Elk Mountain Summit and Coal Creek

Glacier National Park, Montana

After an early drive to Glacier and a crowded backcountry office visit I realized that the Reynolds Creek fire was going to have an impact on my plans for the next few days. I secured a permit for the backcountry for the next night then headed straight to the hardest trailhead to find around the park and went for a climb up to the summit of Elk Mountain. There used to be a fire lookout up on top so there is still a trail going all the way up. A NPS sign at the point where the climbing starts says horse travel not recommended. It is steep most of the way up, but then a bit of a flat section on the shoulder of the mountain allows you catch your breath and enjoy viewing the route up to the top.

Looking into the heart of the park from the summit shows just how rugged it is. This is the part of Glacier that most tourists never see. In the distance you can see a little smoke creeping into view.

Views were so good from up on top that even the little furry critter had to take a look. Sure seemed like he was enjoying the view. In reality it was most likely looking for something to eat or watching out for something higher on the food chain. Either way it kept me company for awhile.

After taking the trail back down I followed Coal Creek several miles to a backcountry campsite then back to the trailhead (In other words I hiked todays trails both directions). Along the way the Lodgepole Pine were just thick. If this valley catches on fire it will really have the fuel to move quickly.

Eventually I did came to the bigger Ole Creek and found some beautiful flowers. I think they are Alpine Fireweed, but might be Dwarf Fireweed. Both look similar and are smaller than the Fireweed I am familiar with.

Just across the road from Glacier is the Lewis and Clark National Forest and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. So I went till I found a good stream for water and called it a night. This was the view I had laying in my sleeping bag as the sun was setting.