July 24, 2025 - Driving from Alaska to Maryland
Glacier NP, Going to the Sun Highway, Logan's Pass

 Glacier National Park has quitte the reputation.  Everyone says it great.  I've flew over it on one of my long cross-country flights but but today would be the first time seeing it from the ground.

I did a lot of research on the park.  Basically there is one road from east to west crossing the middle of the park:  Glacier Route One -- the famous "Going-To-The-Sun" Road.  There is the Logan Pass Visitor Center  roughly in the middle.  It's parking lot is basically the only parking lot in the center of the park.  And it's not that big.  There is timed entry if you come in from the west, but not from the east (strange).  After reading a lot of reviews, it became clear that you need to get to Logan Pass Visitor Center early to get a parking spot to geet to see the park's interior.

We got up very early.  It took about an hour of driving through the dark to get to the West-side park entrance.  The gate was not manned this early in the morning so a timed entry reservation was not needed, although we had one.  It took us another hour to get to the Logan Pass Visitor Center.  We drove alongside long Lake McDonald in the dark, then started ascending as the sun started rising.  I don't have many photos because, believe me, driving the "Going-To-The-Sun" road requires total concentration.  It's narrow, winding, rock walls on one side, and a steep drop on the other.
   
We arrived at the Logan Pass Visitor Center just a few minutes after 7AM.  And the parking lot was practically full already!  I couldn't believe it.  We did end up parking in a somewhat questionable spot.
   
Yay!  We're at Logan Pass.
   
 
   
Looking down at the parking lot.  It's not even 7:30 AM yet.
   
We decided to hike to the Hidden Lake Overlook:  a short 1.5 mile hike (3 miles round trip).
   
We just went to the Hidden Lake Overlook.
   
Right off the bat we saw wildlife.
   
That's a nice-looking buck; he looks very healthy.  Must be good living up here.
   
The trail starts off on boardwalk.
   
That big mountain really dominates the scene.
   
It was pretty hiking this early in the morning with the low sun creating lots of shadows.
   
The trail turns to dirt and rock.  And steadily climbs.
   
 
   
Looking south.
   
 
   
Check out those multi-colored rocks.
   
 
   
I must say, it is very scenic up here.
   
 
   
 
   
A lot of people stopped on the trail and were looking at two mountain goats way up on this mountain.  They were just two white dots and slow moved to the left on the mountain crest.
   
 
   
 
   
Somewhere up there are the two mountain goats.
   
Continuiing west.
   
Hidden Lake comes into view.
   
 
   
At the overlook, one of those woolly groundhogs like we saw at Mount Ranier shows up.
   
 
   
Hidden Lake is fairly good size and peanut-shaped.
   
Heading back from the overlook, we saw a group of people gathered taking pictures.  It turns out that the two mountain goats and come down to the trail and were dining on something right by the trail!
   
A good look at the adult mountain goat.
   
The second goat was a little one.  These goats must be used to tourists; and acted like we didn't exist.   My niece hiked this trail a month later, saw mountain goats in this exact same place, probably the same ones!
   
Hiking downhill back to the Visitor Center.
   
 
   
 
   
Back on the boardwalk.
   
Looking north through the pass where the Going-To-The-Sun Road comes from the west.
   
 
   
 
   
Good hike!
   
 
   
The Visitor Center hadn't opened yet by the time we got back, as it wasn't even 9AM yet.  The parking lot was a mad house.  Fortunately our car hadn't been ticketed.  We got in the car and continued east on the Going-To-The-Sun road.
   
 
   
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