Mid June Camping Advice

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Bill R
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Mid June Camping Advice

Post by Bill R »

I'm in Glacier June 15 to the 30th. I was hoping to do some back country camping but it seems the snow is a bit deep this year. Any recommendations? Does anyone know if Poia Lake will be accessible by then? I'm open to any other areas as well.

Thanks, Bill
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by PeteE »

Bill R wrote:I'm in Glacier June 15 to the 30th. I was hoping to do some back country camping but it seems the snow is a bit deep this year. Any recommendations? Does anyone know if Poia Lake will be accessible by then? I'm open to any other areas as well.

Thanks, Bill
Poia Lake is in "Winter Condition" and not open yet. And I doubt it will be by June 15th.

However there are lots of back country campgrounds open now.

Go here and you can see what's open for 6 nights out on a continuing basis.
https://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/ ... status.cfm
Anything with 1's is essentially closed. Anything with other numbers has openings
.
Go here for some good info on the camp sites.
https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/ ... ap-Web.pdf

Maybe this video of mine will help you with the "walk up permit" process.


So I would probably stay on the East Side where more is open. Many Glacier Swiftcurrent area, or St Mary.
Atlantic Creek is open in the Cut Bank area. Kintla Lake and Upper Kintla are open. Bowman and the Quartz Lakes are open all in the North Fork.
Lots of good places open now.
Get to the BC Office early 8)

pete :wink:
PS
FWIW:
I would ask the rangers to get you something in the Belly River if I were you. Base yourself at Swiftcurrent/Many Glacier. Good day hiking base as well as backpacking.
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by Heff936 »

I'd recommend the Belly River area starting from the Chief Mountain trailhead. Most of the camps in both drainages are on beautiful lakes and the scenery is excellent. Helen Lake is probably the only camp in that area that won't yet be open. A nice 4 night trip with good day hike options would be COS-GLH-GLH -ELF hike back out via Chief Mountain TH. MOL may also be an option instead of GLH. There is one outstanding camp at GLH but the other two are pretty weak. The day hike options would be to hike up past Mokawanis Lake toward Margaret Lake. Getting to Margaret might not feasible this early in the season but the waterfall coming from that lake will be spectacular. Bear Mountain lookout is a nice hike near Cosley and may be safe. Dawn Mist Falls will be rolling. If you want to enter the other drainage (Helen & Elizabeth Lakes) you either have to wade the Cosley outlet or take a longer way around back by the Belly River Ranger station.

The one issue you will probably face will the mosquitoes. I've only done one late June trip but the skeeters were awful and reduced our enjoyment of the trip by a good margin. So you might want to bring some mosquito netting.
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by PeteE »

Heff936 is right about mosquitoes. Bad this year all over the area. There's still a lot of standing water everywhere. Lots of snow yet to melt.
So bring whatever you need for bugs.

pete :wink:

PS
I got a tick on me on my Iceberg Lake hike last Saturday :evil:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by Bill R »

Thanks for all the great tips! I was going to bring bear spray but it sounds like I should bring industrial strength deet and big fly swatter.

Looks like tent camping in Many Glacier is booked up. Do they set aside some walk in sites for backpackers?

I'll try for Chief Mountian TH and try to get as far as Mokowanis or even Margaret lake unless snow and mosquitoes say otherwise.

Since I'm in the area for a couple of weeks any ideas on snow shoe/ice axe classes or training?

Thanks again, Bill
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by PeteE »

Bill R wrote:Thanks for all the great tips! I was going to bring bear spray but it sounds like I should bring industrial strength deet and big fly swatter.

Looks like tent camping in Many Glacier is booked up. Do they set aside some walk in sites for backpackers?

I'll try for Chief Mountian TH and try to get as far as Mokowanis or even Margaret lake unless snow and mosquitoes say otherwise.

Since I'm in the area for a couple of weeks any ideas on snow shoe/ice axe classes or training?

Thanks again, Bill
Don't bring bear spray on the plane. Not allowed. You can buy it everywhere once you're here.
I can't answer the question on lesson with an ax and crampons.
Snowshoes are easy. Make sure the person selling them knows how to get you set up with the right size and type for what you want to do.

Late June is still early so I think you'll get into the biker/hiker CG with no problem, but one never knows. 8)


pete :wink:

Here's the info on the hiker/biker campsites:
Emphasis mine.


https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/ ... MP_5204139

Bicycle Use

Bicyclists are responsible for complying with all traffic regulations and are permitted only on roadways.

Hiker/Biker Campsites

A limited number of sites at Apgar, Fish Creek, Sprague Creek, Avalanche, Many Glacier, Rising Sun, Two Medicine, and St. Mary are available for bicyclists and hikers. Sites are shared with a capacity of up to 8 people; larger groups must split up or use group sites where available. The fee is $5.00 per person per night for Apgar, Sprague Creek, Avalanche, Many Glacier, Two Medicine and Rising Sun. In the reservation campgrounds, St. Mary and Fish Creek, the fee is $8.00 for the first person and $5.00 for every individual beyond the first.

