Day 1 Many Glacier to Granite Park CG.
7.6 miles
2,200' ascent
5,000' to 7,200'
We spent the night in the large campground at Many Glacier. Ate dinner and breakfast at the lodges in the area. We hit the trail around 9:30am. We headed west about 4.5 miles to Swift Current Pass. The pass is a formidable wall with a steep trail cut into the rock face with many switch backs to take you over to the top. Once over the top is was a short hike to the Granite Park Chalet, an inn that is a 7 mile hike from the loop road. We chose to continue another .5 mile to the camp ground and started to setup camp about 4:30pm. The primitive back country campgrounds only have 3-5 tent pads but they have pit toilets, a stream nearby and a kitchen area separate from the tent pad area. They also have established poles so you can easily hoist your food above the reach of any wandering bear. We did see several grizzlies, but they were a mile away, down a valley.
The hikers: Lee, Mat, Curt, Phil, Barry
Above photos show hiking over Swift Current Pass. It was a steep 2,000' elevation gain winding around many switchbacks. As we climbed higher, the views back to Many Glacier and the several lakes we walked past were spectacular.
Granite Park Chalet was built in the 30's. It is now operated as a walk-in lodge with no services. You must carry food and bedding.
The food storage area had a high pole to allow you to hoist your food up high enough to be safe from bears.
This deer stalked our campsite and when we climbed into our tents for the night, she decided to take one of our trekking poles. Probably due to the fact that the soil in the park is mineral poor and the animals are always on the search for salt. Phil, managed to distract the deer and get her to drop his pole.