Looking For Some Great Spring Hiking ?
If you are looking to hike in late spring in spite of limited access, there are plenty of activities and landscapes to explore, one of those great places to hike is only about 45 minutes away from the Bailey’s Bed’n Bale is Glacier National Park in the spring with the extra perk of experiencing solitude before the busy summer season begins. We have enjoyed offseason outings where we literally had the park to ourselves, in stark contrast to summertime when most of the 2 million annual visitors pass through this extraordinary place.
Apgar Lookout
This 2.8-mile trail climbs nearly 2,000 vertical feet, so expect snow as you head up for a great view of Lake McDonald and surrounding mountain ranges.
Fish Creek Trail
This trail travels along the west shore of Lake McDonald for seven miles through an old burn where you can observe the dramatic rebirth and strange beauty of silver and charred tree snags left behind after a fire.
Trail of the Cedars
This mile-long trail in the Avalanche picnic area remains icy and snowy later into the season because it meanders through an old-growth cedar forest, but it includes a portion of boardwalk. You can also take a two-mile hike into Avalanche Lake, but this shady trail also often remains icy and snowy late into the season.
Johns Lake or McDonald Creek
Right across from Lake McDonald Lodge you can hop on the Sperry Trailhead where you head north just before the horse barns and head down a secondary trail that parallels the Going-to-the Sun Road. At the Johns Lake Trailhead you can take the Johns Lake Loop or continue on the trail to where you enter a tunnel under the road that leads to a footbridge over McDonald Creek. Here you can head south past a waterfall that is particularly spectacular in the spring. Continue down the trail to the road at McDonald Creek and cross the bridge and the Going-to-the Sun Road to catch the trail for your return to Lake McDonald Lodge.
