ALL WORK AND NO PLAY...MANY GLACIER HOTEL AND ICEBERG LAKE HIKE

One of my favorite hikes inside Glacier National Park is the hike to Iceberg Lake which starts in the Many Glacier area. While the Mountainview Hideaway is only eleven miles from the West Entrance, it takes over 2.5 hours to drive the "Going To The Sun Road" to the East Entrance and up to the Trailhead in Many Glacier. We like to be out on the trails by 7 AM so that translates to the alarm clock going off way too EARLY for my taste! We made the decision to spend two nights at the Many Glacier Hotel, which has the most magnificent setting of all the National Park Lodges that we have stayed at! In 2015 the hotel will be celebrating its centennial and they completed all of their renovations within the last couple of years in preparation for it.

Moose in Swiftcurrent Lake looking towards the Many Glacier Hotel.

Amazing views, looking west from the Many Glacier Hotel!

Before getting an early start on the trail up to Iceberg Lake, almost a ten mile day hike, round trip, we spotted this Bull Moose feeding next to the hotel.

Grouse hen with her chick.

There are a lot of grizzly bears and black bears in the Many Glacier area and it's not unusual to see one fairly close to the trail; but seeing this young, brown-colored, black bear actually ON the trail, that was a first!!

The Iceberg Lake hike is a pretty popular one so we do tend to see other people but going really early in the morning, weeds out some of the people; they are hiking in as we are hiking out...

When we arrive at Iceberg Lake, which had the most ice we've ever seen in all of our hikes, we usually take a nice hour long break, soaking up the views, photographing, having a snack and enjoying the entertainment provided by other people!

Dave thought he could stand on the ice sheets as well but had to content himself with standing in the freezing cold lake!

After a long day of hiking, there's something about eating a big huckleberry ice cream cone and soaking in the tub. Then it's off to a nice dinner in the dining room and a little game of Yahtzee...

Watching the sun go down and saying goodbye to another day in paradise...