For my last post on my Great American Southwest tour, I would like to share my impression of traversing Nevada from south to north. My return trip from Tucson to Post Falls Idaho took three days with overnight stops in Las Vegas and Twin Falls so essentially the entire second day was spent in Nevada. I expected to be treated to endless views of sage brush and not much else. I was pleasantly surprised.
Almost as soon as I left Las Vegas, I also left the interstate and turned off on US-93. Las Vegas is in my opinion one of the last places I would ever like to visit in the United States and yes I don’t gamble. It was surprisingly difficult to find a hotel off of the highway and extremely expensive. As soon as I hit the two lane the scenery improved dramatically.
I wish I had time to stop and explore. Nevada is a big state and I needed to make time. There were a lot of signs pointing the way on side roads to small towns and state parks.
The towns I drove through were very nice and some had amazing historical buildings right along the highway. The few people I dealt with were extremely pleasant as well. Like in much of the United States there is a big difference in the attitudes between urban America and it’s hinterlands. I’ll take the latter every time.
It was a big country with big scenery. Much of the trip was in higher elevation areas with dwarf juniper and pine forest. There was a lot less real desert than Arizona and New Mexico. At the south end of the trip I drove through miles of Joshua tree forest but didn’t think to stop for a photo or two.
About a third of the way through, I crossed over a pass and enjoyed the distant views of Wheeler Peak, a 13,000 foot mountain in the middle of Great Basin National Park. It looked like the mother ship was floating above it.
Unfortunately this was as close as I got to the national park. I’m making a list for next summer and Great Basin suddenly is on my radar. Too bad it’s a two day drive for me to get there.
After the turn off for the national park, I headed west and hit clear blue skies again. It seemed like Nevada had one beautiful mountain range after another, all of which begged to be explored.
Some of the passes I drove over were above seven thousand feet above sea level. That’s higher than the mountain tops in my neck of the woods.
In the distance I saw the Ruby Mountains which are crowned by an awesome wilderness area and on the other side of which is the Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway, another place that needs to be explored in the future.
And in the valleys I did get to see sage brush, lots of sage brush.
As I was on a time limit I didn’t get to explore or hike on my way through Nevada. To be honest I had no idea how beautiful the drive was before I made it. Sometimes when your expectations aren’t super high, you come across a place that exceeds them in every way. I would really like to make it back here next fall for a multiday adventure.
And so ended my six week long Great American Southwest trip.
After spending the day exploring Arches National Park and spending a second night in Moab it was back on the road well before dawn. My next goal was Grand Canyon National Park. On the way I drove through some fascinating scenery, at least it looked like it after the sun finally came up.
On the way the road was long and lonely. Much of the drive was through the Navajo Nation.
Just before I hit the Arizona state line I got my views of Monument Valley including this shot from “Forest Gump Hill”. Fans of that movie will remember the scene.
Time was of the essence so I snapped a couple of quick photos from the turnouts and headed to my real destination.
I rarely take photos of the entrance signs to the various parks I visit. Usually there’s a crowd of tourist posing in front of them so I skip it. Coming in the east entrance of Grand Canyon National Park, I was surprised that the turnout was empty so I said what the hell, why not.
Once I used my America the Beautiful pass to enter the park I stopped at what is called First View. Here at the bottom of the canyon is the mighty Colorado River. In much of the rest of the canyon the river is not visible from the rim.
The collection of tourist facilities at the east end of the park is called Desert View. The National Park Service has constructed some very interesting buildings in the southwest style including this watch tower. As to be expected the place was very busy and it took some creative camera angles to get shots without tourist milling all around. I used the facilities and headed west on Desert View Road to find less crowded views.
The first few turnouts had lots of folks checking the views. It took a little jockeying to get a parking spot in a couple of them. The views were nice though.
Looking across the canyon I believe the formation that looks like a small volcanic cone is Cedar Mountain.
Heading west the canyon gets deeper and the rim becomes less desert like.
To be honest the views all start to look a lot a like after two of three stops. The Grand Canyon is impressive but I was looking for a little more solitude.
At one of the turn outs, I had a nice view towards the south away from the canyon. In the distance are the highest mountains in Arizona near Flagstaff including the tallest peak in the state, Humphrey’s Peak.
At Navajo, Lipan and Moran Points, spur roads lead to parking areas. Away from the main park road, I was able to walk off trail along the rim to a few view points without company and enjoy the views unbothered.
The harsh conditions on the South Rim causes the vegetation to become stunted and twisted. Most of the trees are either pinion pines of junipers.
When I walked away from the turnouts and found my own views the only company I had was of the avian variety.
A couple of scenic turnouts had trailheads for hikes that lead down in to the canyon. I wasn’t interested. Climbing a mountain is one thing. The hardest part comes first and then you have the reward of a commanding view. Going down in to a big hole and then having to climb back out to where you were anyway to enjoy the view seems like a waste of effort and time.
Heading west the park road passes through a very beautiful open pine forest. I came across a herd of elk being harassed by dozens of turons. I refused to take part in the circus. and instead continues to Grandview and Shoshone Points.
It was a nice day to enjoy the views. I was glad I wasn’t the only one doing so.
