Glacier National Park: The East Side

Sept. 1-4, 2004

The east side of Glacier National Park is very scenic, more than the west side. It is supposed to be sunnier as well, but the weather didn't cooperate. It was cold and rainy. It even sleeted at times.

Many Glacier Hotel is one of the classic national park lodges; it is in a very scenic location on Swiftcurrent Lake. The hotel is currently being renovated to solve structural problems and bring it up to current code standards. The ridge to the right was full of grizzlies and bighorn sheep while we were here, but you needed a spotting scope to see them well.
 

The lobby of Many Glacier Hotel.  Because of the weather, this was a very popular gathering spot, even for people (like us) staying in the campground.
 

Two Medicine Lake is another beautiful spot on the east side of Glacier, but it was very cold (45 degrees) and windy here. We bailed out on the idea of kayaking here.
 

Running Eagle Falls are rather unusual. As seen here, the falls tunnel below a rock ledge. At high water in the spring time the falls also go over the rock ledge, so you see a two-level waterfall.
 

This is Glacier Park Lodge, which is at East Glacier Park; it is outside the park boundaries, but is the historical gateway to the park from the east. In earlier days visitors came here by train and then traveled by horseback to chalets in the park.
 

The lobby of Glacier Park Lodge. From the outside you wouldn't expect that it would have such an immense lobby.