July 14th, 2021
Polebridge, Bowman Lake and Hiking in the Mountains
I can not express how beautiful Montana is and how majestic the mountains are in this area. I had never envisioned going to Montana...maybe once, when the kids were younger and we could take them skiing but we never made it. I now know why it is called Big Sky Country. The mountains go on forever and the heights are dizzying. Back in May, I scored our $2 ticket for the Going to the Sun Road, not really knowing what it was all about. I mean, this Texas girl is a flatlander. But, I got the ticket and patiently waited till July so that we could use it.
I made arrangements for us to stay at West Glacier KOA for a week but I think we could have stayed for at least 10 days. There are over 700 hiking trails and we probably did about 5 of the trails while we were there. Unfortunately, the smoke from the Idaho and California fires filled the skies with smoke and visibility was reduced some days. But despite the reduced visibility, the views were amazing!
Our first day we decided to go ahead and go out to Polebridge, get a huckleberry pastry and then do a hike at Logging Creek trail. After finishing our hike, we ventured over to Bowman Lake and I am so glad that we did. It was the most beautiful place I have ever been. I almost wish we had brought our bathing suits but the water was so cold, I bet I wouldn't have gotten in to swim.
Definitely check out our video of us hiking at Logging Creek Trail. I was really on edge. It was our first hike and we were going down a trail that didn't look like it had a lot of traffic on it. We had our bear spray and knew all the things to do if we came across a bear but it wasn't on my list of things to do that day! As much as I would love to see a grizzly, I definitely didn't want to do it on a trail with just the two of us.
Im so glad my husband is so tolerant with me. I spent about 20 minutes singing old Girl Scout songs just to keep my anxiety level down.The good news is...NO BEARS! Was it my singing or just that they weren't in the area, we will never know but, I think it's because I sang them away!
After finishing our hike, we drove over to the parking area for Bowman Lake. Bowman Lake is situated on the northwestern side of Glacier National Park and is the third largest lake in the area, behind McDonald Lake and St. Mary's Lake. It is absolutely gorgeous and I am so glad we spent time at this lake. If you come over to Bowman, make sure to bring chairs or a blanket and even a paddle board. We had a little picnic lunch there and loved it so much.