photo by Chad Harder
Creek Camp, dive about 50 feet to find an underwater forest. Scientists think the trees date back 100 to 200 years when droughts lowered the lake level significantly. You can also dive in Lake McDonald at the shore off the Apgar Visitor Center or near Fish Creek, where the Fish Creek Bay Wreck lies about 10 feet deep. In Canada’s portion of the park, the north end of Upper Waterton Lake is home to the Gertrude, a steamboat that sank in 1918. —Kate Whittle
Fish the Middle Fork
Glacier is known for its hiking, climbing, skiing and unparalleled scenery. It’s less renowned for fishing. But Glacier is home to healthy populations of eager cutthroats and voracious bull trout. The fish tend to be small by Montana standards (glacial water tends to be low in nutrients and glacial streams usually don’t support big fish), but if you can find them they are usually willing to take a fly. For your best shot at some of the bigger fish around Glacier, we recommend driving Highway 2 along the Middle Fork of the Flathead
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Missoula Independent Explorer 2013
River, the southern boundary of the park. This is sort of the car-camping equivalent of trout fishing, but it allows you to fish a lot of unbelievably pristine water and drive along one of the most beautiful roads you will find anywhere. Though there are plenty of turn-offs and camping sites from which to access the river from the road, we recommend driving about 30 miles from West Glacier to where Bear Creek flows into the Middle Fork. This is where the Middle Fork leaves the highway and Glacier National Park altogether. It’s also where some of the best fishing in the area is likely to be. We recommend spending a day walking upstream from the confluence of Bear Creek and the Middle Fork. —Jamie Rogers
Leave your car behind
Everyone knows about Glacier’s Apgar and Saint Mary campgrounds. And that means they’re often packed. If you’re looking to get away from the masses, we suggest hiking into the park’s backcountry. Glacier has 65 backcountry campsites that offer pit toilets, food storage areas and flat spots
to pitch a tent. Some of those camps allow fires. Roughly half of Glacier’s backcountry sites can be reserved in advance and they often fill up fast. Remaining sites are made available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’re hoping to secure a spot at the last minute, remember to obtain a backcountry permit through one of Glacier’s ranger stations or visitor centers prior to setting down stakes. Permits cost $5 per person each night. We particularly like the Cosley Lake Campground. It’s in the park’s northeast corner, which sees minimal traffic, and, because it’s at a relatively low elevation, opens early in the season, typically on June 15. Two of Cosley Lake’s four campsites are available on a first-come, firstserved basis. The hike to Cosley Lake is a spectacular and relatively level 8.7-mile stroll through the Belly River Valley past wildflowers, aspen and an overlook of Gros Ventre Falls. There are two other campgrounds within roughly two miles of Cosley Lake, including the Gable Creek Camp, which has two additional walk-in sites. There’s also Glenn’s Lake, with two more. —Jessica Mayrer