Just, sit back, take a load off, relax, and put those Paws up, as you join the PAW SQUAD (Duane and Maya Dog from Boise, ID, and yours truly FLYNN DOG and Carole from Lake Oswego, OR) for OPERATION GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, Montana the last 2 days of this year’s West Entrance Going To The Sun Road Season, Thursday, September 29th and Friday, September 30th, 2022.
Did you know, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK was Established in 1910 and is our 8th National Park, Part of the First International Peace Park on the Globe, Covering more than 1 million acres, and Currently houses 26 named glaciers? And, not only that, a key feature of this Park is the 53-mile Going to the Sun Road which opened in 1933 offering some of the most spectacular natural views?
TO VISIT THE PARK YOU WILL NEED:
An AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL PASS or FEE, and
VEHICLE RESERVATION: (None required on our visit, but click on “Vehicle Reservation” for information specific to the date of your planned visit.)
DAY 1, Wednesday – HUNGRY HORSE, MT
It’s late afternoon when we arrive and check into the Dog-Friendly, Family-Run: MINI GOLDEN INNS MOTEL in Hungry Horse, MT.
(our lodging for the next 3 nights and just a 15 minute drive from the Glacier National Park Going to the Sun Rd. West Entrance)
At 8:00 p.m., FLYNN and MAYA are fed, and with all “QUIET on the MINI GOLDEN INN FRONT,” we leave the pups in our rooms (ok’d with Management) and head for the nearby…
PAUL BUNYAN BAR & GRILL
Martin City, MT
(Note: They have a Dog Friendly Front Porch,
but it is closed for the season on our visit)
OVERNIGHT: MINI GOLDEN INNS MOTEL, Hungry Horse, MT
The temperature at 6:00 p.m.is 48 degrees.
HERE’S THE SCOOP ON DOG FRIENDLY
🎾 GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MT
DOGS IN GLACIER, What You Need to Know:
- Dogs are allowed in Developed Areas such as; pullouts, of which there are many, along Going to the Sun Road, with the exception of Oberlin Bend where there are quite a few Mountain Goats, and Logan Pass Parking Lot, if Wildlife is present.
- Dogs are allowed in the West Tunnel Portals/viewing windows
- Dogs are allowed in Parking Lots, Picnic Areas, Campgrounds, and Boat Docks, and along the shores at Picnic and Camping Areas, but not on the shore on the edge of Going to the Sun Road
- Dogs are allowed at Lake McDonald Lodge on the paved walkways and Dock, but not in the Lodge
- Dogs are not allowed on trails, along lakeshores outside of developed areas, in the backcountry or any building. Note: when roads are closed, they are considered backcountry.
- Dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6′, under physical restraint or caged at all times.
- Pets are not to be tied to any object unattended
- Pet owners must pick up after their pets and dispose of waste in trash receptacles
- Owners must not allow their pet to make noise that is unreasonable
- The Bike path between Apgar and West Glacier is considered Dog Friendly when not covered with snow.
After extensive research, and consulting with The Park, I’ve noted the most popular Dog Friendly Stops with a “dot” on the National Park GOING TO THE SUN RD Map below, as well as adding those locations not already identified on the map…
GOING TO THE SUN ROAD MAP
…and a:
PLAY BY PLAY (Mile by Mile)
DAY 2, Thursday – HUNGRY HORSE MT, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK WEST ENTRANCE GOING TO THE SUN RD, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK TWO MEDICINE SECTION, GOATLIK, CASCADILLA RIVER ACCESS, HUNGRY HORSE
Our Route Today: Hungry Horse to Glacier National Park Going to the Sun Road West Entrance to East, Hwy 89 S, Hwy 49 S through Two Medicine Valley, Glacier National Park Two Medicine Entrance, then Hwy 49 S, Hwy 2 West, and back to Hungry Horse, MT
It’s 6:30 a.m. and Dark, Very Dark! Wet, Very Wet! And, Foggy, Very Foggy, on our First Day in Glacier National Park with No Visibility Whatsoever, Nada, None, Zippo, as we drive to and into the Park for the first time!
What should we do? Well? Duane suggests, we use: “THE BEAR WENT OVER THE MOUNTAIN” STRATEGY, AND SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE”… Good Plan!
So, Onward and Upward we go…until we reach HEAVEN’S PEAK & THE LOOP, where Dawn is Breaking, and 🎶”We are literally driving the Roadway to HEAVEN!,” which turns out to be The Perfect Introduction to GLACIER NATIONAL PARK!