Nearing the park headquarters I parked at the Pipe Creek Vista and walked on the Rim Trail to the Kaibab Trailhead where another trail leads down in to the canyon. The road to the trailhead is closed to private vehicles and access is either by hiking of the park shuttle buses.
I returned to the Pipe Creek Vista and followed the Rim Trail to Mathers Point. It was the nicest walk I came across in my short visit. It is amazing how few people will walk more than a couple hundred feet from their cars.
Part of the trail passed through an area that experienced a wildfire a couple of decades ago. Forest recover very slowly in this type of environment. The habitat looked very much like scrublands I was familiar with in Central Florida.
At Mather Point which is right next to the visitor center I encountered hoards of tourist again so I turned around and enjoyed the one and a half mile hike back to my car. On the way I noticed this rock feature. Kind of looks like the head of a griffin to me.
The shadows were starting to lengthen and I still had a long drive to Flagstaff.
After taking one last picture from the canyon rim, I drove through Grand Canyon Village before I left the park. I was not impressed. It was over built and crowded.
The Grand Canyon is a very beautiful place and has always been on my bucket list. The views are outstanding and the scenic drive is amazing. However like most national parks there are always crowds. I’m very glad I finally saw the place but truth be told I’d rather find another hidden gem to explore than to return here.
All together I probably walked less than five miles in the park. If I do go back again I would definitely take advantage of the efficient mass transit system in the park in order to have time for a longer one way hike. The Rim Trail between Kaibab and Mather Points was the highlight.
I made the last hour of my drive to Flagstaff in complete darkness including going over an eight thousand foot pass at the base of Humphrey’s Peak with my low fuel light glowing. I was very relieved to get back to civilization. Driving through Flagstaff I was surprised how dark the city was. Outdoor lighting was minimal. I later learned this is because of the close proximity of Lowell Observatory.
After spending half a day at Canyonlands National Park I continued a few miles down the road and got a room in Moab. The next morning I was up well before dawn. When I arrived at the entrance station to Arches National Park it was still pitch dark and the place was unstaffed.
I drove through the park in almost total darkness. By the time I arrived at the Wilson Ranch Trailhead, it was just starting to get light enough to see. This trailhead is the starting point for the hike to Delicate Arch.
Just past the historic cabin a short spur trail lead to some interesting Native American pictographs. Both of these photos were taking on the way back from Delicate Arch as it was still too dark on the way in.
The trail to Delicate Arch is only about a three mile round trip with just over a five hundred foot elevation gain. Much of the trail is on a bare rock slope.
The last part of this trail is on a cut in solid rock. I only passed a couple of people going in the mile and a half. Some folks got there even earlier than me and made the trip in the dark.
After rounding one last bend there was the arch. A small crowd was already there to watch the colors change in the sunrise. The folks who got there this early were very respectful and quiet. Later in the day that changes.
This is the kind of place one can linger for hours. The views are different from every angle. Folks would occasionally walk to the base to take photos but would walk back up as soon as they were done so others could enjoy the view.
I wonder what happens when an arch sees its shadow. Hopefully not six more weeks of scorching temps.
I had to share one more photo of this most iconic arch before I left. Now it was time to check out some other hikes.
This was the view on the way down looking across a small canyon west of Delicate Arch.
Delicate Arch isn’t the only opening along the trail. The scenery was pretty awesome. By the time I was heading down the people I passed who were on their way up were much louder. I was glad I made it to the Delicate Arch first thing. It was only going to get more crowded as the day progressed.
Next I drove to the Delicate Arch View trailhead. It is not possible to hike to the arch from here as a deep canyon blocks the way. However short walks allow less fit people to see the arch from about a mile away.
I walked to the further of the two overlooks and then continued off trail up this bare rock ridge. The views got better and better and I was the only person around.
From this high lonely solid rock ridge, I had unimpeded views of the surrounding park. In the distance again were the La Sal Mountains.
This turned out to be my favorite hike of the day. I believe it was a little over a three mile round trip with well over five hundred feet of elevation gain. At the end I was noticeably higher than the people at the base of Delicate Arch across the deep canyon.
From the ridge I got some nice shots of Delicate Arch with full blue skies behind it, something not possible from the base of the arch. I also used the sparse vegetation to screen out the hordes of people at the base of the arch.
Now it was time to hit the scenic drives and explore the rest of the park. There was all the red rocks and blue skies one could ask for.
Some of the rock formations to me resembled what I pictured the Outback of Australia to look like.
These rocks are massive. Now it was time to go arch hunting.
Sand Dune Arch was a small arch hidden in a deep narrow passage the floor of which was covered by red sand. This one was almost next to a parking lot so there were lots of people including loud youths.
From the same parking lot a half mile trail led to Broken Arch. It was amazing how few people made the effort to walk to this gem.
This one was probably my favorite due to the lack of crowds and the fact that the trail goes through it and continues another mile to a campground.
It was kind of cool looking straight up under this enormous slab of rock. The park does advise visitors not to linger under the arches as you never know when a chunk might break off.
There were a lot of different angles from which to appreciate this rock formation.
Next I drove to Devil’s Garden to check out a few more arches. This trailhead is at the end of one of the park roads and is very busy.
My first stop here was Pine Tree Arch at the end of a short spur trail.
You could walk directly under this one too.
