Destination: Glacier National Park

In August 2022, we visited Glacier National Park in Montana, one of the most scenic places in the United States. The park is open to the general public from late July to early September, other times it is covered in snow. The Going-to-the-Sun Road through the park is snow-covered until late July.

We venture to the Canadian section of the park (Waterton) was cold and snow fell shortly after we left, in early September.

In the park, you can hike (all levels), bike, kayak and take boat rides. We saw grizzlies and black bears, and mountain goats, and one moose from far away. 

The hiking was phenomenal, yet I wish I visited the park when I was much younger and in better shape. We saw Glaciers from a distance, there are not many left. Of the 120+ glaciers in the early part of the 1900s, there are only 23 left, and they are expected to be gone by 2034.

The sunsets were amazing, as were the various park lodges. The Milky Way was easily visible. While taking photos of the Milky Way at 2am, I could hear the growls of hungry grizzly bears, reminding us we are the visitors to their land. Note the Bear Spray on my backpack below. 

If you plan to visit the park, planning and reservations need to be made a year in advance. For photography,

Hiking with heavy equipment is difficult, so I recommend carrying lighter camera equipment. I bought a lightweight Lumix DC-GX9 for the trip and used my iPhone 11, since our intent was mostly hiking. 

And now we are planning our next National Park trip for 2024.