North Fork suggestions?

[Mzambo]

Hi Everyone,

Getting excited for trip #3 in August. Our dates are 8/8-16. We have an extra night at Village Inn this year. We have been as far as the Mercantile and Northern Lights but not beyond. We were thinking of taking our 2nd day to explore the area. What hiking suggestions would you have for spending the day in this area?

Plans are rough based on weather/bears etc but......

Day 1: fly in shop/drop and hike to Avanlanche Lake. Relax on Village Inn beach with a bottle of wine.

Day 2: Explore North Fork area hit the Merc, and Northern Lights relax on Village Inn Beach with another bottle of wine.

Day 3: Siyeh on the way over to Swiftcurrent

Day 4: Open

Day 5: Grinnell, Tunnel, or Cracker Lake

Day 6: Highline to Granite Park Chalet (first time staying at the Chalet)

Day 7: Hike back down to Swiftcurrent (my first time doing the Hockey Ref hike) head back to Village Inn to fly out tomorrow.


When you actually write it down you can tend to get bummed out, never enough time to do everything you want to do.

[smahurin]

One of the lookouts, Huckleberry or numa ridge would be good options as day hikes, also could do something like the quartz lake loop. The north fork is an awesome place to be and definitely one of my favorite in the park, but its more limited in terms of awesome day hiking opportunities compared to some of the other areas of the park.

[pitamakan]

I'll put in a plug for the Thoma Lookout hike, which is a great one:

http://glacier.nationalparkschat.com/ph ... ma+lookout

Spending part of a day just driving to Bowman and Kintla Lakes is also very worthwhile. All in all, the North Fork is my favorite part of the park, though the trails mostly aren't ones that provide instant views. The area takes a little while to get to know.

Mark

[MarxMN]

As Pitamaken mentioned just driving to Bowman and Kintla Lakes gives you a feel for the area. The "roads" to the lakes are narrow, winding with some sharp turns with rocks and rough places. Both lakes have campgrounds and picnic areas - either is a great lunch site. The view toward the east across the lakes is impressive. While it may not be very exciting in terms of reaching a destination, a walk along either lake gives one a sense of how long these lakes are.

[Mzambo]

You guys are getting me really excited to explore this area! Glad we have the extra day at Village Inn now.

[Chip]

Hey Marie
You forgot the extra Open day after the second hike . So your time is a little longer than you thought.

[Mzambo]

Oh Ken, that day will get filled with something for sure. Not to mention Fishercap in the evenings? Will we get Chris over there? LOL

[Mzambo]

Chip have you looked at Pitamaken's posts regarding Thoma lookout? That may be a good one for us. (thank you Mark) That and maybe a canoe trip on one of the lakes, or a walk around one of them or a drive around both of them if we get our butts up early! This trip I would like to see those lakes! We only made it as far as the Merc last trip.

[Selkie]

Bowman L isn't much farther than the Merc and is one of my favorite places in the whole park. Few people; one can lie on a beach towel and read. The lake is slightly warmer than others and has a very gentle cline with a sandy bottom, meaning you can walk out very far. Not too many eye-pokers hiding underwater. Local wildlife also likes to swim off the beach.
Some nice day hikes accessible from Bowman CG. Numa lookout, the Quartz Lake Almost-a-Loop, and a walk along the side of the lake.
It's a different universe. More local people show up for a day or a weekend to camp and boat and fish.

[Mzambo]

So Selkie you like Bowman better than Kintla? How much further is Kintla? Where do you rent canoe's or kayak's?

[mikie]

Bowman Lake will give you a better "wow" factor. It is just beautiful. The road to Bowman lake is not that enjoyable. There are two common day hikes there. But, showing up to see the lake on a nice day is worth it.

Kintla lake is also nice, but doesn't have the wow factor that Bowman Lake has. The road to Kintla lake is twice as long, but has nice view points along the way. I like the campground at Kintla Lake much better then Bowman Lake campground. Kintla Lake campground is my favorite. Then there is Ranger Lyle, who is the oldest park ranger at 95 years old. A real nice guy. Worth showing up just for him. Not many day hikes there.

I had hiked GNP quite a few times before I first showed up at Bowman Lake in 2001. I always visit Bowman/Kintla Lakes whenever I return to GNP. Totally worth the visit.

[smahurin]

Kintla is a little over an hour from bowman. Mileagewise its close ~20 miles, but the dirt road gets pretty rough in some spots and just takes a little time to travel between the two.

[Selkie]

So Selkie you like Bowman better than Kintla? How much further is Kintla? Where do you rent canoe's or kayak's?

I haven't been to Kintla yet (waiting for Kishenehn day!), but I like to unwind at the end of a trip and enjoy Bowman Lake's distinctly different atmosphere from the GttSR madhouse. No rentals that I know of. Maybe in Polebridge? But would need to ferry it oneself.

On the other side of the road are many more hiking opps, including more lookouts. The park ends but the terrain doesn't.

[pitamakan]

Kintla and Bowman are both definitely worth a visit, I think. Bowman is about a 20-minute drive from Polebridge, on a usually-washboarded road with lots of blind curves and limited views. The lake itself is gorgeous and dramatic, with plenty of quiet shoreline to hang out. The campground there is one of my favorite in the park, with lots of trees and privacy.

Driving up to Kintla is one of my favorite experiences in the park. The road is lightly traveled, and goes through a mix of forests and meadows -- the more open areas have outstanding views of the park mountains. Depending on the time of year, you can sometimes see deer and elk in the meadow areas, and though the odds are slim there's a possibility of seeing a wolf as well. Kintla Lake is lovely, though less spectacularly sited than Bowman; the campground is compact and offers less privacy than many in the park, but is still very nice. Do the drive at the beginning or end of the day for the best photo ops.

And yep, lots of great hikes on both sides of the river. You won't get the instant vista gratification that's available on some of the more well-known trails, but ultimately the hiking could be even more satisfying.

Mark

[Tara]

Re: Bowman: Yes, it is stunning, but when we were there it was full and there were a LOT of people down at the waterfront/beach...way more than I've ever seen at the lake at Two Med. Definitely not quiet. Just so people aren't expecting a quiet, tranquil experience...it may not be that way.