The Pandemic Roadtrip – Day 15 – Up north to Bowman Lake
Alec Sills-TrauschOur final day in Glacier National Park sent the crew 20 miles from the Canadian border to Bowman Lake. Due to the park being closed, we had to shift our plans and areas of interest and this spot, an hour from West Glacier, caught our eye.
For some reason, I had never really thought about this portion of the park, even though it’s quite accessible. This is what we call photographer tunnel vision. Looking back, I’m ecstatic we ended up going because it’s stunning.
On the way up, you pass through the smallest of towns, Polebridge. It’s about the size of two football fields – and they have a delicious array of pastries. We scooped up a ton of huckleberry goodies for the rest of the day.
Bowman Lake
Someone commented on the All Trails hiking app that Bowman Lake looks like Lake Louise without the crowds. We were initially skeptical, but after adventuring throughout it, it’s not a shabby comparison. (Though the bugs are dreadful.)
To get to Bowman Lake, you leave and then reenter the park past Polebridge. After the entrance, we were back on dirt roads, but they weren’t so bad that a low AWD couldn’t make it. Once at the lake, we took the lakeside trail about 3.5 miles out, hoping not to turn a corner and find a hungry grizzly bear waiting for us. The four of us later found out that if we’d gone another half mile or so, we would have been able to see a towering waterfall. Next time, I guess!
The way back, as golden hour approached, blew our freakin’ minds! The lake calmed as beautiful puffy clouds began forming over the mountains, creating one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve ever witnessed.
We grabbed some snacks and brought them back down to the lake (a quarter-mile walk) to enjoy the sunset and take some more photos. The views were grand but we didn’t expect the SWARM of mosquitoes. While the four of us attempted to tough it out, we didn’t last long as it was pretty bad.
To cap off our final night in Glacier, we made dinner in Polebridge just as the sun was setting — around 10 pm. Crazy huh!?!
It was an amazing trip to the Crown Jewel of the Continent, and I can’t wait to go back and properly see the park once COVID has disappeared from our lives.
To Idaho, we goooooo!
Until next time adventurers, take care and be safe.
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