This post made me wonder... when was the last "new" trail in Glacier constructed? There seems to be plenty of abandoned trails. HA!llholmes1948 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:31 am An interesting item from September 1971 in the Yesterdays Column in the Hungry Horse News. I was in the Park at the time helping to close down Lake McDonald Lodge but as it was late in the season, my invitation to go on this hike must have gotten misplaced.
50 years ago
Sept. 17, 1971
Editor Mel Ruder went on an excursion with Glacier Park brass into the Ole Creek drainage. At the time there was a plan to make a trail from Firebrand Pass north to Dawson Pass.
Interesting. Any recommendations on where to learn more about historic trails? I have seen some references from the trail status pages about trails NW from Kintla and N from Belly River, but nothing too exciting.
I think the longest trail that was abandoned was the West Lakes Trail. That trail could take one from Lake McDonald to Kintla. Today, if you take the trail from Bowman Lake to Akokala Lake, you will come to a "T" in the trail. The right-hand trail takes you to the Lake. To the left is a little-used but still Official trail that goes to the auto road that leads from Polebridge to Kintla. There is no option to continue straight, but back in the day that is what the West Lakes Trail did, taking the hiker as far as Parke Ridge and down into Kintla. If that trail were still open today, it would solve the transportation problem encountered by those who hike the Kintla-to-Bowman horseshoe and only have one car to return to their starting point.zozeppelin wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 7:44 pm
Interesting. Any recommendations on where to learn more about historic trails? I have seen some references from the trail status pages about trails NW from Kintla and N from Belly River, but nothing too exciting.
I understand your point of view Paul and I'm sympathetic to it, but...
The old Ruhl books are a good source as linked in wnysteve's post (if you can find them). I have an old trail map from 1963 that gives a good overview of the trails that existed then. Just to name a few:Any recommendations on where to learn more about historic trails?