If hiker/biker sites are full or campers do not want to share a site, hikers/bicyclists must use regular unoccupied campsites.

Hiker/biker sites are for non-motorized campers only. Motorcyclists must use regular unoccupied campsites.
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by PeteE »

I hate DEET. Bad for your skin and health and not good to get on gear...sleeping bag, camera.

It may be OK in places where you can clean up before going to bed(day hiking and car camping)
However, I find that in the backcountry, it gets all over your clothing and gear.
After a couple days, everything you have smells like DEET.


I have one of these that I use along with long sleeve shirts and clothing treated with Permethrin.


https://sawyer.com/products/permethrin- ... repellent/

pete :wink:
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And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by Heff936 »

PeteE wrote:I hate DEET. Bad for your skin and health and not good to get on gear...sleeping bag, camera.

It may be OK in places where you can clean up before going to bed(day hiking and car camping)
However, I find that in the backcountry, it gets all over your clothing and gear.
After a couple days, everything you have smells like DEET.


I have one of these that I use along with long sleeve shirts and clothing treated with Permethrin.


https://sawyer.com/products/permethrin- ... repellent/

pete :wink:
I'd follow Pete's approach if I ever do trips in June or early July. The waterfalls will be amazing so other than the mosquitoes, it would be a great time to be there. But they can be very aggravating when they are so numerous.
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by Jay w »

In June, overnight lows should be in the 70s....no need for a campfire. I'd bring beach clothes and flipflops.

Ok, it'll be June and I'd make sure you have a warm sleeping bag. Other than that, enjoy the hell out of it knowing you're making the rest of us jealous. Cubical hell, that's what I live in. Bugs, hah. Wish I had bugs instead of fumes from caulking in the windows (that they did today). If a bug can survive 50F and bite you, it deserves some blood.

Damn, have a good time.

Jay
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by paul »

Jay w wrote:In June, overnight lows should be in the 70s....no need for a campfire. I'd bring beach clothes and flipflops.

Ok, it'll be June and I'd make sure you have a warm sleeping bag. Other than that, enjoy the hell out of it knowing you're making the rest of us jealous. Cubical hell, that's what I live in. Bugs, hah. Wish I had bugs instead of fumes from caulking in the windows (that they did today). If a bug can survive 50F and bite you, it deserves some blood.

Damn, have a good time.

Jay
Yeah, bugs at Cosley lake sounds a whole lot better than working in my office too. I work in cubical hell for real. The cubes are built up in a re-fashioned warehouse in our building, no windows, 60 foot tin ceilings, noise bouncing all over the walls.

I'm really looking forward to my August backpack in Glacier :D
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by Bill R »

I'm not a fan of deet either so I really appreciate the advice on alternatives.

This is the 20th year I've gone on an annual trip with my daughter and I was thinking I'd blown it making a bone head choice like GNP in June but it sounds like we if make some adjustments there's lots of beauty. I'm really looking forward to our 2 weeks there.

Is bear spray even necessary? I could leave my salmon aftershave and honey comb hat at home.
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by llholmes1948 »

Bear spray is sort of like insurance. You hope you never have to use it but it can be pretty handy to have when you need it. I certainly recommend that anyone doing any degree of hiking in Glacier should carry it unless you are only going to go on Ranger-led hikes in which case the Ranger will have the spray and you can save your money.

In early June 2007 my daughter was working for a couple of months on the DeBoo Ranch near Valier and I came out to visit her. We decided to go the Park for the weekend and stopped in East Glacier where the only place that was open that early that had bear spray was selling it for $50. I knew from past experience that there were places on the west side which sold it for significantly less than that (like $30). However we had talked about doing some or all of the Elk Mountain hike on our way to West Glacier. I recall thinking "If I postpone buying bear spray until we get to West Glacier just to save a few bucks and we do hike up Elk Mountain, get in a bear incident and my daughter is injured, I would always wonder and if it could have been prevented if I had bought the bear spray in East Glacier."

So I bought the $50 bear spray in East Glacier (and we didn't hike up Elk Mountain after all - it was socked in by clouds.)

Besides whenever I hike alone around Glacier without carrying bear spray, I always get the impression that something is watching me :shock:

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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by llholmes1948 »

DEET is sort of like a firing squad. It is not pleasant. It will probably kill you. But it works.

(But my daughter who faithfully used a 25% DEET product on her Appalachian Trail hike in 2011 has, like Pete, become a fan of premethrin and has convinced me to try it, although I haven't done it yet.)

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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by llholmes1948 »

My Father's Day present from my daughter was a spray bottle of permethrin.

At last a useful gift!

Lyman
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Re: Mid June Camping Advice

Post by PeteE »

llholmes1948 wrote:My Father's Day present from my daughter was a spray bottle of permethrin.

At last a useful gift!

Lyman
I treated a whole batch of my clothes last week Lyman. Turns out I didn't need to worry about skeeters this Father's Day!
Cold, windy, and rainy :(
More in my coming report in Photos.
click it
8)
Image

pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

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