Saint Mary Archives - National Parks With T

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Touring Glacier National Park’s Lakes in Vintage Boats»

Visitors to Two Medicine, Lake McDonald, St. Mary, Swiftcurrent, Josephine and Waterton Lakes in Glacier National Park can ride across the lake in restored wooden boats from the 1920s. We took two of these tours during our stay in the park. The boats were built for the Great Northern Railway in the 1920s as a means to further tourism in Glacier (thus increasing ridership on the trains.) These boats are now operated by Glacier Park Boat Company in conjunction with the National Park Service.

We took the Sinopah across Two Medicine Lake. The Sinopah is the fleet’s oldest vessel. On the way to the West Shore, a park ranger pointed out the geologic features of the area and told us some of the Blackfeet tribal legends. Once we arrived, we took a guided hike to Twin Falls with the ranger before returning to the dock for the next boat. There is a no-hike option for those who just want to take in the scenery from the water.

We also took the St. Mary Lake tour aboard the Little Chief. This cruise passed close by Wild Goose Island and provided a view of the Sexton Glacier in the distance. Our ticket included a guided hike from the Baring Falls dock to St. Mary Falls.