Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Glacier: Beaver Dam Loop and 1913 Ranger Cabin

Saint Mary Lake through the trees

Our second full day at Glacier NP we waited around for a shuttle and finally found one after about an hour, only to find out that the shuttle for the St Mary side doesn’t start until July 1. The one we were waiting for was for the Apgar side. Well then.

closed up ranger cabin


We had wanted to go hike to St Mary and Virginia falls, but couldn’t find parking at the trailhead, so we went to the 1913 Ranger Cabin that’s just outside the St Mary park entrance. The cabin wasn’t open, but it did have an interesting sign telling some of the history of the cabin.

closed up barn


We then went on a hike that was supposed to take us past a beaver dam that is actively being used by beavers. Unfortunately, we didn’t bring a trail map (the hike was a loop, so I figured we’d be ok), and I started second guessing our route as the trail moved further and further from the lake. A beaver dam should be in the water, right?



We ended up turning around and hiking back the way we’d come and taking a short spur trail to a rocky beach, where we tried skipping more rocks.

River wasn't super happy during most of this hike (he was tired and should have had a nap), but I did convince him to give me a smile for a picture


When we returned to the trailhead, we consulted the map there and determined that we turned around just short of where we would have seen the beaver dam. That realization was a bit frustrating and disgusting. But we plan on going back to Glacier, so we’ll repeat the hike and not turn around just before seeing what we came to see.

Saint Mary Lake from the rocky beach we found



Despite not turning out how we'd intended, it was still a good hike, so it wasn’t a complete loss. We hiked about 4 miles total during this hike.

Ocean looking exceptionally cute :)

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