Piegan Pass

[DavidM]

Has anyone hiked down from Piegan Pass to Many Glacier recently? We're planning to hike Siyeh Bend to Many Glacier on Sunday but the trail status page has me a little concerned. "7/21/2017 Trail is clear of snow except for a large pile of snow and avalanche debris at the base of Morning Eagle Falls. Some route finding skills may be needed in this area." This will be my first time on that stretch so I'm not sure just how good my route finding skills need to be. Also, are the water crossings anything to be concerned about? I don't know how fast that water is flowing. "Morning Eagle plank bridge is not installed. Stream crossings required upstream of the plank bridge site and at the Grinell Lake broken bridge. The are approx 1 foot deep. per 524 Guillard 7/21/17." We can plan the hike later in our stay if necessary. Thanks!

[llholmes1948]

I wouldn't think this is much of a problem but you should be sure to have a good trail map with you. The question is how easy it will be to pick up the trail again once you get through the debris field. The general direction of the trail should be fairly obvious so I don't think it should be difficult to pick up the trail again. Sometimes there are orange ribbons set out where the trail starts again. You could also check at the Visitors Center at St. Mary and you may be lucky enough to find a ranger who has recently done this hike and is familiar with current conditions.

I will let others comment on the stream crossings as I can't recall much about them.

Hope you have a great trip and will post a report.

Lyman

[DavidM]

Thanks Lyman! I'm hoping the trail around the debris field will be well worn by Sunday. Will definitely check with rangers before hiking. As for the missing plank bridge... a stream crossing can be fun as long as the flow isn't too quick! That's what water shoes and trekking poles are for! We leave tomorrow for 12 glorious days in the park! Trip report will follow!

[llholmes1948]

I don't want to be too nonchalant here but as I recall the trail in this area is clearly headed down the valley so the general direction of the trail is pretty obvious. If this is a crossing across a snowfield hopefully you can follow some other footprints (and hope that they are heading in the right direction). If the trail is not actually discernable across the debris field, you should walk along the eastern (Many Glacier) edge of the debris field and you should discover where the trail emerges from the debris field (and as I said hopefully someone has flagged it with orange tape.

The lower part of the Piegan trail as you approach Many Glacier can have some pretty intense vegetation so you definitely need to find the trail before entering this jungle. Visibility is very limited in this area and I would suggest observing the Park Service's recommendation to make noise on the trail.

When my daughter and I hiked the North Shore trail at Two Medicine early in the season a few years ago the trail had been hit by some pretty bad and wide washouts. In most cases it was quite obvious where the trail started again but I recall there was one wide washout where the trail evidently crossed this washout area at a sharp angle and the trail started again a couple hundred feet from where it ended before the washout. It took us a few minutes to find it but really wasn't much of a problem.

Lyman