Back down in St. Mary, we hiked the flat and easy Beaver Pond Loop trail across a meadow filled with colorful flowers to the banks of Lake St. Mary. Standing on an isolated gravel beach, we savored fabulous mountain views across windblown waves on the water. At the end of the hike, we came across a little log cabin that park rangers had lived in during the early 1900s. With no roads and no stores in those days, it was a rugged and rustic summertime gig for rangers and their families. A plaque near the cabin told a surprising tale. The first Glacier National Park Ranger, Chauncey (“Chance”) Beebe left his wife and baby in the cabin every day while he went out on his hiking patrol (he preferred hiking to riding his horse through the brush). One day while he was gone, his wife heard something rustling in the attic. Suddenly, she realized a mountain lion had climbed in through the upstairs window. Fortunately, the lion eventually left the house without harming her or the baby. Chance was shocked upon his return to find lion paw prints on the dusty attic floor! Two Medicine Entrance About 35 miles south of St. Mary, the Two Medicine Entrance showed us a completely different aspect of Glacier National Park when we found a collection of colorful canoes on a beach waiting for visitors to take them out for a spin on Two Medicine Lake. Glacier
Park Boat Company rents watercraft of all kinds— canoes, kayaks, rowboats, and motorboats—at all four major lakes in the park. They also offer tours on larger boats, sometimes stopping at remote spots for guided hikes. What a great way to catch some rays and take in world-class alpine scenery. The tiny settlement of Two Medicine is home to an original National Park log building that was built in 1914 to be the dining hall for guests staying at the rustic vacation destination called the Two Medicine Chalets. Today it serves as a camp store, bistro, and tourist boutique gift shop. We wandered into this log cabin after strolling along the beach, and we were surprised to find it has reasonable prices compared to other stores around the park. Not only were they selling tasty lunch fare and bottled microbrew beers, but delicious lattes made by their resident barista. Many Glacier Entrance Much as we loved St. Mary and Two Medicine, we were blown away by the dazzling views and mystical aura of Many Glacier at the northernmost entrance on the east side of the park. The snowmelt runoff from the mountains was intense, and we stopped to listen to the roar of the raging Swiftcurrent Falls on our way in. When we continued on and the magnificent Many Glacier Hotel appeared before us on the
Take time to sit and reflect while visiting Lake McDonald
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE SUMMER 2025 | 26
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