Backpacker – August 2019

JULY/AUGUST 2019

BACKPACKER.COM

up the trail to Poia Lake and trek 6.

miles through aspens, keeping an eye

out for elk as you follow a 5,600-foot

ridge. Take a dip in Poia’s clear water

(Bramante says it’s one of Glacier’s

“warmest” lakes), lounge on the

pebble beach, and set up camp for a

night beneath bare limestone. On day

two, log a 10-mile push by climbing

to Redgap Pass, which overlooks two

river drainages and the teardrop of

Kennedy Lake. Drop down the scree

18

then meander through mountain

meadows and aspen stands en route

to a high basin at mile 4.5. Along the

way, huckleberries are ripe for pick-

ing (park rules allow you to collect up

to a qua r t).

FULL CIRCLE

Bramante swears by the 17.9-mile

Pitamakan-Dawson Loop—a much

quieter alternative to the popular

Highline Trail. “It’s the closest thing

to peakbagging that you can have

on-trail in Glacier,” he says. “You get

epic views the whole hike.” Bramante

prefers to do it counterclockwise

to enjoy the 2-mile boat ride across

Two Medicine Lake at the back end

of the trip (or skip the tour boat alto-

gether by hiking 3.1 miles along the

shore). From the Two Medicine

Campground, take the Oldman Lake

Trail through the pines, then climb to

the scree-filled saddle below 8,781-

foot Mt. Morgan at mile 7.6. Follow

the shale 3.2 miles along the ridgeline

high above gray peaks, green drain-

ages, and blue alpine lakes. Tackle

a steep descent into Bighorn Basin,

where the area’s namesake sheep

loiter with their lambs (peak cute-

ness in late July). Camp at a mountain

goat favorite, No Name Lake, in the

shadow of Pumpelly Pillar’s twisted

mudstone column. Close the loop by

skirting meadows of purple harebell,

blue gentian, and white mountain

deathcamas. (Take the .9-mile spur

to the boat docks; buy a $14 ticket on-

board or at glacierparkboats.com.)

RESERVOIR ROUNDABOUT

To sample the best of the Many

Glacier area without the crowds,

stop just before you reach its heart.

On Many Glacier Road, pull over 1.

miles short of the ranger station at

the Apikuni Falls trailhead to tick

off a 27-mile, three-day loop. Pick

THE INSIDER

When Jake Bramante decided his

life needed a reboot in 2009, he quit

his job, sold his house, and headed for

Glacier National Park. He became the

first person to hike all 734 miles of

Glacier’s trails in one year, then com-

piled his stories, videos, and maps on

a website—hike734.com—to help you,

should you want to live the dream, too.

THE WILDEST WILDS

The 6-mile out-and-back to Preston

Park has it all—including an option

to extend. From the Siyeh Bend

trailhead, climb through a fir forest

to the alpine meadow, Bramante’s

favorite nap locale. Make plenty of

noise as you approach this grizzly

hangout (rent bear spray at Glacier

Outfitters in Apgar). You may spy the

bears hunting moths and marmots

on the surrounding slopes. Settle in

for lunch among the lavender showy

f leabanes, purple gentians, yellow

twin arnicas, and white dryas (peak

bloom at the end of July). At 10,

feet, Mt. Siyeh’s sheer face of stri-

ated limestone lords to the north,

while Piegan Glacier, one of the park’s

26 remaining glaciers, nestles in a

cirque at the end of the valley. Turn

around for easy logistics, or continue

over Siyeh Pass and beneath the

enormous Sexton Glacier to close a

10-mile point-to-point at the Sunrift

Gorge trailhead (grab a free shuttle

back to your car before the last ride at

4:43 p.m .).

BERRY SOLITARY

Stray far from the beaten path when

you head to the Two Medicine area

in Glacier’s southeast corner. There,

soak in the alpine solitude on a quiet,

10.2-mile out-and-back to Firebrand

Pass, where berries burst from the

underbrush in August. Find the trail-

head on US 2 near mile marker 203,

DANIEL EWERT

Play List
INSIDER’S GUIDE

Clockwise from

above: The Sun

Point Nature Trail

is a looker; SUP

below the Upper

Grinnell Glacier

(rent a board at

Glacier Outfitters

in Apgar); and

mind the gap by

Avalanche Creek

in West Glacier.

CROWN OF THE CONTINENT

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA

You don’t need us to sell you on this park ’s glacier-

gouged peaks, kaleidoscopic wildflower displays, and

A-list megafauna. But secret trails and tips? We got

(^4) those. By Morgan McFall-Johnsen