Glacier National Park

Hiking in Glacier National Park, Montana

We hiked over 54 miles in Kootenay National Park and Banff National Park in September 2016. You can read about the Kootenay and Banff National Park portion of the trip here. The second portion of our trip was spent in Glacier National Park in Montana. This was our second time in Glacier National Park. We were there for the first time in 2013 and hiked over 60 miles. Read about our first trip here.

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Glacier National Park in Montana

Day 6 (Friday 9/9)

After hiking Moraine Lake/Larch Valley/Sentinel Pass in Banff National Park, Canada (a 10 (+) mile hike) and eating lunch, we drove through Canada to East Glacier, Montana. We were starving and we were so happy to find out that one of our favorite restaurants from the last time we visited Glacier was still open! We ate at Luna’s and had a great Greek salad and huckleberry pie. After eating we checked into our awesome rental and went to sleep!

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Day 7 (Saturday 9/10)

• Ptarmigan Tunnel/Iceberg Lake
• Glacier National Park
• 15 miles

Hiking Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana

For our first hike in Glacier National Park, we woke up early to hike Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake. Both are absolutely gorgeous hikes. We went to Ptarmigan Tunnel first and only saw a few other people. The trail was pretty steady (but steep!) until you reach the lake below the switchbacks. Once at the lake it is switchback after switchback and a very steep climb up. Once through the tunnel, it was like a completely new world and the views were magnificent. I loved the different colors of rocks.

Hiking Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana

Hiking Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana

Hiking Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana

After going back down part of the Ptarmigan Tunnel trail we arrived at the intersection of the trail that goes to Iceberg Lake. This trail was very, very crowded but I'm glad we didn't turn around because the hike to Iceburg Lake and the actual lake was breathtaking.

Hiking Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana

Hiking Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana

Hiking Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana

After the 15 mile hike, we met up my with my cousin and his wife who just happened to be in Glacier at the same time. This is actually my cousin that we lived with for five weeks while we were in between houses. We ate at the Many Glacier Hotel Restaurant. We also tried a Huckleberry Margarita! After leaving dinner and heading back to our cabin we stopped for a Huckleberry Milkshake. Can you tell we are obsessed with huckleberry when we go to Montana?!

Dinner at Many Glacier Hotel Restaurant in Glacier National Park, Montana

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Day 8 (Sunday 9/11)

• No hiking/rest day/travel day

When we woke up Sunday morning to head to Whitefish it was raining so we ended up leaving early around 8 AM. Our plan was to take Going to the Sun Road but it was snowing and they closed the road. Yes, snowing in September...enough to close the road. Once we got to the Whitefish side the sun was shining and it looked like it would be a pretty day. The weather fooled us though because once we got to our AirBNB rental and went to the grocery store it was dark and rainy. We took that as a sign that we should have an off day so we just walked around the town in the rain, ate lunch and then just relaxed at the townhouse.

Lunch: Loula's

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Day 9 (Monday 9/12)

• Numa Ridge Lookout Trail
• Glacier National Park
• 11.5 miles (3000 ft)

We were so excited to get to go to our favorite place again! We went to the Polebridge side of Glacier, which is much less crowded than any other part of the park. It could be best described as an old school type general store but we go there for the bakery. We stopped in to get a few bear claws, for pre and post hiking nutrition (of course) and then headed to the trailhead for the Numa Ridge Lookout Trail which started at Bowman Lake. The views from the top were magnificent but the actual trail to the top became kind of boring because you were basically in a forest for most of the trail. We actually contemplated turning around a few times. It was definitely great at the top but I don't think we would do the same hike again.

Hiking Numa Ridge Lookout Trail in Glacier National Park, Montana

Hiking Numa Ridge Lookout Trail in Glacier National Park, Montana

Hiking Numa Ridge Lookout Trail in Glacier National Park, Montana

Hiking in Glacier National Park, Montana

The Polebridge Mercantile and Bakery in Montana

The Polebridge Mercantile and Bakery in Montana

• Hidden Meadow
• Glacier National Park
• 3.0 miles (200 ft)

After the Numa Ridge Lookout, we did a short hike to Hidden Meadow. For some reason on this hike we were aware of every single noise and every single noise sounded like a bear so we ran most of the trail. It was a gorgeous meadow once the trail opened up. We even saw two white swans swimming.

Going to the Sun Road was still closed so we headed back to Whitefish to eat dinner at Piggyback BBQ.

Hiking Hidden Meadow in Glacier National Park, Montana

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Day 10 (Tuesday 9/13)

• Sprague Lake
• Glacier National Park

Going to the Sun Road was still closed so we ended up doing a short hike to Sprague Lake on the portion of the road that was still open. It was an okay hike but definitely not one of our favorites.

Big horn sheep on Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana

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Day 11 (Wednesday 9/14)

• Trail of the Cedars
• Glacier National Park
• 1 mile (60 feet)

We actually had a hike planned for outside the park but once we got on the road, we decided to head for the park. We didn’t plan very well though and ended up only doing Trail of the Cedars. We didn’t have time to go all the way to Avalanche Lake, but we were able to do it on our last trip. It was soooooo cold and windy so I'm glad we didn't hike very long. After leaving the park we drove to Hungry Horse Dam after getting some advice from a park ranger.

