Erik Molvar - Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks

Best Easy Day Hikes Series

Best Easy Day Hikes Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks

Third Edition

Erik Molvar

Copyright 1998, 2007, 2013 Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Maps by XNR Productions Inc. Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Project editor: Julie Marsh

Layout: Justin Marciano

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Molvar, Erik.

Best easy day hikes, Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks / Erik

Molvar. Third edition.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-7627-9569-7

1. HikingMontanaGlacier National ParkGuidebooks. 2. Trails

MontanaGlacier National ParkGuidebooks. 3. HikingAlberta

Waterton Lakes National ParkGuidebooks. 4. TrailsAlberta

Waterton Lakes National ParkGuidebooks. 5. Glacier National Park

(Mont.)Guidebooks. 6. Waterton Lakes National Park (Alta.)

Guidebooks. I. Title.

GV199.42.M92G5644 2013

917.86'52--dc23

2013006748

The author and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Contents

Help Us Keep This Guide Up to Date

Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is publishedtrails are rerouted, regulations change, techniques evolve, facilities come under new management, etc.

We appreciate hearing from you concerning your experiences with this guide and how you feel it could be improved and kept up to date. While we may not be able to respond to all comments and suggestions, well take them to heart and well also make certain to share them with the author. Please send your comments and suggestions to the following address:

Globe Pequot Press

Reader Response/Editorial Department

PO Box 480

Guilford, CT 06437

Or you may e-mail us at:

editorial@GlobePequot.com

Thanks for your input, and happy trails!

Acknowledgments

This guide would not have been possible without the years of excellent service put in by the rangers with whom I had the pleasure of dealing. I would like to thank Jack Potter, GNP Chief of Science and Resource Management, for his editorial input throughout the writing of this book, and Dennis Divoky for assistance with revisions. I also thank Nancy Hoffman and Tom Habecker, former Glacier rangers, for their helpful comments and suggestions concerning the guide. Clyde Lockwood of the Glacier Natural History Association provided the initial assistance in dealing with publishing firms, and I am grateful for his continued support of my efforts. Randall Schwanke, Locke Marshall, Bill Thorpe, and Chrisy Gustavison of Waterton Lakes National Park provided editorial assistance for the Canadian hikes. Thanks to Renelle Jacobsen for her hospitality and friendship. And thanks to Little Joe Manley just for being himself.

Introduction

Whats a Best Easy Hike?

Our national parks and forests serve as windows to the natural world, reservoirs of natural beauty and grandeur, and wellsprings of inspiration. As such, they are magnets to people who seek to reestablish their ties with nature, learn more about the world in which we live, or simply find a quiet escape from the hustle and bustle of modern society. Glacier National Park and its Canadian neighbor, Waterton Lakes National Park, feature mountain fastnesses clad in glaciers, azure lakes, and sparkling waterfalls, inviting the visitor to step into the natural world.

Anyone who travels widely in these areas will soon notice that park visitors fall into two distinct categoriesthose who want to immerse themselves in wilderness backcountry for several days at a time, and those who have only a day or two and would like a choice sampling of the areas special features. This book is for the second group.

I gathered materials for this guide as I researched the much larger and more comprehensive Hiking Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks. That book covers every trail in both parks, including those that are neither best nor easy. Best Easy Day Hikes Glacier and Waterton Lakes includes only short, less strenuous hikes that showcase the best features of the region.

These hikes vary in length, but most are short. Most lack big hills, and the few long grades that appear in this book can be tackled in a leisurely fashion. All hikes are on easy-to-follow trails with no off-trail route-finding challenges. Trailhead access is easy for all hikes, and you can reach any of these trailheads with a low-clearance passenger car.

A few of the hikes in this book might not seem easy to some, but they will be easy for others. To help you decide what trails are right for you, Ive ranked the hikes from easiest to more challenging on page 7. Please keep in mind that long does not always equal difficult. Other factors, such as elevation gain and trail conditions, have to be considered.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy your best easy hiking through the natural wonders of Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks.

Leave No Trace

Traveling in a national park such as Glacier is like visiting a famous museum. You obviously dont want to leave your mark on an art treasure. If everybody who visited the museum left one tiny mark, the piece of art would be destroyedand what would a big building full of trashed art be worth? The same goes for pristine wilderness such as that found in the Northern Rockies. If we all left just one little mark on the landscape, the wilderness would soon be despoiled.

A wilderness can accommodate plenty of human use as long as everybody treats it with respect. But a few thoughtless or uninformed visitors can ruin it for everyone who follows. And the need for good manners applies to all wilderness visitors, not just backpackers. Day hikers should also adhere strictly to zero impact principles. We all must pass through the landscape respectfully, leaving no clues that we have gone before.

Leave No Trace Principles

• Plan ahead and prepare
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces
• Dispose of waste properly
• Leave what you find
• Minimize campfire impacts
• Respect wildlife
• Be considerate of other visitors

For more information and/or details, visit LNT.org.

Most of us know better than to litter, in or out of the wilderness. Even the tiniest scrap of paper left along the trail or at a campsite detracts from the landscapes pristine character. This means that you should pack out everything, even biodegradable items such as orange peels, which can take years to decompose. Its also a good idea to pick up any trash that less considerate hikers have left behind.