And, we burst into song:
🎶 “We’re out of the Woods, We’re out of the Dark, We’re out of the Night, Step into the sun, Step into the Light….” – Wizard of Oz
HEAVEN’S PEAK/THE LOOP
Then pull over to see the:
GARDEN WALL
“That’s What I’m Talking About,”
FALL in GLACIER NATIONAL PARK!
FLYNNTASTIC!
…go past:
HAYSTACK CREEK
(taking A quick pic of Upper Creek as we drive by)
….stop at:
LOGAN PASS @ 6,646′
The Large Paved Parking Lot is the Perfect Place for a PAWSTRETCH (with No wildlife present,) so “We’re in like FLYNN!”
(Note: Dogs are allowed in the parking lot, except when wildlife is present)
MAGIC LOOT!
“Beam Me Up”
…drive through the:
EAST TUNNEL
…Stop at:
ST MARY’S LAKE OVERLOOK Viewpoint
ST MARY’S LAKE FACTS: 2nd largest lake in Glacier, elevation 4,484′, 7-miles long, Maximum Depth 300′
…and:
WILDGOOSE ISLAND OVERLOOK Viewpoint
…before making a pitstop at the St Mary’s Visitor’s Center, where we pick up our Glacier National Park Map.
(Note: Dogs are allowed in the Large Parking Lot Area, but not in the building)
…then, we drive out the St. Mary’s Entrance onto Hwy 89 S, and head for Glacier National Park TWO MEDICINE,
…the Imposing Lewis Mountain Range to the west…
“Going My Way?”
From the 89, we turn onto Hwy 49/Looking Glass Hwy, and drive through:
TWO MEDICINE VALLEY
BONEANZA!
…arriving at:
TWO MEDICINE
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
…with views of:
Rising Wolf Mountain
Sinopah Mountain
TWO MEDICINE AREA MAP:
Note: the road to the Camp Store and Dock is closed, but we find the Picnic Area on TWO MEDICINE LAKE…
…and Stop for Lunch.
“LET’S PICNIC!”
TWO MEDICINE LAKE FACTS: 2-miles long, .33-miles wide, Natural Lake, elevation 5,164′
Then, we head back out to Hwy 49, and south to Hwy 2 West, where “It’s Raining Cats & Dogs!”
…(oops!, we miss the Silver Staircase Waterfall,) but, stop at:
GOAT LICK OVERLOOK,
exit on the Left
(Apparently, No Goats to be seen this time of year)
…then:
CASCADILLA FLAT RIVER ACCESS (exit on the right)
Middle Fork Flathead River
..before looping back to our Motel in Hungry Horse
And, the FLYNN DOG is Down for the Count!
OVERNIGHT: MINI GOLDEN INNS MOTEL, Hungry Horse, MT
DAY 3, Friday – HUNGRY HORSE, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK WEST ENTRANCE GOING TO THE SUN RD WEST to EAST, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK MANY GLACIER, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK ST MARY’S ENTRANCE, GOING TO THE SUN RD EAST to WEST, HUNGRY HORSE
It’s Day 2 in Glacier National Park, the last day the West Entrance of Going to the Sun Rd. is open for thE 2022 Season.
Our Route Today: Glacier National Park Going to the Sun Road West Entrance to East, then Hwy 89 N, to Glacier National Park Many Glacier Entrance, Hwy 89 S back to Glacier National Park St. Mary’s Entrance, Going to the Sun Road East to West, and back to Hungry Horse, MT
This morning we hit the road at 9:30 a.m…. No early birds in this group!
And, “We can See! We can See!”
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
WEST ENTRANCE
Going to the Sun Road
“The Better to see you with My Dear”
Today, the plan is to visit all of the DOG-FRIENDLY Spots on the Going to the Sun Road we couldn’t see, or didn’t stop at yesterday starting with:
MCDONALD LAKE
from
APGAR BOAT DOCK
LAKE MCDONALD FACTS: Elevation 3,153′, 10-miles long, Over a mile wide, Surface Area 6,823 acres, largest lake in Glacier, Maximum Depth 472′
…then:
LAKE MCDONALD LODGE
(The Lodge is closed for the season. But, while dogs are not allowed in the Lodge, they are allowed in the parking lot, on the paved walkways, and boat dock)
MCDONALD FALLS VIEWPOINT
SACRED DANCING CASCADES VIEWPOINT
WEST TUNNEL
…where we drive through, pull over and walk back into the tunnel, and viewing window area.
(Note: Dogs ARE allowed inside the Tunnel and Viewing Window areas.)
…followed by a stop at:
BIRD WOMAN FALLS VIEWPOINT
HAYSTACK FALLS VIEWPOINT
…a drive past the:
LOGAN PASS WATERFALL
(photo taken from the Car)
…and stop at:
LUNCH CREEK
…where we set up “Lunch” on the rock wall.
