Day 10 - Helena, MT to Glacier NP: St. Mary's
Highlights: State Capitol building in Helena; Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center; last part of drive approaching Glacier NP.
Before leaving Helena, we did a quickie drive-by of the Montana State Capitol Building, built between 1896 and 1902.
Next we headed north towards Great Falls, home to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Several years ago, when I was pregnant with our second kid, I was put on bedrest for a week, during which time I went thru a ton of books including The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a first-hand account of their undertaking. And ever since, I've been fascinated with their story, including that of the legendary Sacagawea. At the Interpretive Center, we saw how they built their boats and learned how they portaged around the Falls. I could have easily stayed there all day, but..... onward to Glacier!
The rest of the drive took us through Cut Bank, the Blackfeet Reservation, Browning and finally to St. Mary, the primary eastern entrance to Glacier. Outside the Visitor Center, we saw a pair of nesting ospreys!
We camped at Rising Sun - no reservations required, first-come, first-serve, honor payment. It was very quiet with lots of space between sites and plenty of deer traffic. A little bit on the buggy side though.
After a quick dinner, we had time to drive up the Going-to-the-Sun road as far as the Jackson Glacier Overlook. Beautiful views of Saint Mary Lake.
We ended the day back at our campground with a ranger talk about wildfires.
Day's tally: 263 miles; 12 hr day (5 hrs driving)
View Day 11 - Helena, MT to Glacier NP in a larger map
Before leaving Helena, we did a quickie drive-by of the Montana State Capitol Building, built between 1896 and 1902.
Next we headed north towards Great Falls, home to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Several years ago, when I was pregnant with our second kid, I was put on bedrest for a week, during which time I went thru a ton of books including The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a first-hand account of their undertaking. And ever since, I've been fascinated with their story, including that of the legendary Sacagawea. At the Interpretive Center, we saw how they built their boats and learned how they portaged around the Falls. I could have easily stayed there all day, but..... onward to Glacier!
The rest of the drive took us through Cut Bank, the Blackfeet Reservation, Browning and finally to St. Mary, the primary eastern entrance to Glacier. Outside the Visitor Center, we saw a pair of nesting ospreys!
We camped at Rising Sun - no reservations required, first-come, first-serve, honor payment. It was very quiet with lots of space between sites and plenty of deer traffic. A little bit on the buggy side though.
After a quick dinner, we had time to drive up the Going-to-the-Sun road as far as the Jackson Glacier Overlook. Beautiful views of Saint Mary Lake.
We ended the day back at our campground with a ranger talk about wildfires.
Day's tally: 263 miles; 12 hr day (5 hrs driving)
View Day 11 - Helena, MT to Glacier NP in a larger map
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