St. Mary on East Side
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After wrapping up our time in Yellowstone, we started making our way north toward Glacier National Park and broke up the drive with a quick overnight stop in Helena at Devils Elbow Campground. The site sat right along the Missouri River and, while boats buzzed past during the day, things settled down after dark. It was just what we needed, a place to park, regroup, and get one step closer to Glacier. That evening we met up with one of Danny’s old high school friends for dinner, which was an added bonus.
St Mary Lake with dead trees around it
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The next morning, we continued on to the east side of Glacier National Park and set up at St. Mary Campground. After unhooking the camper, we headed out to explore along St. Mary Lake. The drive alone is stunning, with jagged peaks rising above impossibly blue glacial water. We took the short walk to Sun Point, which opens up to a panoramic view of the lake and surrounding mountains. From there we made a few more scenic stops, including the iconic Wild Goose Island Overlook. Wild Goose Island is a tiny patch of land in the middle of St. Mary Lake, perched on top of a 300 foot rock base. While we were taking in the view at Wild Goose Island, we ran into a family we first met in Biloxi back in March at the very beginning of our journey. Small world.
One thing that really stood out as we drove was how many of the trees were completely dead, just gray trunks standing bare. We figured it was the aftermath of a forest fire, and it turns out we were right. Back in 2015, a human caused fire near Reynolds Creek Campground tore through nearly 4,000 acres in this area. Since the fire wasn’t started naturally by lightning, the park fought it aggressively, and by the time it was contained, the firefighting effort had cost over $8 million.
Back at the campground, we met our other campsite occupant, a chunky little ground squirrel with a bright red-orange face. I’d never seen one like that before and had to look it up. Turns out he's a Columbian ground squirrel, and they are quite common around the park.
One thing that really stood out as we drove was how many of the trees were completely dead, just gray trunks standing bare. We figured it was the aftermath of a forest fire, and it turns out we were right. Back in 2015, a human caused fire near Reynolds Creek Campground tore through nearly 4,000 acres in this area. Since the fire wasn’t started naturally by lightning, the park fought it aggressively, and by the time it was contained, the firefighting effort had cost over $8 million.
Back at the campground, we met our other campsite occupant, a chunky little ground squirrel with a bright red-orange face. I’d never seen one like that before and had to look it up. Turns out he's a Columbian ground squirrel, and they are quite common around the park.