On the way back to the main trail another short spur bought me to a view point for Tunnel Arch. That is one big hole in a wall.
The trail continued to this amazing feature, Landscape Arch. This is the longest arch in the park. Looking at it I couldn’t see how it was supporting itself.
Words and pictures don’t do justice to this incredible graceful sliver of a rock arch.
Within view of Landscape Arch another arch, Navajo Arch was plainly visible.
Next up was a brief stop at Skyline Arch just off the park road.
At Skyline Arch there are beautiful views of red rock spires and the La Sal Mountains.
After checking out the main park road and the spur to Delicate Arch it was time to head up to The Windows. On the way I passed this collection of rocks, The Garden of Eden. This is a popular place for rock climbers.
A large trailhead at the end of the road provided access to Double Arch to the northwest and The Windows to the southeast.
The Windows are a collection of three arches in the same rock wall. This is the North Window Arch.
Here you have a view of both the North Window and the Center Window. The South Window is around a corner and in the longer shadows of the late afternoon was not as photogenic.
Just southwest of The Windows is another amazing arch, Turret Arch. There is a second opening next to the main arch.
You can also walk through Turret Arch and this is the view looking back to The Windows. One obvious man camped out at the bottom of this arch preventing many disappointed people from getting photos of themselves here. It is important to consider other people when visiting a park like this.
In the late afternoon the setting sun really lit up the red rocks and the moon made a cameo.
And here it is looking through the North Window.
After spending an hour or so exploring the Windows and Turret Arch, I crossed the trailhead and headed to Double Arch.
By now the rocks were on fire from the rays of the setting sun.
On the way back to the trailhead from Double Arch I was treated to this shadow of what looked like an elephant.
As I passed Balanced Rock on the way out of the park I got this shot in the failing light. By the time I got back to the park entrance it was completely dark. I ended up spending every bit of the daylight I had available on this early November day exploring this most amazing place.
A short drive later and I was once again in Moab. I had time to walk the main drag and check out a local watering hole before I called it an evening, but the main reason I came to this town was to check out a couple of America’s premire national park’s. I’d love to go back some day but for now it was time to hit the road to the next great place.
On day two of my southwest America tour, I visited Canyonlands National Park. Day one of the trip was all about making time. I left North Idaho two hours before dawn and arrived in Orem Utah after sunset.
The next morning I headed towards Moab. After driving three and a half hours I passed by the turn off for Canyonlands. I planned to spend all of my extra time on my two night stay in Moab exploring Arches National Park. I made a last minute decision to turn around and spend the rest of the day checking out the “Island in the Sky” instead.
The twenty two mile long road leading in to the park was a treat with numerous turnouts and nice views of the red rock buttes and cliffs.
Along the way was this nice view of two mesas towering hundreds of feet above the desert floor.
At the entrance station I used my America the Beautiful pass to cover the admission. Across the roadway from the visitor center the view to the east was amazing.
Island in the Sky is a mesa that towers over a thousand feet above the surrounding terrain. A paved road connects multiple scenic overlooks with trailheads through out the site.
The habitat on the mesa is dominated by pinion pines and juniper trees. It is typical of high elevation deserts in the area.
Soon I came across the trailhead for Mesa Arch. I planned on visiting many arch formations the next day at Arches National Park so this was just a warm up. This was the only place in the park that I would call crowded.
The arch is only about a hundred foot walk over a small ridge from the parking lot.
At the arch, I met a nice couple from Europe. They asked me if everything in America was “big”. I hesitated for a second before I replied “that in the western U.S., yes it is”.
Numerous turnouts provided easy access to unique red sandstone rock formations.
As I drove south I crossed a narrow bridge of high ground called the Neck that connected the north half of the mesa to the southern part. Below were expansive views of the canyons of the Colorado and Green Rivers towards the southeast.
At another overlook were views to the west. The Island in the Sky is only one to two miles wide in most places and there are view points are on both sides of the mesa.
Here is a closer view of a most impressive butte.
Another turnout, another view of the canyons.
At the south end of the park road there was a parking area for the Grand View Overlook. I one mile well made trail led to high point over looking the junction canyons of the Colorado and Green Rivers.
And here is the view.
Along this trail there were plenty of small views. The sandstone has eroded into fantastic patterns over the centuries.
On the way back to the trailhead the view was of another section of Canyonlands National Park, The Needles. I would have loved to explore this area too, but it didn’t fit into my time budget.
At the visitor center I asked what they would recommend as the best short hike in the park. Murphy Point was the answer. I was down to a couple of hours of daylight and considered skipping it. I’m glad I didn’t.
Unlike most of the other overlooks in the park, Murphy Point was a decent hike from the parking lot. It was about two and a half miles each way. At the other view points I had plenty of company. Here I passed one man while hiking in and met two ladies at the point itself. One of them took about the best photo of me in years. At places like this it is common to ask strangers to trade taking photos of each other. I did return the favor.
I caught the moon on the way in.
I spent the rest of my time savoring the view from the end of the point.
And here’s the view to the northwest.
Walking back to the trailhead I enjoyed the view of what I found out were the LaSal Mountains east of Arches National Park. Pretty impressive mountains for a range I’ve never heard of.
Apparently these mountains were hidden by low clouds on my way in to the park. One my way out they stole the show.