Hiking Avalanche Lake and Trail of the Cedars in Glacier National Park, Montana

After riding around at the dam for awhile, we went back to Whitefish for lunch (at Loula's again) and walked around town.

That afternoon Scott played golf at Whitefish Lake Golf Course and I walked the course because I had nothing else to do. ;-) After golf we got Piggyback BBQ again, but this time we ordred it to-go.

Whitefish Lake Golf Club in Whitefish, Montana

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Day 12 (Thursday 9/15)

• Siyeh Pass & Piegan Pass
• Glacier National Park
• 13.08 miles/12.9 miles

Going to the Sun Road was FINALLY open so we *thought* we would be able to do our scheduled hike and we tried...We woke up at 5 am to hike Siyeh Pass. We hiked all the way up to Siyeh Pass and at about 3/4 of the way up we turned around. The switchbacks were covered in snow and ICE and it was taking us forever to really go nowhere. I was scared and kept sliding all over the place. We were bummed to turn around so close to the top but it was the best and safest option. We decided to do Piegan Pass since we were already close by (and we wanted to do both anyway). We backtracked and went back to the fork in the trail and took the path to Piegan this time. The views from Piegan were unbelievable. I couldn't find any pictures from Siyeh so I guess we didn't take any since we were so cold!

Dinner: Pizza at Mackenzie River Pizza Co

Hiking to Siyeh Pass & Piegan Pass in Glacier National Park, Montana

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Day 13 (Friday 9/16)

• Mount Aeneas in the Jewel Basin
• 6 miles (1,700 ft)

Friday was our last day. Our flight left that afternoon so we decided we would try to squeeze in one last hike before departing. We didn't have time to go back into the park so we researched some areas outside of the park and ventured into the Jewel Basin. The hike we did was Mount Aganeas outside of Glacier in Jewel Basin, Montana. It was a gorgeous hike, worthy of National Park status. It was a 6-mile hike and by the time we finished we didn't have time to grab lunch so we headed straight to the airport. Good thing we had eaten leftover pizza for breakfast.

Crazy thing is once we were on the plane a couple from our gym were on the same plane as us, what are the chances?!

Hiking Hiking Mount Aeneas in the Jewel Basin, Montana

Hiking Mount Aeneas in the Jewel Basin, Montana

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Just for fun, this is a video I put together of the funny things Scott said on some of our hikes in Glacier National Park. Enjoy. :)

Hiking Glacier National Park in Montana

Life is Short Make it Count. #17

Well, these are quickly turning into monthly updates but I'm okay with that because I'm all about not stressing myself out over the small things. :)

I'll try to pick up here I left off in this one...For the July 4th holiday, we just stayed at home. We were going to go to the mountains/lake but the weather wasn't so great so we stayed put. On Saturday Scott's mom, sister, brother in law, niece, and nephew came over for a big fireworks show in our neighborhood. The rain delayed the show a little bit but we still had a great time! Some of Scott's co-workers also came over so we had a full house. Sunday through Tuesday we just got some stuff done around the house and went to the pool for a few hours. We met a lot of people on our street so I'm glad we decided to stay home.

They had food trucks for the fireworks show and we actually ended up eating twice because we were there so long and we were still hungry! I ordered the chicken fajita tacos and Scott ordered BBQ. A few hours later we split an order of BBQ nachos (not pictured but delicious!). We also tried out this canned wine we found at Trader Joes a few weeks ago and it was actaully really good!

We had friends over on Sunday and grilled out. We made the usual: lean mean cheeseburgers (with bison), zesty grilled chicken, sweet-sweet potato cubes, and brussels sprouts (recipe coming soon!).

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We have only been hiking once since our last update (on June 30). It's just toooooo hot down here now. We did Blood Mountain again. We had actually planned to go to the Smokies but we didn't wake up in time. We default to Blood Mountain because it's only an hour from our house and it's the highest peak on the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail. Fun fact: my dad, who is in his 60s and has had triple bypass heart surgery, hiked over 1,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail!

Hiking Blood Mountain on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia

About a week ago the camera on my phone just quit working. I didn't drop it, get water in it or anything but every time I tried to take a picture it was very blurry and shaky. It worked on selfie mode but I actually hate selfies so I never use that anyway! I was finally able to get it fixed last week. I lost everything on my phone (most of the pictures I was able to save). I'm not the kind of person who freaks out about my phone so it honestly didn't bother me that much. Many of the pictures I was able to save were from our hiking trip last fall and I JUST posted the recap of the first part of our trip...I am just a little late! Here is the link to read more about our hiking adventures in Kootenay and Banff National Parks. I also messed up our He and She Eat Clean email somehow so if you've emailed us and you are waiting on a response, I'm sorry! I combined H&S email with my personal email and it's just a HUGE mess right now!

