Logan Pass to Jackson Overlook... The LONG way.

[insearchofhighplaces]

So I'm sitting here counting the days until I leave to Glacier (This Friday, 8/16). A friend and I have been planning to hike the Floral Park route. I've been doing my usual planning, packing, map-gazing, thread reading, not-working, pre-trip routine... And it occurs to me... What if instead of going from Logan Pass to Lake McDonald, we double back at Sperry Chalet and hike back out over Gunsight Pass to the Jackson Glacier overlook. It would add about 5 miles and a few hours, but it seems totally doable. Has anyone heard of others doing this?

Another friend of mine and myself did an excruciating day last year on the Skyline Experience, but we lived to tell about it. It was 20 HARD miles. This would be 25 fairly hard miles.

Thoughts?

[toddnick]

It would be a TOUGH day...but doable...

I've done both halves twice...Floral Park in that direction and Gunsight in the reverse direction...

I tracked Floral Park as about 3,600 feet gained 3,800 feet lost along 12.5 miles to Sperry Chalet...
My best guess is that it would be 2,300 feet gained and about 3,500 feet lost along 13 miles from Sperry Chalet to Jackson Glacier Overlook...

So that would make it about 5,900 feet gained and 7,300 feet lost and 25.5 miles...

In addition, Floral Park is much more strenuous as it isn't on established trail and generally involves some scree and rock work as well as snow crossings...

That is a big day...that ends with about 800 feet of gain the last few miles to Jackson Glacier Overlook...

Also keep overnight road closings in mind (M-F road doesn't open until 7, so you would be able to start until at least 7:30)...

[insearchofhighplaces]

Also keep overnight road closings in mind (M-F road doesn't open until 7, so you would be able to start until at least 7:30)...

Thanks for that info Toddnick! Either way, just reading those elevation numbers makes me want to get in the car and head out immediately!

Yeah, I'm still unsure. This may be me just being jazzed to get out of MN and into the mountains. If, as you say, there are overnight road closings, then I think that settles the matter for me. I thought I checked on this a few years back and the park service told me it was open 24 hours a day. Of course I've since lost that correspondence...

[insearchofhighplaces]

I've figured it out. The nightly closures are construction related. It has also occurred to me that we'll be hiking Saturday and therefore unaffected. ...the choice remains.

[smahurin]

Another option if you didn't want to make it such a big day would be to either camp at Sperry/Ellen Wilson or tray and cajole your way into getting a special use permit to camp somewhere along the route (likely on the way up to Sperry). Sounds awesome, but definitely a big day.

[insearchofhighplaces]

cajole your way into getting a special use permit to camp somewhere along the route (likely on the way up to Sperry).

That would definitely be the way to go...

...if I had the time. It's been a bugger to get a trip together this year at all. How hard is it to get a special use permit? I've never done it, but there's a few routes I'd like to take more time on in the future.

[Fairbanks142]

We're doing a 2-nighter of Gunsight Lake & Lake Ellen Wilson in early September. Our plan was to end up at the Sperry trailhead on the 3rd day, but I know it's all trees....sounds like I should be looking into Floral Park back to Logan Pass as an alternative.

Any recommendations for threads here, or links, that would give me the best sense of what we'd be undertaking with Floral Park from Lake Ellen Wilson to Logan Pass, with full packs?

[toddnick]

I don't recommend Floral Park to those who haven't done it before and are route-finding on their own...

Especially doing it in that direction (Sperry to Logan)...as route finding is even more difficult...not impossible; but wouldn't recommend...

[Fairbanks142]

Enough said....thanks!

[smahurin]

cajole your way into getting a special use permit to camp somewhere along the route (likely on the way up to Sperry).

That would definitely be the way to go...

...if I had the time. It's been a bugger to get a trip together this year at all. How hard is it to get a special use permit? I've never done it, but there's a few routes I'd like to take more time on in the future.

Honestly not real sure. Two weekends ago when I was doing gunsight I met 2 guys who had a special use permit for the jackson glacier almost-a-dog pass area. I don't know how serious they were but they said it was pretty easy to get as the park service doesn't want to discourage use of the park in any way... But if it were real easy to get em everyone would have them.

[insearchofhighplaces]

Hm. Interesting. I'll need to ask a bit more about it when I'm in the park.

[DaveC]

We're doing a 2-nighter of Gunsight Lake & Lake Ellen Wilson in early September. Our plan was to end up at the Sperry trailhead on the 3rd day, but I know it's all trees....sounds like I should be looking into Floral Park back to Logan Pass as an alternative.

Any recommendations for threads here, or links, that would give me the best sense of what we'd be undertaking with Floral Park from Lake Ellen Wilson to Logan Pass, with full packs?

There's a fair bit of stuff on the 'net, including my own. My litmus is that if someone can't find that stuff and ask fairly exact questions after, I won't help them get into further trouble.

That said, I'd characterize the route finding on Floral as very easy IF you have a decent amount of off-trail hiking experience.

I doubt you'd get an undesignated permit for an area which is a popular dayhike, especially when Sperry is a logical halfway point. The Logan-Jackson dayhike via Sperry isn't an unreasonable proposition IF you have the fitness.

[Fairbanks142]

There's a fair bit of stuff on the 'net, including my own. My litmus is that if someone can't find that stuff and ask fairly exact questions after, I won't help them get into further trouble.

Fair enough. I thought about not even posting my question. I know there's plenty out there on Floral Park. I've read some off and on, like when they found the bones of that missing hiker last year who had gone too far west off the floral park traverse. And sites like http://www.summitpost.org/floral-park/573574. Just thought I'd get the input from the folks here on what are the best resources that describe the route itself, especially in the Sperry-to-Logan direction, rather than finding stuff on my own.

[orin]

The words that caught my attention were "with full packs". Floral Park is substantially harder than your average dayhike and doing it with a full pack kicks the difficulty level up another notch or two. Since almost all Floral Park trips are dayhikes your version would be harder than any description that you will read about.

[Jay w]

I didn't catch the "full packs" bit. I assume full packs means overnight packs and not day packs?

My 2 cents is if you're trying to find a route, it'll probably take you longer than you figure to reach Sperry Chalet, and trying to go over Gunsight will become a chore. Otherwise you could plan to exit McDonald and if you make to the Chalet by a certain cutoff, head for Gunsight. Last year when I did the Gunsight/Sperry/McDonald through hike, I got a late start. When my wife finally cut me loose at Hidden Falls, I started running and quickly ran into a black bear that was in no hurry to move. So there's that aspect of timing also.

Jay