Just before I left Canyonlands I stopped at this view point overlooking Shafer Road. It turns out this dirt road is popular with four wheel drive enthusiast. I like my vehicles too much to subject them to an ordeal like this.
My final view of the park was a good one. This is just across the road from the visitor center.
As I was driving down the road towards Moab the setting sun created this blow torch effect.
The Island in the Sky unit of Canyonlands National Park exceeded my expectations. Adding my short hikes to overlooks with the five mile hike to to and back from Murphy Point I was in for maybe eight miles. Most of the hiking was pretty flat. I imagine I gained less than five hundred feet in total. After setting in the drivers seat for a day and a half that was a welcomed respite. I just wish I had time to explore the Needles District. Maybe next time.
Over the weekend I took a three day trip to Montana with the primary goal being to kayak on Bull Lake. We decided to break up the trip by throwing in a challenging hike in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area outside of Libby Montana.
The place we were camping is in a valley that divides the mountain range in half. From the valley are views of the rugged peaks in the center of the Cabinets. We drove about ninety minutes around this range, through Libby and then on dirt forest service roads to the trailhead for the Leigh Lake Trail #132.
After one wrong turn due to missing signage we found the trailhead. The road to it was better than most in this part of the world. Their were only two other vehicles in the small parking area when we got there.
The trail starts out steep and stays steep as it climbs out of the valley on a series of switchbacks.
Not far up the trial a sign lets you know that you’ve entered the wilderness area.
On the way up we passed under some pretty big cliffs. The trail was steeper than Scotchman but much shorter. It got my heart pounding in places.
In places the trail was more of a rock scramble. Yes that is the trail. If you have a fear of heights this might not be the place for you.
There are places were the narrow trail has loose rocks and big drop offs. Caution is advised.
Near the top is one of the highlights of the hike. A cascading waterfall is a nice place to stop and enjoy the views for a while.
Here we had a nice view back down the valley we climbed out of.
It was nice to know we were still on the right track. The trail beyond this point is extremely steep until it gets to the top of the ridge just before the lake. The other trail crosses Leigh Creek and goes to the south side of the lake.
Believe it or not, this is the ‘trail’.
After walking over one last little rise we got our first look at the lake. A short down hill walk brought us to the shore.
The trail follows the shore line until it ends on a rocky beach with views of the rock cliffs at the base of Snowshoe Peak, the tallest mountain in the Cabinets.
Although it is a steep hike, the hike to Leigh Lake from the trailhead is only about a third of the distance and a third of the elevation gain as the hike to the top of Scotchman Peak. For those of you that need more of a challenge some folks continue to the top of the mountain. We met a couple of them on the way down.
From the rocky beach there is a nice panorama of the surrounding mountains and cliffs. The mountain in the center right is the lower slopes of Snowshoe Peak. Snowshoe Peak has the only remaining glacier in the Cabinets on its north shoulder.
A little further around the bend is a pretty marsh. I would not have been surprised to see some wildlife here but we didn’t. There are mountain goats in the area and the Cabinets are grizzly country.
The lake is a place you want to spend some time at appreciating the scenery.
Leigh Lake is the kind of place you would want to stay all day at but eventually it is time to leave. Looking back towards the lake we could see the beginnings of fall in the colors of the leaves and a few left over patches of snow on Snowshoe Peak from the previous winter. Soon enough these snow patches will have plenty of reinforcements.
Now it was time to retrace our steps on the way back down.
Looking back down on the waterfall we visited on the way up gives you a perspective on how far it was to climb to the lake. No need for those with vertigo to apply.
While hiking back down we enjoyed the small views. All too soon we were back at the trailhead.
By the time we finished we hiked a modest three miles or so round trip and gained maybe 1200 feet of elevation. In places the trail was challenging some might say exhilarating with rock scrambling and extreme drop offs not for the faint of heart. The waterfall and the lake are highlights of this hike. I would gladly do this again.
Not getting enough of waterfalls for the day we stopped at Kootenai Falls between Libby and Troy Montana for some easy walks and great views before we made it back to our campground on Bull Lake.
Over the weekend I spent three days exploring the Cabinet Mountains area of Montana. Less than three weeks ago I posted photos of the Cabinet Mountains on the way back from my Glacier National Park trip. I wanted to go back but was pleasantly surprised that it happened so soon. On day one we snagged a lakeside camp site on Bull Lake in the middle of the Bull River Valley which bisects the Cabinet Mountains north to south. I used my America the Beautiful Pass to save a few bucks.
Bull Lake is a beautiful body of water smack dab in the middle of the Cabinet Mountains. That might be Ibex Mountain in the background. The lake is over twelve hundred acres and is as deep as sixty feet. There are extensive wetlands around the lake, several islands in it and an outflow river ‘Lake Creek’ on the north end which flows north to the Kootenai River near the town of Troy. Oddly enough Bull Lake is not the source or even connects with the Bull River which flows south to the Clark Fork River and gives this beautiful valley its name.
After about a two and a half hour drive we made it to the campground. Even though it was a Saturday afternoon as it’s almost the end of camping season in Montana we got a site on the water and launched our kayaks from there.
