MT – Day 9 – Apikuni Falls, Glacier National Park

4 photos in this post. 

Back on the road again, this time heading to Glacier National Park. The last time we were here was in June 2009 , 10 years ago. Due to our length it is not possible to camp in Glacier so we parked in the KOA in St. Mary on the eastern entrance. EXPENSIVE! Worth it for a couple days though and we were just opposite the pool and hot-tub so that was nice.

Arriving about 4pm I was determined that we were not going to waste the night away so after setting up we had a quick bite to eat and then headed up to Many Glacier. Along this road you will find the trailhead for Apikuni Falls. Alas by the time we got there it was raining. Whilst we had put our hiking sticks in the truck and had our hiking boots on, our raincoats were back at the camper. What to do? Wait! We waited for 30 minutes and then decided to go back to the Many Glacier station for a bathroom break. Coming back to the trailhead the weather had improved a little so we decided to start walking. That was until we read the Bear Beware signs. Oh bother, whilst we had been talking about bear spray, we had omitted to purchase some. Back to the Many Glacier gift shop to see if they had any. $50 poorer but feeling safer, a few minutes later we were back at the trailhead ready to hike. By this time it was 7:50 and the mosquitoes were out!

Up the trail we went. Hannah had whined and moaned the whole time 10 years ago. (She was nearly 3.) This time she did really well 🙂 The trail is narrow and steep in places. Halfway up Hannah spotted a black bear. Thankfully it was a juvenile who was scared of us. It ran on through the greenery and across the path. At first we wondered if we should turn back but decided to press on. Glad we did as we were rewarded with the beautiful falls at the top.

On our way back on one of the trips from the Many Glacier station we were treated to this beautiful rainbow:

What a blessing to be able to enjoy God’s creation, creating new memories as we go. We even saw a fox walking along the road as we left.

Liz