Glacier National Park- Belly River Backpacking

June 12, 2015

So Dan and I decided to spend a couple nights backpacking in Glacier National Park in the Belly River area. The trail starts right at the US/Canada border and goes south right into the heart of Glacier. This is a great early season hike because its lower elevation makes it snow free a lot sooner than most of the high country.

Belly River Bridge

We had a 9 mile hike into our campsite at Cosley Lake where we'd stay both nights. This was a cool suspension bridge across the Belly River.

Pyramid Peak

In the morning of our second day we hiked up to the head of Glenn's Lake, and there was this really cool waterfall cascading down, with Pyramid Peak towering behind.

Gable Mountain

After our hike up to Glenn's Lake, we came back to camp for an afternoon siesta. After recharging, we headed out for an evening hike up to the Bear Mountain Overlook to get some big views! This is looking east towards Gable and Seward Mountains.

Skeletons

So an unfortunate thing to see is the skeletons of what was once an impressive stand of whitebark and limber pine. Large percentages of the trees have been hit with a blister rust that kills the tree. These trees grow in high elevation and in some of the harshest and toughest conditions possible. They can make for some cool and eerie looking shots though.

Dusk

One of the great things about summertime this far north is how much daylight there is, and how it allows you to be out hiking at 9pm still, cause it doesn't get dark til well after 10.

Silky Phacelia

This is probably my favorite shot from the weekend. There was a bunch of this bright purple silky phacelia growing on the rocky slope, with the brilliant turquoise waters of Cosley and Glenn's Lake lighting up the background. Just an awesome scene and makes climbing up the mountain well worth it!

Cosley Lake Rocks

So one of my favorite things about Glacier is the crystal clear water with all of the different colored rocks! Love it!

Cosley Lake Rocks 2

Cosley Lake Sunrise

So dragging yourself out of the sleeping bag and the tent is not always the easiest thing to do to be up for sunrise at 5am, but it sure is worth it! And it's especially nice being the only one out there enjoying it while everyone else sleeps. I love seeing the mountains glow purple like that when that first bit of light hits them!

Cosley Lake Morning

So this is the same shot as last but after the sun has completely come up. It's a completely different feel to the lake even though the shots were taken less than 90 minutes apart.

WilliamSl

Thank you for your forum.Really thank you! Awesome. Taveras

WilliamSl

Thanks so much for the forum.Really thank you! Much obliged. Hayzlett

Glacier National Park- Belly River Backpacking

WilliamSl

WilliamSl

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