May 2023

St. Mary’s River:

Neither of us had been to Glacier National Park and we learned they just opened the St. Mary’s campground. On the way to the east entrance of Glacier, we stopped at the Glacier Family Foods which is in the same building as the Glacier Little Peaks Casino to pick up some groceries. Apparently, there is a casino on every block in Montana and I’m not quite sure why.  I filled up the truck with diesel and met Meg inside. She had fresh corn in the basket.  It’s not corn season in Montana. Seeing me eye up the corn she said, ‘the locals swarmed the box as they brought it out and I had to try it’.  When in Rome…  It was the best corn we’ve had in a long time and to this day we don’t know where it was grown.

Our plan was to complete the upper loop, ‘Going-to-the-Sun Road’, connecting East and West Glacier.  However, we did change strategies based on the small fact an avalanche was impeding the road.

As we arrived at the campground, we decided to reassess our travel options.  There’s no doubt what a beautiful place it was, but things happen and you adjust.

We knew a return trip was necessary and we scouted out the St. Mary River and campsites. What they didn’t say online was, even though the campground was open, the campsites closest to the river were still closed.  We had gorgeous view of the mountains even though we weren’t on the river.

There is fishing access just past the visitor center.  Just go over the bridge and there are four parking spaces on the left.

The river connecting the two lakes was touted as a great fishery.

The river, as expected, was too high to adequately fish.  But it was clear and pristine, and Meg gave it her best effort.  So, we loaded up the dog and backtracked to the main road connecting East and West. And, stopped for more corn…

West Glacier N. Fork Flat River/ Big Creek Campground:

As we entered the west side of the park we stopped at the Apgar Ranger’s Station to verify our camping plans were in order.

They had two tables set up to welcome visitors, provide information on the park, offer advice, and hand out maps to help people make the most of their visit.  We waited our turn in line to verify the campgrounds we researched on-line were indeed open.  They said all of the campgrounds, except for the one right next to them on Lake McDonald, were still closed at the moment.  We had two different camping apps available at the time that said, although not officially open, you could camp on a first come first serve based as long as you paid the appropriate fees.  The Rangers said the apps, one of which the Forestry Department uses, were incorrect and apologized for the misinformation.

With that said, the first campground we were considering was only about twenty miles up the road and only five of those miles were on a dirt road.  So, we decided to take the chance, check out the river and investigate before making our next decision on where to camp for the night.

Turns out the Rangers were incorrect and the internet apps were right; go figure…  As a matter of fact, there was an active camp host and plenty of space available.  Basically, you could pick most any spot on the river without being within 10 camp spots to your closest neighbors.

The river was not fishable, as expected, but it was a beautiful remote spot and we’ll definitely return later in the year.  There is zero cell coverage here, so we pulled out the Starlink, or as Meg refers to it as ‘Dishy’, and started planning our next route.

The next morning we found this Silk Moth resting on our camper.

Quinn’s Hot Springs – ‘Muchwater’ Campground

Meg wanted me to make a joke about the high-flowing river and the name of the campground, but I refuse to do so….

After hiking, fishing and traveling, the hot springs provided a nice way to relax. As a bonus you get a spa shower included with your hot springs pass. Most of the campgrounds in Montana don’t have showers.

It was a good reset to prepare for the remainder of our scouting and camping adventure, but I was ready to catch some fish.