Return to St Mary Falls and Many Glacier Boat Tour
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With my parents in tow, Danny and I revisited St. Mary Falls. This time, we took advantage of the first day of shuttle service (July 1st) and rode to the trailhead. The short hike in is just about a mile, winding through a forest still showing scars from past fires. The waterfall offers a thundering cascade plunging over two tiers into a striking turquoise creek.
St Mary Falls Hike
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We hopped back on the shuttle and cruised to the Jackson Glacier Overlook. This pull-off provides one of the easiest views of a glacier in the park. Jackson Glacier sits high beneath Mount Jackson and covers roughly 250 acres, a reminder of the massive ice fields that once filled these valleys.
After wrapping up along Going-to-the-Sun Road, we drove about 45 minutes over to the Many Glacier section of the park for a 5 PM boat tour. We booked the tickets back in March, and even then the options were limited. The last departure of the day was the only time we could get.
It also happened to be the first day the Many Glacier parking lot was restricted to hotel guests and boat tour passengers, so luckily our tickets got us in without having to fight for a parking spot. With time to spare, we relaxed inside the historic Many Glacier Hotel, built in 1915 by the Great Northern Railway. Its Swiss-style architecture and enormous picture windows overlook Swiftcurrent Lake with Mount Grinnell rising dramatically in the background.
The boat tour turned out to be a two-lake adventure. We started on Swiftcurrent Lake, where we spotted a moose wading in the shallows and happily munching on vegetation. After cruising across the lake, we disembarked for a scenic 15-minute walk to Lake Josephine, where we boarded a second boat and continued our ride deeper into the valley.
Snow still clung to the surrounding peaks, the water was glassy, and the whole ride had that peaceful alpine feel that makes Many Glacier so special. From the lake we could also see Salamander Glacier, giving us our second glacier sighting of the day. And just to top it off, sitting right behind my parents on the boat was a couple from their church back in Georgetown, South Carolina. Small world, even in big mountains.
After all that, we were tired and hungry and just wanted something quick and easy. So we grabbed pizza. Feeling bold (and perhaps a little too trusting), we decided to lean into the local flavor and ordered a huckleberry pizza. I assumed maybe the tomato sauce had some kind of subtle huckleberry twist.
Nope.
What arrived was… different. No tomato sauce in sight. Just a glossy layer of purple huckleberry gelatin topped with chicken, cheese, and bacon. As we lifted the lid of the box, I immediately blurted out, “What have we done!?” I took a bite. It was, at best, edible. Only slightly better than it looked, but still a strong contender for the worst pizza I've ever had. Every time we ran into huckleberry anything after that—which is everywhere in this part of Montana—we all suffered a minor twinge of PTSD.
I feel compelled to relay a special message to our favorite pizza joint back home, Vito’s: we miss you. And in times of adversity, our gratitude and appreciation for you only deepens.
After wrapping up along Going-to-the-Sun Road, we drove about 45 minutes over to the Many Glacier section of the park for a 5 PM boat tour. We booked the tickets back in March, and even then the options were limited. The last departure of the day was the only time we could get.
It also happened to be the first day the Many Glacier parking lot was restricted to hotel guests and boat tour passengers, so luckily our tickets got us in without having to fight for a parking spot. With time to spare, we relaxed inside the historic Many Glacier Hotel, built in 1915 by the Great Northern Railway. Its Swiss-style architecture and enormous picture windows overlook Swiftcurrent Lake with Mount Grinnell rising dramatically in the background.
The boat tour turned out to be a two-lake adventure. We started on Swiftcurrent Lake, where we spotted a moose wading in the shallows and happily munching on vegetation. After cruising across the lake, we disembarked for a scenic 15-minute walk to Lake Josephine, where we boarded a second boat and continued our ride deeper into the valley.
Snow still clung to the surrounding peaks, the water was glassy, and the whole ride had that peaceful alpine feel that makes Many Glacier so special. From the lake we could also see Salamander Glacier, giving us our second glacier sighting of the day. And just to top it off, sitting right behind my parents on the boat was a couple from their church back in Georgetown, South Carolina. Small world, even in big mountains.
After all that, we were tired and hungry and just wanted something quick and easy. So we grabbed pizza. Feeling bold (and perhaps a little too trusting), we decided to lean into the local flavor and ordered a huckleberry pizza. I assumed maybe the tomato sauce had some kind of subtle huckleberry twist.
Nope.
What arrived was… different. No tomato sauce in sight. Just a glossy layer of purple huckleberry gelatin topped with chicken, cheese, and bacon. As we lifted the lid of the box, I immediately blurted out, “What have we done!?” I took a bite. It was, at best, edible. Only slightly better than it looked, but still a strong contender for the worst pizza I've ever had. Every time we ran into huckleberry anything after that—which is everywhere in this part of Montana—we all suffered a minor twinge of PTSD.
I feel compelled to relay a special message to our favorite pizza joint back home, Vito’s: we miss you. And in times of adversity, our gratitude and appreciation for you only deepens.