After setting up camp we headed north towards the outlet creek. The north end of the lake is shallow and has extensive areas of aquatic vegetation which minimizes recreational boating. For the most part the only other folks on the water were fishermen anyway and they don’t usually make wakes.
As we headed towards the north end of the lake we had nice views of the mountains on the east side of the valley. In the distance we could see the high peaks in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area.
The lake narrowed as we headed north and we had nice views of the mountains to the west. The Cabinet Mountains do cross the state-line in to Idaho and only five days earlier we had hiked to the summit of the highest peak on the Idaho side, Scotchman Peak. You can not see Scotchman from the lake.
After paddling through flats covered in reeds we came to more open water. The lake slowly narrowed and it took a while to realize it was becoming a creek that flowed out of the lake.
The further we went the stronger the current leaving the lake was until discretion dictated that we turn back. You never know when you’re going to find the first rapids downstream.
So we returned to the main body of the lake through the reed beds again and circled this pretty little island.
Next we followed the far or western shore on the wilder side of the lake towards the south. Across the lake we had views of our campground.
After a couple of hours exploring the north part of Bull Lake, the shadows started to lengthen. We were on the lookout for wildlife, especially moose but didn’t manage to see any.
As the sun set we called it a day. It did get awfully chilly in the evening but the surroundings were phenomenal and it was hard to complain about the clear blue skies.
In the morning it was foggy and to be honest cold as hell. A kayak trip didn’t sound like it would be too much fun. On one side of the campground was Bull Lake. On the other a wetland provided views of the eastern Cabinet Mountain. We decided to take a hike to Leigh Lake in the eastern Cabinets instead and used the long ride to the trailhead to warm up. I will cover this trek in my next post.
After the hike to Leigh Lake we stopped briefly at Kootenai Falls, a popular attraction near Libby Montana. As I understand it A River Wild was filmed here starring Merle Streep and Kevin Bacon. I did post a couple of photos of this site from my Glacier National Park trip.
And at the suspension bridge over the river I finally got to see my brother heading to Whitefish!
After a second and much less chilly night we wanted to check out the south end of the lake and get a view of Bad Medicine cliffs in the sunlight instead of shadows, but first we had to deal with a surprise visitor(s).
While making breakfast this momma and her baby waltzed right through the campground. On the second night we were the only campers in the campground and the camp host had already left for the season. Being the only people in the campground was nice in a way, but also a little creepy as a sketchy truck showed up in the middle of the night. Glad Montana is a carry by right state.
“Hey Mom, they’re hoomans in our dinning room and they’re pointing little black rectangles at us.” “Come on junior, they’re hiding behind trees and they’re scared, let’s head to the marshland and they won’t follow, after all I’m bigger than they are.”
So after being entertained by our visitors, we launched again and headed south. Two thirds of the lake remained to be explored.
A large island ‘Angle Island’ almost bisects the lake. A narrow manmade channel separates this island from the east side of the lake and State Road 56. I wanted to circumnavigate the island so we paddled down the about two foot deep, at this time of the year channel.
At the bridge to the mainland, the channel was silted up and full of debris. It was a pretty detour anyway. Stymied for now, we turned around and took the real channel towards the south end of the lake.
We got a little closer to Bad Medicine but the cliff slowly disappeared behind a shorter hill in front of it. It’s still is a striking feature over the south end of the lake.
Near the south end of the main channel that separates Angle Island from the larger south lobe of the lake another smaller island complete with it’s own beaver lodge finally allowed me to circle an island.
When we got to the open southern lobe of the lake the wind kicked up. We saw all of the lake and decided to head back to the campground in the more protected channel.
In the smaller northern lobe the wind died down and we enjoyed the glass flat paddle back to the campground.
We ended up kayaking on Bull Lake on the last day of summer and the second day of fall of 2024. The season is nearing it’s end but hopefully their will be more adventures before the snow falls. After all was said and done we ended up paddling maybe six hours between both days. It was a nice workout.
Bull Lake has to be one of the prettiest lakes in the Northwest. Being surrounded by the Cabinet Mountains gives it a wonderful setting. After my hike at Leigh Lake I did take a dip in the maybe sixty five degree water to wash off the campfire smoke. It felt amazing.
We kayaked on Bull Lake the day we arrived and the morning we left. The full day in between allowed us to hike to Leigh Lake and stop by Kootenai Falls on the way back. Our campground was amazing. I will let you do your own research on that as it only has eight camping spots, four of which are on the lake shore. I plan to go back in 2025, hopefully with the same company.
Failing in my attempt to secure lodging for a third night and stymied from visiting Many Glacier I weighed my options and instead of a third long hike that was not my first choice and then a late evening grueling six hour trip back, I decided to leave early and take my time and explore a little on the way home. My hikes at Siyeh Pass and Dawson Pass wore me out anyway.
I drove through Whitefish “underwhelming by the way”, then through Eureka “nice but no reason to stop”, then along Lake Koocanusa with it’s endless miles of road reconstruction. Lake Koocanuse, Koo for the Kootenai River can for Canada and usa for you guess it the United States of America, was formed by Libby Dam. Here they have a nice visitor center and public viewing platforms.
After driving through the town of Libby, my next stop was at Kootenai Falls. There is a parking lot with a picnic area along with a snack shop off of US 2 between Libby and Troy Montana.
