A Whole Summer in Glacier - 2022

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Ear Mountain
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Re: A Whole Summer in Glacier - 2022

Post by Ear Mountain »

Jay w wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:58 am...I was going to hike on the east side of St. Mary to Silver Dollar beach, I think that's the name. We started up near Virginia Falls and the vegetation was so high and thick that I couldn't see the trail. Also, a bear could be 3 feet away and you wouldn't see it. It spooked me so bad we didn't continue. We made it maybe a 1/2 mile. It looked as if the trail was originally quite wide which makes sense since it was a major trail. If you haven't hiked this trail, I'm not sure you missed much.
I hiked from the Saint Mary Falls trailhead around the lake, past Virginia Falls and all the way to Saint Mary this past summer. The trail had been cleared but there were many brushy spots as Jay w noted. I too wanted to enjoy lunch on Silver Dollar beach as it is a beautiful spot. I've never been there but saw some photos of a wedding there once. Unfortunately the trail passes fairly high above the beach and the brush was so thick with downfall below the trail that I wasn't inclined to fight it to reach the beach. Maybe I missed something there, don't know. In any case I think the trail on the south side of Saint Mary Lark is quite nice. There are numerous open sections which provide a unique view of the Saint Mary Valley and up into the valleys on the north side of the lake. If I learn any more about a decent way to access to Silver Dollar Beach other than by boat I will do the hike again.
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Re: A Whole Summer in Glacier - 2022

Post by paul »

Jay w wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:58 am
-I was going to hike on the east side of St. Mary to Silver Dollar beach, I think that's the name. We started up near Virginia Falls and the vegetation was so high and thick that I couldn't see the trail. Also, a bear could be 3 feet away and you wouldn't see it. It spooked me so bad we didn't continue. We made it maybe a 1/2 mile.
Jay
Large sections of the trail backpacking from Mokawannis lake drainage to Waterton Lake were completely overgrown. I had to push vegetation away as I hiked and got lots of scratches on my arms to show for it. I couldn't stop feeling like I was going walk straight into a bear at some point. There were quite a few bear scat droppings along the way as well. I think the park service has been neglecting the trail clearing this summer because of funding.
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Re: A Whole Summer in Glacier - 2022

Post by al_in_al »

tibber wrote: Sun Oct 30, 2022 9:46 pm In Nov 2010, my friends and I were gathered at the bar above the Grand Canyon South Rim and one of our fellow backpackers had just joined us before taking off her pack. She said someone had just asked her if her water tube was for oxygen :lol: . She told a much better story as you can see from the reaction in the picture.
Ha! That's one I've never heard before. I looked at the picture and was trying to place the location before I read your comment. I had a beer at that bar with my pack after finishing my R2R, while waiting for my room to be ready - but I don't remember getting asked any interesting questions.
Jay w wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:58 am -Early in the season, instead of crossing the Iceberg outlet stream, (with Pete) we hiked along Ptarmegan wall (other side of the small lake) and then along the lake to get to the "normal" lake spot. I've waded across that stream in June and it moves fast! It was a stupid thing to do, but I was able to jump across going up but could jump far enough to jump across going home.
That's what I did on my first visit to the lake, because there was a well-worn path over the snow in that direction - the actual trail was harder to find because so many people were avoiding the outlet stream. Eventually, the rangers staked the correct route. Of course, I warned visitors asking about Iceberg Lake that the seasonal bridge wasn't in, route finding necessary, be prepared to wade, etc., etc.

