Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Park 4

Glacier National Park had been on our vacation plan for a number of years. This July, we did it. Since we'd like to take a good supply with us, we decided to drive from Eastern South Dakota to Western Montana. For Day 1, we drove 660 miles to Billings, MT. Taking a short cut through US-212 instead of I-90 saved us 60 miles. On Day 2, we took MT-3, passed Great Falls, and then took US-89.  

We were caught in some heavy showers on MT 3 when passing by a large group of windmills on the right. But it soon cleared up when we turned onto US-191. After a quick lunch at Billings, we took US-89. It was a very enjoyable and scenic drive. At the small town of Browning, we turned onto MT-2 to East Glacier. Our first point of interest is Two Medicine. 

Two Medicine

It was hot and humid at Browning, but clouds gathered fast as we approached Two Medicine and it started raining when we arrived at the campground store and boat dock. Once we were in the boat, the rain became downpour. Miraculously, the rain stopped when the boat reached the other side of the lake after about 30 minutes. We followed the guide to hike to the Twin Falls. On the way, the guide called our attention to a greenish pile of bear poop on the trail. He also pointed to a pine tree that had a large patch of bark off, and said it was apparently bitten off by a bear about six feet tall. The rain stayed off for the whole duration of our hike. The clouds even broke up, showing the blue sky. However, it turned overcast again on our return cruise to the parking lot.   

East Glacier to St Mary

We stayed in East Glacier Hotel. Amtrak has a station right in front of the hotel, shown in the background of the second photo below. The hotel has kept its original structure and traditional style. The immense timbers that support the Lodge were between 500-800 years old when they were cut in the early 1900s and all of them retain their bark. There are 60 of them, 36 to 42 inches in diameter and 40 feet long. The timbers in the lobby are Douglas fir, as shown in the third photo below.

Consistent with the rustic style of the original building, the room amenities are old and small, compared with what you can find in Holiday Inn Express or Days Inn. Parking spaces are far away. You need to drive up to the front entrance and use the bellboy service if you have any large pieces. The hotel is in the Blackfeet Reservation and the room charge includes an additional tax for that.

The next day, we left early for St Mary via MT-49 nicknamed "Looking Glass Hill Road." The road passes over Looking Glass Hill, with an unmarked pullout on the left side to take a good view of the Lower Two Medicine Lake and the mountains beyond.  After 12 miles, MT-49 connects to US-89 at Kiowa. The drive from Kiowa to St Mary was very scenic, with prairie land meeting Rocky Mountain Range in the distance on the left. The road has lots of twists and turns, but the pavement is good.

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