Kootenai Falls is one of the largest undammed waterfalls in Montana.
This recreational site includes a pedestrian bridge over the BNSF Railroad mainline. Don’t worry, I checked before crossing to make sure my brother wasn’t coming.
A long pedestrian suspension bridge gives you access to the north side of the river and more views of the waterfall. If you’re afraid of these types of bridges then this one isn’t the one to overcome them on. It sways really good and the river is a long way down.
Here is the view of the bridge from across the river.
Kootenai Falls is managed by the US Forest Service and is a nice place to spend an hour or so exploring and enjoying the view.
Before Troy I cut over on Montana State Road 56 through the Bull River Valley towards Noxom. This is one of the most scenic roads in the area and goes through the middle of the Cabinet Mountains. About half way through it is Bull Lake.
Across the lake is Bad Medicine, a striking cliff formation that begs to be explored. As far as I can tell access isn’t easy.
A little further to the south is a four mile long paved road to one of the few old growth cedar groves left in the northwest. Ross Creek is well visited and maintained.
A short walk leads you from the parking lot to the giant trees. Moss covered boulders at the base of a cliff border the trail.
Some of these giants are well over four hundred years old.
They’re not quite the California Redwoods but they are in the ball park especially for here.
Walking through the grove is a relaxing experience.
About half way down the entrance road to Ross Creek is this view into the heart of the Cabinet Mountains. It’s not quite Glacier but it is only ninety minutes from my house.
Along State Road 56 there are several turnouts with scenic views of the Cabinet Mountains. I hiked a little here several years ago and hope to return in the near future.
The Bull River follows the highway down the valley. This valley has to be one of the prettiest places around.
I probably walked less than two miles at my various stops on the way home but it was a relaxing way to end my trip. Bull Lake in the middle of the valley has two campgrounds and would be a perfect place to combine a kayak trip with a mountain hike. Sounds like the basis for a future post.
On day one I discovered that I needed a two dollar on line pass to visit the Many Glacier area. I planned to hike to Grinnell Glacier on my second day but was unable to secure a pass. Disappointed I looked for an alternative and settled on the Two Medicine Lake area, the most under visited part of the park.
After checking in to my cabin as I hadn’t the night before, I drove about ninety minutes around Glacier national Park to East Glacier and then on to Two Medicine Lake. This is the “dry” side of the park and outside of it the habitat is primarily grasslands. This is also next to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
So I settled on Dawson pass as my goal for todays hike. It would be pushing it for me as it was a thirteen mile long hike with a twenty eight hundred foot elevation gain. I figured I had time as I got a much earlier start that the previous days hike. By 9:30 I was on the trail.
The first couple of miles were along the north shore of Two Medicine Lake. It was a pretty walk but there was no elevation gain, a fact that would cost me later.
While hiking along the shore line I watched the boat tours run up the lake. They offer return only rides for hikers who would like to save about two and a half miles of their journey. If I ever go again I would take advantage of this service. The last couple of miles heading back got to be a little painful. If you get a round trip ticket it saves five miles but no elevation.
The scenery along the trail is amazing and the first three and a half miles are relatively flat.
That gave me plenty of time to appreciate the small things. FYI, blue berries “AKA huckleberries” good.
And red berries “Chokecherries” no bueno. They may or may not be toxic but either way you don’t eat these.
About three miles in you hit the trail junction that either back tracks to the boat landing or continues to Upper Two Medicine Lake, a popular overnight camping destination. Here the trail really starts climbing.
On the way up a series of challenging switch backs this impressive monolith stands guard above you.
At the top of this climb you are treated to views back towards Two Medicine Lake.
After climbing this section of the trail with it’s incredible views the path levels out for about half a mile until the junction with the spur to No Name Lake. I opted to skip the short spur in order to push to the pass.
After the No Name Lake Trail junction the main trail started to climb steeply again. By now I realized I wasn’t going to make it to the pass. I had plenty of time but was figuratively out of gas and it was a long way back.
This was as close as I got and that ridge is still a long way away. Having to gain all of the elevation in the last half of the hike made it difficult. The boat ride would have saved a lot of time and effort as well and if there is ever a next time I would take advantage of it.
The scenery on the way was just as good as it was on the way up and the walking a lot easier. It was still hard on the knees and back though.
On the way back I took my time and enjoyed the small things. I failed to reach my goal but it was still a rewarding experience.
Just before I reached the trailhead I got a bonus. A group of bighorn sheep were grazing right in my path. If I had taken the boat back I would have missed seeing these amazing animals.
They didn’t seen too worried about me and as I waited and enjoyed the show about a dozen other hikers showed up and did the same. We all eventually managed to get around them by detouring around the trail.
So five and a half hours later I was back at my car. I figured I ended up doing about eleven miles and maybe eighteen hundred feet. On top of yesterdays hike that made for twenty miles and four thousand feet. Not a bad effort.
So I decided to go back to west Glacier by taking Going to the Sun Road across the park. To get to St. Mary’s I used Montana State Road 49. Looking back towards Two Medicine I was treated to this view. The road takes you through part of the Blackfeet Nation.
State Road 49 climbed over a pass and near the top this was the view. This is the end of the Rockies and the beginning of the Great Plains. From here it’s almost as flat as a pancake to West Virginia a couple of thousand miles to the east.
