photo panorama - Going-To-The-Sun Mountain

This next group of photos is taken at Siyeh Bend along the Going-To-The-Sun Road. There is a trail that goes off here but we will have to come back someday. it is amazing how wet this place can be.

Moss and other plants near a stream and small waterfall. The ground here was highly saturated and soggy. 

Waterfall coming down the mountain and through a glacier near Siyeh Bend.

Landscape from Siyeh Bend

Siyeh Creek at Siyeh Bend. There is big glacier just upstream that this roaring creek goes through. I do not have a photo of it.

Wild flowers along the mountainside at Siyeh Bend

Wild flowers along the mountainside at Siyeh Bend

The following three photos are taken between Siyeh Bend and The Top of Logan Pass

6 photo panorama - West side of Logan Pass with Reynolds Creek (Reynolds Mountain and Clements Mountain)

Here we are at the top of Logan Pass. There is a Visitor Center at the top of the pass so, as you can see, many people stop and take a walk around here.

27 photo panorama - Top of Logan Pass, Meadows, Trees, Glaciers and Mountains. Mount Oberlin, Clements Mountain, Reynolds Mountain

6 photo panorama - Top of Logan Pass looking east

Ground squirrel at the top of Logan Pass

This last group of photos was taken on the east side of Logan Pass. Again you can see our friend the mountain goat. You can also see a few small glaciers right by the road. This group will end with a panorama I took while we were waiting to go through the construction zone.

Mountain goat snacking on rocks, west side of Logan Pass

Mountain goat snacking on rocks, west side of Logan Pass

Mount Oberlin

 photo panorama - Mount Oberlin, west side of Logan Pass, Going-To-The-Sun Road, Glacier National Park

Mountain goat descending down towards Logan Creek, west side of Logan Pass

Mountain goat turning around for a look as it descends down to Logan Creek, west side of Logan Pass

Small glacier on the side of the road, west side of Logan Pass

Alaska Shaped Glacier (my name fore it)  - Small glacier on the side of the road, west side of Logan Pass

8 photo panorama - Mount Oberlin (right), Heavens Peak (center, distant), Weeping wall (right)

Saint Mary Lake, Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park

Here is the second post of Glacier National Park. This is the area around Saint Mary Lake. It is in the eastern portion of the park along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The Road goes through the park and it is well worth the drive. I wish we would have had more time! The park is, in my opinion, the most beautiful national park. It is so green with lakes, glaciers, steep mountains, clear water, wildlife, flowers, and much more.

Enjoy the photos as always. You should go and visit the park even if you can only drive through. If you would like a print of a certain photo contact me. Most of the images here on my blog you could buy a print of from me. Comment and feast your eyes on the beauty of Glacier National Park.

Saint Mary Lake

Glacier National Park

Saint Mary Lake was almost as smooth as glass when we passed by. The water in the lake is so clear! You can see the rocks on the bottom and the variety of different colors of the rocks. The lake is long and it runs east and west. There are many places to stop and take a look around. 

Saint Mary Lake with mountain in the background, Glacier National Park

East Flattop Mountain, Glacier National Park

9 photo panorama - Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

6 photo panorama - East Flattop Mountain, Glacier National Park

26 photo panorama - Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Rocks in the clear water of Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Wildflowers by Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Wildflowers by Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Tree on the shore of Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Wild Goose Island

Saint Mary Lake (west end), Glacier National Park

Wild Goose Island is a fun place to see. It is small and every inch of it is covered with something green. From the Going-to-the-Sun Road there are many good vantage points. The road makes an arch around the side of the lake and almost does a half circle around the island. Like I said the island is not very big. You would not want to put your summer home on it for sure. Though many people would love to have a home with the view of the area. 

Wild Goose Island and Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

My wife and I in front of Wild Goose Island and Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

7 photo panorama - Wild Goose Island, Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

3 photo panorama - Wild Goose Island, Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Wild Goose Island and Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Wild Goose Island and Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Going-to-the-sun Road and Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

6 photo panorama - Wild Goose Island, Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Baring Creek

Near Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Near the west side of Saint Mary Lake, Baring Creek flows under the Going-to-the-Sun Road.  It is a beautiful creek. We were not able to explore as much as we would have wanted. We got out for a quick stop. I am still kicking myself for not grabbing my tripod when we got out of the car. I could have done more with it. Many photos would have come out better if I had used my tripod. Even though I didn't have my tripod there are some photos worth looking at.

26 photo panorama - Baring Creek, Glacier National Park

Baring Creek, Glacier National Park

Baring Creek, Glacier National Park

Baring Creek, Glacier National Park

14 photo panorama - Baring Creek, Glacier National Park

6 photo panorama - Baring Creek, Glacier National Park

Baring Creek, Glacier National Park