4th of July Anniversary Trip to Glacier National Park ~ Day 0&1

We were having a REALLY hard time deciding this year on where to go for our wedding anniversary. We had gone fishing in Cabo San Lucas for our honeymoon and have wanted to return for another fishing excursion; however, with the state of the economy, we really felt the desire to spend our money in the States this year. Therefore, we decided on a few days in Glacier National Park, which is one place we have always wanted to explore together. Both of the kids had plans of their own, so we were on our own ~ yippee!!!! We arranged a babysitter for the dog, since Great Danes and grizzly bears aren't exactly made to co-exist peacefully, threw a tent, a couple sleeping bags, and a cooler in the back of the truck, and hit the road for a well-deserved vacation!

The first day we just drove to Missoula, via Story, Wyoming, (to say hi to my Mom), then Billings, Montana, and on to Missoula, but I did manage to take a couple of pictures along the way!

This is Montana, after all!

Outside of Missoula

We got an early start out of Missoula and headed for the park. We took the long route from Missoula to the park, through the Lolo and Flathead National Forests instead of a straight shot to Kalispell, with the hope that by leaving at about 4 AM, we would be into the Lolo National Forest at about sunrise and possibly catch a glimpse of a wolf from the Lolo wolf pack. It was a long shot, but we figured it was no shot if we didn't try, so we headed up Hwy. 83 and timed it just right, but no wolves. We did spend a couple of hours traveling on some dirt roads that we would love to explore when we make it that way again!

Sunrise in Lolo National Forest




It was fairly late when we arrived at the park and all of the campgrounds on the west side were full, so we just headed at a snail's pace (thanks to 4th of July traffic) over Going to the Sun Road to the east side of the park, hoping to find an open campsite. We weren't too concerned if we couldn't find a spot, as we could easily sleep in the truck if we had to, but thankfully we found a terrific spot at Rising Sun Campground, and it even came with a black bear cub! Unfortunately, no pictures as he had just vacated the spot as we pulled in. We set up camp and called it a day, as we had about a 10-hour hike planned for the next day.

More images from our drive to the park and the Lolo and Flathead National Forests can be seen at Thompson Photography