“Did Someone Say LUNCH?”
“LET’S PICNIC!”
…then, pull over for A glimpse of Jackson Glacier from:
JACKSON GLACIER OVERLOOK
…after lunch, we stop at:
RISING SUN BOAT DOCK & BOAT LAUNCH
on ST MARY’S LAKE
(On our visit, the boat dock is dismantled for the season, but we walk down onto the boat ramp for this photo)
…before heading out the St. Mary’s Entrance, this time driving North on the 89 to the GLACIER NATIONAL PARK MANY GLACIER Entrance…
…past:
Lake Sherburne
…through the:
MANY GLACIER Entrance
(Not Manned Today)
…and, on to:
Swiftcurrent Lake
…then we take a quick walk around the parking lot in the nearby Campground, before hopping back in our cars, and start to drive out of the park…
…when what to our wondering eyes do we see???… cars pulled over on the side of the road, and people with spotting scopes; cameras; and binoculars all aimed at the hillside, so we pull over too, to see what all the Fuss is about…And,
FLYNN AND MAYA
BOL (Bark Out Loud)
“Hey there Grizzly Bears”!
…time for the PAW SQUAD to be on our way and head for the:
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
ST MARY’S ENTRANCE
…where at 5:00 p.m., we drive the GOING TO THE SUN RD this time in reverse from east to west…
…stopping along LAKE MCDONALD at 6:30 p.m. for Golden Hour.
And, as our visit to GLACIER NATIONAL PARK comes to an end, the PAW SQUAD rides out of the Park one last time, off into the Sunset on a GLACIER HIGH!
“We May Never Pass This Way
– Seals & Crofts
Long Day, and It’s 9:00 p.m., when we finally stop for dinner on our way back to Hungry Horse at the:
GLACIER GRILL
Columbia Falls, MT
(Dog Friendly outdoor seating. Closed for the season)
OVERNIGHT: MINI GOLDEN INNS MOTEL, Hungry Horse, MT
Temps today were in the Low 50’s – Mid-60’s
Congratulations PAW SQUAD!
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK Mission Accomplished
What an AMAZING Time and PAWTRIP we’ve All had visiting GLACIER NATIONAL PARK together!
ITINERARY AT A GLANCE
(see above maps and links for additional information)
DAY 1 Wednesday – Hungry Horse, MT
- MINI GOLDEN INNS MOTEL – 8955 Hwy 2E, Hungry Horse, MT
- PAUL BUNYAN BAR & GRILL – Martin City, MT
DAY 2 Thursday – Hungry Horse, MT to Glacier National Park Going to the Sun Rd, Two Medicine, Goat Lick Overlook, Cascadilla Flat River Access, Hungry Horse
- Hungry Horse, MT
- Hwy 2E to West Glacier
- GLACIER NATIONAL PARK WEST ENTRANCE – Going to the Sun Rd. West to East
- Hwy 89 South, 49S
- TWO MEDICINE GLACIER NATIONAL PARK – Two Medicine Rd
- Two Medicine Rd, to 49 S, to Hwy 2W
- GOAT LICK OVERLOOK – Hwy 2, Essex, MT
- CASCADILLA FLAT RIVER ACCESS – Hwy 2, Essex, MT
- MINI GOLDEN INNS MOTEL – Hungry Horse, MT
DAY 3 Friday – Hungry Horse, MT, Glacier National Park West Glacier Entrance Going to the Sun Rd, Many Glacier, St. Mary’s Entrance Going to the Sun Road east to west, Hungry Horse
- Hwy 2E to West Glacier
- GLACIER NATIONAL PARK WEST ENTRANCE – Going to the Sun Rd. West to East
- Hwy 89 North,
- MANY GLACIER GLACIER NATIONAL PARK – Route 3, Browning, MT
- Hwy 89 S.
- ST MARY’S ENTRANCE GLACIER NATIONAL PARK – Going to the Sun Rd, Browning, MT
- Going to the Sun Road east to west
- GLACIER GRILL – 10126 Hwy 2, Columbia Falls, MT
RESOURCES
PINTEREST- Various Blogs
VISIT MONTANA
TRIPADVISOR
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK WEBCAMS
GOPETFRIENDLY
GOOGLE MAPS
SUNRISE SUNSET
FLYNN’S PACKING LIST
Dog Food
Treats
Paw Butter
Mushers Secret
Dog Boots
Dog Jackets
Towels
Toys
Kong Bone
Dog Bowls
Sheet for furniture
Dog Blanket
Dog First Aid Kit
Bottled Water
Leash – Regular and Handsfree
Dog Waste Bags
Safety Harness
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