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Last weekend we were in Florida for a family reunion for Scott's family. We arrived late Thursday night because we left after Scott got off work and we were only there through Sunday. We had an awesome weekend between the resort, beach, pools, the guys playing golf, and just hanging out with family. Full disclosure that Marriott Sawgrass put Scott and me up for free. This was the same resort that we went to last year with his family.

I will do a full trip recap/review soon but below is a picture that I posted a few days ago on Instagram and Facebook, with the same caption I used.

At first I didn't want to post this but it's the only picture we took together. We just got back (at 4 am this morning to be exact) from a very short 2-day trip to the beach for a family reunion. - We didn't do any "extra" workouts just because we were going to the beach. - We didn't live in a box for 4 weeks before and only eat fish & veggies - We didn't spend every moment before going worrying about getting a "beach body"

Have we been leaner? Yes. Could we have "leaned out" for this trip if we wanted? Yes. Could we have "forgotten" our swimsuits so we could avoid the beach altogether? Yes.

But what exactly does that add to our lives? A few pics with abs popping on the beach?! It's not worth it to us. We have a healthy balance of working out & eating a healthy diet. We also skip workouts and eat pizza & ice cream occasionally.

I love the beach because there are so many different body types there. You might be self-conscious but honestly, no one is really paying attention & if they do have a problem with you, it's really a problem they have internally. Don't be the person who wears pants & long sleeves for fear of their body (I know there are some medical reasons one might have to do this). Definitely don't be the one who skips trips completely because you aren't comfortable with your body.

Your life is RIGHT NOW - not next month, year, or next "swimsuit season" when you have the "perfect body". From experience I can say that it doesn't matter how little the number is on your clothing or how small the number is on the scale, you will STILL pick yourself apart. Be free & start living today. 

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Until next week, have a good one! Let us know if you ever have any questions or comments! I've loved hearing from you about the updates! Click here to read all of our updates.

Our Top 5 Tips for Visiting National Parks

Top 5 Tips for Visiting National Parks | He and She Eat Clean

We've had a lot of experience visiting our National Parks and we often receive questions regarding tips on hiking trails and where to stay. You can read a lot of our hiking recaps here (I'm really behind on these...like years behind!) but we also wanted to share some of our tips about making the most of your trip.

National Parks are there for us to enjoy but it's also up to us to keep them clean. Have fun on your trip but please educate yourself (and those traveling with you!) on the Leave No Trace Principles!

Our Top 5 Tips for Visiting National Parks

1. Arrive early.

All year, but especially during the busy season, the lines at the entrance station can back up for miles. If you would rather spend your vacation in the park instead of sitting in traffic at an entrance station, we recommend getting there early. Early as in by 9 AM at the latest. If you want to sleep in and leisurely eat breakfast or go out to eat for breakfast be prepared to spend a lot of time in traffic. Not only does traffic back up at the entrance stations but the parking lots also fill up and the trails become crowded.

2. Travel in the off-season.

While this may not be possible for some people, it won't hurt to take your child out of school for a few days or a week. Perfect attendance in school isn't that big of a deal and I bet they will learn a lot while in the park! Now I may have made a lot of people mad, but that's the truth. If your child's school seems to have the same schedule as all the other schools consider taking them out of school for a National Park trip. If you absolutely can't do that, travel at the very beginning or very end of the summer break when some schools may not be out yet or may have started school again. If you don't have children, look up the busiest times at the park you are interested in and do everything you can to avoid those.

3. Pack your own lunch and/or snacks.

We've shared many of our money saving tips before and this is always at the top of the list. Not only will this save you a ton of money but it will also save you a ton of time. Eat breakfast in your room before you leave and pack your lunch to eat on your hike or just at a scenic spot. That way you can spend more time in the park enjoying nature instead of waiting for a table. Use dinner or an off-day to explore the restaurants around.

4. Plan your visit before you arrive but be willing to change plans.

Since many of us plan these trips months (and sometimes years!) in advance it's best to have a general idea of where you want to go and what you want to see. However, there are many unpredictable things that come up like weather, road closures, etc. Be flexible with your schedule! One day while we were in Yosemite National Park we planned on climbing Mount Dana to warm up for Mount Whitney (you can read about Mount Whitney here) but there was a bike race on the highway and traffic was barely moving. We decided to not go into the park that day. At first we were really upset and mad but when we got back to the condo I started looking at books they had there and found a local hike near Mammoth for us to do. It ended up being one of our absolute favorites and it wasn't even in the park!

5. Stay close to the park and take advantage of websites like Airbnb.

I use the word "close" loosely here. We've stayed about an hour away from many National Parks and just drive in each day. A lot of the parks we visit are very remote so there's not much around. If you want to stay inside the park you have to book pretty far in advance and it's really expensive. I've only stayed inside one park, Grand Canyon National Park, when I went with my sister and cousin before I really started hiking. Typically, we book through AirBNB or a similar website.

What additional tips would you add to this list?

Our Top 5 Tips for Visiting National Parks