Glacier Park ChatI'm planning 2 oneway hikes the week ending Labor Day. I have 2 alternatives for each of the hikes and I'm in need of suggestions and comments. The first hike will take us over Red Gap Pass. The 2 alternatives for this hike are trailhead at hwy 17 to GAB,ELF,POI and out at MAN for 26.1 miles. The alternate is trailhead at hwy 17 to SLI,GAB,ELF,POI and out at MAN for 34.1 miles.
Hike #2 is St. Mary to REH,ATL,OLD, and out Two Med for 33.7 miles or the spur rd. to MOR,OLD and out Two Med for18.1. The destination in the 2nd hike is Pitimakan Pass.
Is it feasable to do both of the long versions of these 2 hikes with a night over between the 2 in 1 of the Lodges without serious difficulty? Is it worth it?
ALso, since both of these are oneway and we will have only 1 car are there suggestions on shuttling us from the car to the trailhead?
I need help.
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dorf
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My opinion
If you're doing point to point hikes, you're missing out on a few good ones. More on that later. The good news is that yor time frame is perfect.
Not too many folks i know of have done Slide Lake but Squillax's group did so in 2004. I'm sure he'll chime in once he sees this.
If you want to do a four night trip a more exciting option might be to start at Goat haunt (you'll need to take the shuttle up to Waterton and then take the ferry down to Goat Haunt) and finish up at Swiftcurrent via the Ptarmigan tunnel. Easily doable in four nights: KOO, STO or MOL or GLF, COS, ELF. That would be my preference anyway. For three nights I'd stick with your plan but maybe swap COS for GAB. you can also det in an 8-mile dayhike to Helen lake from ELF, or even climb Bear Mtn. Point from Cosley before heading over to ELF.
Hike # 2 is one I had two permits for last summer---one at 3 nights and the other in 4--- and didn't get to go on either of them (long, sad story
) so i can't really comment on anything around Cut Bank. IMO, you'd have a more scenic hike if you got NON for a campsite. This way you get to traverse the 3 mile "skywalk" between Pitamakn and Dawson Passes. Begin at the St. mary Visitor Center,c amping at Red Eagle, Morningstar and Noname Lake. This is a fairly long 3-nighter but you should be fit from your first hike.
One other choice might be to do Gunsight Pass in a leisurely 3 nights staying at GUN, ELL, SPE. Or you could do GUN, SPE and SNY. Sperry has a few nice dayhike options and a killer view from the campsites
You shouldn't have any troubles utilizing the shuttles for any of these hikes and could probably get a room at either Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, Many Glacier Hotel or the Glacier park Lodge seeing as though you're going late in the season. Things start closing up a few days after Labor Day.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Not too many folks i know of have done Slide Lake but Squillax's group did so in 2004. I'm sure he'll chime in once he sees this.
If you want to do a four night trip a more exciting option might be to start at Goat haunt (you'll need to take the shuttle up to Waterton and then take the ferry down to Goat Haunt) and finish up at Swiftcurrent via the Ptarmigan tunnel. Easily doable in four nights: KOO, STO or MOL or GLF, COS, ELF. That would be my preference anyway. For three nights I'd stick with your plan but maybe swap COS for GAB. you can also det in an 8-mile dayhike to Helen lake from ELF, or even climb Bear Mtn. Point from Cosley before heading over to ELF.
Hike # 2 is one I had two permits for last summer---one at 3 nights and the other in 4--- and didn't get to go on either of them (long, sad story
) so i can't really comment on anything around Cut Bank. IMO, you'd have a more scenic hike if you got NON for a campsite. This way you get to traverse the 3 mile "skywalk" between Pitamakn and Dawson Passes. Begin at the St. mary Visitor Center,c amping at Red Eagle, Morningstar and Noname Lake. This is a fairly long 3-nighter but you should be fit from your first hike.One other choice might be to do Gunsight Pass in a leisurely 3 nights staying at GUN, ELL, SPE. Or you could do GUN, SPE and SNY. Sperry has a few nice dayhike options and a killer view from the campsites
You shouldn't have any troubles utilizing the shuttles for any of these hikes and could probably get a room at either Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, Many Glacier Hotel or the Glacier park Lodge seeing as though you're going late in the season. Things start closing up a few days after Labor Day.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
So many mountains, so little time.
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Squilax
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Slide lake
All I have to offer is that the climb from Slide Lake to Gable Pass is absolutely HELLACIOUS!
We went in via the Lee Ridge fire trail to Gable Pass. Several of our group went down to Slide Lake (1500 foot down), then had to turn around and come back up the next morning. From Gable Pass, you have at least an equal descent down to the Belly River Ranger Station and Gable Creek campsite. So to summarize, from SLI to GAB, you have to go up about 1500 feet, go across the Pass, then down about 1500 feet (+ or -) all in one day. You will be ready for the sack when you get to GAB!
We went in via the Lee Ridge fire trail to Gable Pass. Several of our group went down to Slide Lake (1500 foot down), then had to turn around and come back up the next morning. From Gable Pass, you have at least an equal descent down to the Belly River Ranger Station and Gable Creek campsite. So to summarize, from SLI to GAB, you have to go up about 1500 feet, go across the Pass, then down about 1500 feet (+ or -) all in one day. You will be ready for the sack when you get to GAB!