Glacier National Park: Twin Falls

On By nationalparkswithtIn Montana

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Welcome back to National Parks & other public lands with T! If you are seeing this on Twitter or Facebook, please visit the blog to see all of the photos and read the story by clicking the link.

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On our first day in Glacier National Park, we explored the Two Medicine area. We took the scenic lake tour on Glacier Park Boat Company’s Sinopah, a boat that has been shuttling tourists across the lake since the park’s beginnings. When we docked at the West shore, we took a guided hike with Nathan, our boat captain and naturalist.

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The trail to Twin Falls is level and well-traveled. It begins with  a short boardwalk section over a bog and then becomes a packed dirt path with a bridge or two over creeks. It’s about a mile to the falls, so two miles round trip.

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At several points, we paused on the trail so Nathan could highlight a few things. He pointed out several dead trees and said that a Chinook Wind (a warm wind that blows over the Continental Divide from the Pacific coast in winter) fooled them into thinking it was spring and made their sap start running. When the weather returned to freezing, the trees burst.

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He also showed us some huckleberry patches. Huckleberries, similar to blueberries,  are a big thing in Montana…huckleberry pies, ice cream, BBQ glazes, salad dressings, etc are everywhere in restaurants and gift shops. The berries can only be harvested in the wild as they have not been successfully cultivated. Bears love them too, so one must be alert when walking through huckleberry patches.

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Shortly before the falls  Pumpelly Pillar comes into view. This dramatically shaped rock is named for Raphael Pumpelly, who led the Northern Transcontinental Railway Survey Party that passed by it in 1883. The Twin Falls cascade off the eastern slopes of Pumpelly Pillar.

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After taking a few photos at the falls, we headed back to the dock. Apparently we left a little too soon because people who arrived after us at the dock saw a moose on their return journey. While we sat on the dock waiting for the boat, we watched a surefooted mountain goat clamber up a cliff, high above the lake.

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The boat tours that include the guided hike only go out a couple of times a day. They are very popular and sell out quickly. I was able to reserve our tickets online a few months in advance.

To see my other Glacier NP/Two Medicine Posts, click the following links:

Location: 2 Medicine Rd, East Glacier Park, Mt 59434

Designation: National Park

Date designation declared: 5/11/1910

Date of my visit: 6/23/2018

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Glacier Lilies

21 thoughts on “Glacier National Park: Twin Falls”

  3. Steve

    Including the majestik møøse A Møøse once bit my sister… No realli! She was Karving her initials on the møøse with the sharpened …

    No really. Another for the list. I will need to take a decade off to catch up. Thanks for posting this!

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  5. We visited Glacier National Park a couple of summers ago, but unfortunately were only there for four days and didn’t have enough time to head over to Two Medicine. It’s too bad because it looks like a nice area.

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  6. I would love to go back to Glacier. It is one of our most dramatic parks. I love that you went on a guided hike and learned so much. I also love the mountain goat. Too bad you missed the moose though. What is your Twitter account? Do you have Instagram?

    Reply

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