June 2023
I made the nine hour, quite boring drive east along Highway 2 from North Dakota to Glacier National Park. Being Montana I expected to drive along or through the mountains but turns out this area is mostly flat and sprinkled with towns which look forgotten. Like South Dakota, this is another drive passing through various Indian reservations and quite a bit of poverty. Upon reaching Glacier, it became very apparent I had reached scenic fatigue as I gazed upon the mountains lacking any sense of awe. Quite pretty, but not as dramatic as say my train ride to Aguas Calientes, the jump off point for Machu Picchu. Perhaps if the 50 mile main road through the park, Going to the Sun Rd., was open instead of closed off to cars due to avalanche concerns, I would have a different view of the park, literally and figuratively. Turns out June is a bit early to arrive as you have to drive about 100 miles around the outside of the park to get from one end to the other and miss the epic views.
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. I spent two nights on the east side at the St. Mary’s KOA just outside the entrance, the second in a cabin which had a bed (no bedding but I had my own), a sink and electricity. This is the only KOA where I found staying a second night worthwhile given the location and the really wonderful views. I spent my third night at the Apgar Campground in the park on the west side which I recommend if you can land a spot. There are grizzlies in Glacier and they recommend you do not hike alone so I went with that advice since it was too early for any group tours and instead rented a kayak and paddled around the lake which was a really nice way to spend a few hours. You can ride a bike on the closed portion though be sure to arrive early since with the road being closed means there are few available parking spots. Bike rentals are available but very pricey. The available bikes were e-bikes at just under $150 / day.
MISSOULA. College town and pretty though other than the couple I stayed with, Suzanne and Jon who were awesome, I did not find the people to be very friendly. I took a short hike up to the M and could rarely get a return hello or smile from the others on the trail. Missoula does have a nice downtown and a river walk and some good coffee shops. They are also seeing a rising level of homelessness, I am told due in part to the same rulings in the ninth circuit limiting encampment sweeps in California and other west coast states.
BUTTE. Drove through on my way from Missoula to Bozeman. I had planned to stop but it is not the nicest of places, a bit worse than rough around the edges, so did a drive through instead.
BOZEMAN. I stopped here for dinner on my way to Yellowstone and ate at the outdoor bar at Montana Ale Works. The salad was amazing and the vegetables plentiful and so fresh! They have quality beer as well. I would have spent the night but lodging is very pricey so I grabbed an ice cream at Sweet Peaks (worth the stop) and made my way to Wyoming.