Oh - that reminded me - before the seasonal bridge was in right before Bullhead Lake, people were using the bridge WIRES to cross the stream there. I overheard guests telling people "Oh, it's so cool, there is a WIRE "rope" bridge you cross to get to the lake." :shock: So many people were doing this, the rangers had to TAKE DOWN the wires!
Ear Mountain wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 9:12 am I hiked from the Saint Mary Falls trailhead around the lake, past Virginia Falls and all the way to Saint Mary this past summer. The trail had been cleared but there were many brushy spots as Jay w noted. I too wanted to enjoy lunch on Silver Dollar beach as it is a beautiful spot. I've never been there but saw some photos of a wedding there once. Unfortunately the trail passes fairly high above the beach and the brush was so thick with downfall below the trail that I wasn't inclined to fight it to reach the beach. Maybe I missed something there, don't know. In any case I think the trail on the south side of Saint Mary Lark is quite nice. There are numerous open sections which provide a unique view of the Saint Mary Valley and up into the valleys on the north side of the lake. If I learn any more about a decent way to access to Silver Dollar Beach other than by boat I will do the hike again.
I am interested in the different perspective across the lake, and seeing if there are closer views of the seasonal waterfalls. If there's not an obvious trail to the beach, I'd probably give it a pass, too.
paul wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 9:44 pm Large sections of the trail backpacking from Mokawannis lake drainage to Waterton Lake were completely overgrown. I had to push vegetation away as I hiked and got lots of scratches on my arms to show for it. I couldn't stop feeling like I was going walk straight into a bear at some point. There were quite a few bear scat droppings along the way as well. I think the park service has been neglecting the trail clearing this summer because of funding.
I did see trail clearing on some popular trails this summer (they did a lot of work on Swiftcurrent - which was getting pretty overgrown - and Iceberg). But perhaps they didn't make it to more remote trails.
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Re: A Whole Summer in Glacier - 2022

Post by teapot57 »

I’ve never been there, but from Google Earth this looks like a trail to Silver Dollar Beach.

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Re: A Whole Summer in Glacier - 2022

Post by Ear Mountain »

Look like I'll be heading back that way next summer! Thanks.
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Re: A Whole Summer in Glacier - 2022

Post by wnysteve »

teapot57 wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 1:47 pm I’ve never been there, but from Google Earth this looks like a trail to Silver Dollar Beach.
I hiked the "Many Falls Trail" fourteen years ago and the trail goes right above Silver Dollar Beach. I did not go down to the beach but I got a good view. There was a pile of weathered lumber stacked down there. I guessed that it was from the demolition of Louie Hill's cabin but I realized that was a long time in the past, so have never been sure why the lumber was there. Maybe somebody here knows for sure?
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Re: A Whole Summer in Glacier - 2022

Post by Ear Mountain »

wnysteve wrote: Sat Nov 12, 2022 11:53 am...I hiked the "Many Falls Trail" fourteen years ago and the trail goes right above Silver Dollar Beach. I did not go down to the beach but I got a good view. There was a pile of weathered lumber stacked down there. I guessed that it was from the demolition of Louie Hill's cabin but I realized that was a long time in the past, so have never been sure why the lumber was there. Maybe somebody here knows for sure?
Louie Hill's cabin was not at or near Silver Dollar Beach. His cabin was further up the lake. You can see the point of land from Going-to-the-Sun Point.
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Re: A Whole Summer in Glacier - 2022

Post by tibber »

Ear Mountain wrote: Sat Nov 12, 2022 2:44 pm
wnysteve wrote: Sat Nov 12, 2022 11:53 am...I hiked the "Many Falls Trail" fourteen years ago and the trail goes right above Silver Dollar Beach. I did not go down to the beach but I got a good view. There was a pile of weathered lumber stacked down there. I guessed that it was from the demolition of Louie Hill's cabin but I realized that was a long time in the past, so have never been sure why the lumber was there. Maybe somebody here knows for sure?
Louie Hill's cabin was not at or near Silver Dollar Beach. His cabin was further up the lake. You can see the point of land from Going-to-the-Sun Point.
wnysteve wrote: Sat Nov 12, 2022 11:53 am
teapot57 wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 1:47 pm I’ve never been there, but from Google Earth this looks like a trail to Silver Dollar Beach.
I hiked the "Many Falls Trail" fourteen years ago and the trail goes right above Silver Dollar Beach. I did not go down to the beach but I got a good view. There was a pile of weathered lumber stacked down there. I guessed that it was from the demolition of Louie Hill's cabin but I realized that was a long time in the past, so have never been sure why the lumber was there. Maybe somebody here knows for sure?
Here is a Google earth view of what I call the Peninsula... you can see the cabin ruins:
Image
and here is a pic of the ruins I got when taking the St Mary cruise this summer:
Image
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