Escaping the Great Falls 4th of July "war zone" with Waterton, Glacier getaway

Katie on the Lee Ridge with Chief Mountain dominating the background

We found Wood Lilies just outside Waterton Park

This black bear on the Otokomi trail in Glacier Park shortened our day hike

The St. Mary Lake shoreline in Glaicer on Red Eagle Trail

It is prime wildflower season in Glacier and Waterton parks

 The Great Falls fireworks scene is so intense during the 4th of July weekend that some folks call the city a "war zone."

It is for this reason, when we can, we travel to Canada to escape the noise.  Wish we could take the cats, who undoubtedly suffer.

Our usual destination is Waterton National Park.  Along the way we hit off-the-beaten path trails in Glacier Park to avoid the massive crowds there.

Our Glacier Park main trail this year was Lee Ridge, about a half mile south of the Chief Mountain border station.  My object was to give Katie a look at this lovely ridge that offers expansive views of Chief, Yellow, and Gable mountains to the south, and the secluded Belly River country, including the 10,000 feet Merritt and Cleveland peaks, Cleveland being the highest peak in the park.

The hike can be a grind through thick, insect-laden vegetation for nearly 5 miles before breaking out into the open for those grand views at the foot of Gable Mountain.

We were treated to a large variety of wildflowers along the way.

In Waterton we relaxed at the Bear Motel at the foot of Crandall Peak, my favorite the park for its colorful recumbent folds and limestone cliffs.  A dramatic rainstorm-turned-gully-washer has knocked out the Akamina Parkway and access to the park's most popular backcountry trails.  So we concentrated on the more open lowlands of the Red Rocks Parkway and did a nice day hike into Crandall Lake.  It was swamped with tons of hikers, particularly little kids who played in the lake.  We also took a walk around Linnet Lake, near the downtown.

We had hoped for a show of wildflowers, particularly lupine, but were somewhat disappointed by the bloom.

On the way out of the park I spotted a good size elk herd in the grass.

It is terrific to have Chief Mountain Border Station open again after it had been closed for the past three years because of COVID.  It means quick passage into the park.

We noticed that the numbers of folks in Waterton seemed sparse by comparison to Glacier, which is overrun by tourists.

The closure of the main street in Waterton has made for a delightful walking mall.

On the way home we decided to stop at St. Mary's and try the Otokomi Lake trail.  We turned back at about two-thirds of a mile, though, when we encountered a black bear contentedly grazing right off the trail.  It moved toward us for a look and then we back to its food.  We didn't want to chance any encountered and aborted the hike.

We turned back and headed for the Red Eagle Trail and enjoyed a short hike and a St. Mary Lake shoreline lunch stop.

My eyes tell me the park's new reservation system appears to be limiting the number of folks in the park itself, although the entrances to St. Mary, Two Med, and Many, are packed with cars.

The road improvements to straighten curves on U.S. 89 between St. Mary and Browning have made the travel there much improved.