This is looking north towards St Mary’s across the rolling plains. The east end of Going to the Sun Road was about a twenty mile drive from Two Medicine.
The eastern end of Going to the Sun Road is dominated by Saint Mary’s Lake. The landscape is noticeably drier than that on the other side of Logan Pass. This photo is at the overlook for Goose Island.
As beautiful as Lake McDonald is Saint Mary’s Lake is in my opinion even prettier.
At Sun Point I took a short walk and enjoyed the late afternoon views.
The sun was setting in the west and it truly felt like I was on a road going to the sun. Now it was time to head back across the park. The road is fifty miles long and it takes at least two hours to transit Glacier National Park on it. Going around on the U.S. Highways is longer and faster but ends up taking just about as long.
I headed the rest of the way back up towards Logan Pass and at Siyeh Bend I saw this cascade I missed the day before.
So I get to Logan Pass at the end of the day and it’s still a zoo. The parking lot was closed and Park Rangers were blocking the entrances. I was glad I wasn’t fighting those crowds.
I enjoyed the slow scenic ride back down on the narrower west side of the pass. Going to the Sun Road from St. Mary’s to Logan Pass is a much better and safer road than the section west of Logan heading towards Lake McDonald.
Before it got dark I had just enough time to check out a small waterfall on the way to Lake McDonald. By now the hordes were mostly out of the park.
I stopped to take one last look oat Lake McDonald before I got back in cell phone land. I tried to buy a two dollar pass to Many Glacier for the next day but of course they already sold out. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to take the drive cross the park again the next morning anyway.
I got back to my camper cabin just in time to catch their BBQ night. Glacier Campground just outside the West Glacier entrance was an unique place to stay. The Sunflower Café had a vibe that reminded me of Camp Curry in Yosemite back in the day. Lots of the customers were young outdoor enthusiast. The campground staff was awesome and the bathrooms were very nice. I checked to see if they might have a cabin for the next night come available due to a last minute cancellation but was out of luck. I was lucky to score two nights at the last minute due to someone else’s cancellation
One the first day of my road trip to Glacier National Park I discovered that you need one day permits to drive on Going to the Sun Road and to visit Many Glaciers and you can only get them on line. I lucked out and was able to purchase one for Going to the Sun Road as I was waiting in line to enter the park. It is a complicated system and not very conducive to spur of the moment visits.
Entering Glacier National park from the west I soon arrived at Lake McDonald. Scenic pull outs along the road provide beautiful views of the mountains on the far side.
Beyond the lake the Going to the Sun Road follows the river that feeds it upstream. The outlet for Lake McDonald is the beginning of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.
I blew by the trailhead for Avalanche Basin. This is one of the most congested places in the park and the parking lots were full. I’ve been there and done that anyway and was looking for new adventures.
Just after crossing Logan Creek, the road turns northwest and really starts climbing. It doesn’t take long before you’re far above the river valley.
The views are outstanding but the road is narrow and winding. It requires your full attention. It would be nice if all large trucks folded their sideview mirrors in.
Having to purchase a day pass to drive on the road was a hassle. The flip side was that traffic was kind of manageable. It was still heavy but there were no delays on the way up.
I was heading for Logan pass to hike the Highline Trail. I always wanted to try it. The trail is way above Going to the Sun Road.
Well I got to the top and it was a zoo. The parking lots was completely full and the trailhead looked so busy that it was a turn off for me. The popular Hidden Lake Trail also starts at Logan Pass and I did that one years ago too.
I stopped at a smaller pull out down the slope to assess the situation when I saw this guy. It was nice to have a goat pose for my blog.
I decided to drive down the other side of Logan Pass and take a hike out of Siyeh Bend. Sometimes it’s good to have a backup plan.
According to the sign at the trailhead it was a nine mile round trip with about twenty three hundred feet of elevation gain. Sounds about right.
Soon I was in a thickly canopied forest.
I was glad I brought a can. I would have rather had a firearm but National Parks are very strict about that. It would have been nice to have had company just for the added safety but sometimes you have to strike out on your own.
The hike through the forest was nice but I was really looking for bigger views. The trail was easy to follow and crossed numerous small creeks. In September the streams are much smaller than they are early in the hiking season.
Probably over half of the hike was though this type of evergreen forest. It slowly opened up as I gained elevation.
As the canopy thinned I was treated to views of the mountains still far above me on a more regular basis.
After a couple of hours I finally hit the open valleys and could see Siyeh Pass which is really a low saddle between a couple of peaks.
One last stream crossing on a bridge of rocks .
Up in this high valley the scenery was truly epic. I only passed a few hikers who were on their way down and once I hit the open slopes I had the place to myself.
The trail passed by a small high country pond. I was surprised and a little disappointed that there wasn’t any wildlife to be viewed here.
As I continued to climb the trail towards the pass, the views behind me kept getting better and better. That’s Piegan Mountain with Piegan Glacier across the valley on the right side. Clements Mountain overlooking Logan Pass is in the distance in the center.
The final part of the hike to Siyeh Pass climbed up a series of steep switchbacks. By now I was running out of time.
