Day 6 – Highline Loop Trail

Mileage: 15.7 miles

Today we moved on to Logan Pass in another area of Glacier National Park, 39 miles by car from Many Glacier.  This day’s hike, the Highline Loop, began there on the Continental Divide.

We could not resist a little silly business by mimicking the trail sign.

Initially, the trail followed the contour of the cliff face high above the Going to the Sun Road, which can be seen in the lower left, below.

Leaving the cliff face behind, our trail  could be seen across the loose rock hillside, with the “Garden Wall” up the hill to our right.

The walking was easy going with far reaching views in all directions.

For most of the afternoon we had an airplane’s view of Lake McDonald where our next lodging was located.

The Fall colors were beautiful along the Garden Wall.

Marmots were very much in evidence and were not shy about having their photos taken.

Our lunch stop was at the Granite Park Chalet which was easily seen long before we reached it.

As we relaxed over lunch we realized we could see Mt. Gould framed by a mountain ridge – we had been on the other side of that ridge looking up at Mt. Gould yesterday!  The Salamander snow patch and Upper Grinnell Lake were just over that ridge which was a 30 minute trail away.  It would have been fun to climb up the ridge and look down upon  yesterday’s trail.  Wish I had taken the time…

Leaving the chalet we soon entered a surreal forest of dead trees from a fire some ten years earlier.  Fall colors were very much in evidence as the shrubbery was exposed to full sun in this unique “forest”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This spectacular hike ended at “The Loop”, a drastic hairpin turn on the Going to the Sun Road, where a park service shuttle picked us up and returned us to Logan Pass.  From Logan Pass we drove down to Lake McDonald and our lodging at The Lake McDonald Lodge Complex.