At the base of Mount Siyeh I enjoyed the view of three small glacier melt off lakes. At the end of my hike I ran into three young men who started at 9:00 AM and hiked to the top of this mountain. They told me it was the best hike in the park. I’m afraid a hike like that is a little out of my league anymore.
I was this close to the saddle when I turned around. The effort wasn’t the problem, time was. I had a drop dead time to turn around. It wouldn’t do to be trying to find my way back in the dark in grizzly country.
On the way back I savored the view. These are exactly the views I came for. It reminded me of the line from the movie Jeremiah Johnson when his travelling companion told him the Rockies are the marrow of the world.
Soon I was back in the canopied forest. I was making the best time I could. As far as I knew I was the last person on the trail.
I recrossed all of the streams again on my way down.
By now I was nearing the trailhead and the shadows were starting to lengthen. I did pass a couple of people heading up and assumed they were either backpack camping or turning around soon. This is were the three mountain climbers caught up with me. They knew the park like the back of their hands and shared lots of tips on were to hike around Many Glacier which was my plan for the next day.
I drove back down Going to the Sun Road as the light faded. By the time I got back in cell phone land all of the next days passes for Many Glacier were already sold out. To keep my options open I bought another pass for Going to the Sun Road which I ended up not needing. The system the park uses to limit traffic was really working against me.
I started my day by leaving home at 5:00 AM. The drive took a good six hours and with the additional delays in securing a pass, waiting in line to get in and losing an hour from the time zone change, it was 2:00 PM before I started my hike. I was back to my car by 6:30. It would have been nice to have another hour to push it further, still 2300 feet and nine miles wasn’t too shabby. By the time I made it to my campground in West Glacier it was dark and the office was closed. They left a map and a key for me taped to the office door. Nice.
For my third trip this summer on the Palouse Cascade Trail, I headed west from Rosalia with the goal of making it to Malden. I fell short by a couple of miles. Better to enjoy a sixteen mile round trip than have a miserable twenty miler. Part 1 is under the hiking category as that is how I traveled it.
Rosalia is a small farming town on US-195 about thirty-five miles south of Spokane. The Palouse Cascade Trail crosses the old highway just south of Rosalia on this amazing concrete arch bridge. This bridge is a local landmark and still has the Milwaukee Railroad logo painted on it.
In addition to the old highway, this bridge crossed Pine Creek , a small stream the trail follows all the way to Rock Lake. The new US-195 crosses over the railroad easement just to the east. Rosalia is about twenty miles west of Tekoa, the town I used as my base for my last trip on the trail. The level of engineering used on the bridges give a hint that this was once one of the five transcontinental railroads in the United States.
The trail is a little hard to access from the town. Rosalia does have a small park with restrooms, but the trail is located up a steep slope from the town off of rough gravel roads. Within the first mile, a steep detour bypasses a place where an old bridge was removed over Gashouse Road. This intersection is the only thing resembling a trailhead in the area.
At the intersection their is an interpretive sign. The trail surface alternates between rough gravel ballast and soft sand. I heard the surface is far more challenging west of Rock Lake and Ewan.
The first couple of miles out of Rosalia parallels US-195 and passes though a typical mix of farmland and basalt cuts as it heads north and then northwest.
The trail passes a cemetery just outside of town. There’s one off the trail just east of Tekoa as well.
At Babb Road, the trail passes under the roadway in a newer culvert. I don’t think a train would fit through it. I’m not sure if this “tunnel” replaced a taller bridge or if the road just didn’t go through before the railroad was abandoned.
Evidence of a catastrophic wildfire from a few years ago was evident along the trail. This fire burned down much of the town of Malden and three or four bridges between that town and Pine City. Here I ran into the only other person I saw. This gentleman was nearing the end of a multiday journey that started in Cedar Falls over two hundred miles away. I was impresses. I made it sixteen and was tired by the time I finished.
Here is the first of several bridges over Pine Creek west of Rosalia. It was an impressive piece of engineering.
After the bridge, the trail passed through a couple of impressive cuts trough the basalt.
There are still old telegraph posts along the trail, some of which still had the old glass insulators. This was close to my turnaround point. I was still short of Malden by a couple of miles and the next bridge over Pine Creek was just around the bend. Sometimes a man has to know his limitations.
I saw a couple of coyotes and these white tail deer. Other than that my wildlife was limited to birds.
Most of the route of this trail is bordered by either farmland or cattle ranches. There were a few pieces of abandoned machinery along the way.
The trail passes through open range areas with gates that are the responsibility of the trail user to open and close. The State of Washington requires trail users to register on line so that they understand the rules. This process is simple and can be found here. The bovines did yield the right-of-way to me without argument.
On the way back to Rosalia I took a brief detour off trail to get a different preceptive of the bridge over Pine Creek.
When I got back to Rosalia, I ran into the same fella that I talked to on my way outbound. He was camping at the local park and we shared a couple of beers and traded stories about riding bicycle trails. Not a bad way to finish the trip.
An hour later I was back home after navigating rush hour traffic through Spokane. Between this ride and my two previous trips on the Palouse Cascade Trail I think I’ve seen most of it though eastern Washington. I would really like to explore the section through the Cascade Mountains closer to Seattle. I understand that part is beautiful and more user friendly. That might have to wait until next year.
