After Stanton Lake

After Joyce and I had hiked to Stanton Lake on February 3, we stopped along Hwy 2 at where we had crossed the Flathead River to go to Harrison Lake back in September 2009.  This photo shows Loneman Mountain on the right and the Harrison Lake valley left of center.

We then checked out the Ousel Peak trail head.  Some foot traffic had been on that trail in the snow.  The trail looks doable for a hike another time.   Perhaps not in winter snow as the trail is supposedly 2.55 miles long with a climb of 3837 ft to an elevation of 7157 ft.  Probably a Spring, Summer or Fall hike as the views look good from : someone's May hike.   Though I am really tempted to try it now...   <Later note: Patti and I climbed most way up to the top of Ousel Peak in the snow on March 10, 2010.  I never got around to writing up a blog post about that climb.>

Here is a view of the mountains as we drove along Hwy 2.

Then while driving back to West Glacier, a few miles from town, I noticed a road off to the south.  And it was plowed of snow.  All these times of driving on this highway and I don't remember ever seeing this road, though it is an old road.  We decided to check it out.

As we drove down the road we saw what looked to be a highway department sand pile in an old quarry.  Driving on we met a man walking with a rifle over his shoulder.  We stopped and asked him about the road.  Driving on, after a couple miles total from the highway, we came to an open gate and a No Trespassing sign and a Ryan Field sign. It appeared be private property and we turned around and left.

Back in West Glacier we drove over to the old historic bridge that used to be the Park entrance. On the other side of the bridge is the Boundary Trail.  Again here the snow was packed down so one could hike on the trail using hiking boots.  We checked out the trail head and views from the bridge before leaving.

Back in Columbia Falls...

Plum Creek Plant in Columbia Falls, MT

Stanton Lake

Another post I had written up back in 2010, and then for some unknown reason, didn't post until now.


Wednesday, February 3, 2010, Joyce and I hiked to Stanton Lake, which is located in the Great Bear Wilderness.

The Stanton Lake trail head is located 15 miles east of West Glacier, MT, along Hwy 2 and just east of the Stanton Lake Lodge.

The distance to the foot of Stanton Lake is about 1.2 miles, and to the head of the lake, two miles.

The elevation change is not much at 250 feet.  However the elevation gain is all at once near the beginning so this rules out cross country skiing on this trail for the average skier.

Joyce and I hadn't been on this trail before and didn't know what to expect so we brought our skis, snowshoes and hiking boots. The snow had been packed down by foot traffic so snowshoes weren't necessary.

Joyce didn't have yak-traks along so she used her snowshoes on the way back down the hill to keep from slipping on the hard packed snow.  I brought my snowshoes along but once again never used them.

Joyce mainly carried her snowshoes in her hands but for part of the way she tucked them in her coat.

It was extremely quiet the entire hike.  The only sound we heard was several times when we briefly heard birds.

Once at the lake we could see beyond to Great Northern Mountain.

 

 

We walked to the far end of Stanton Lake. This is the view back towards Hwy 2 and mountains in Glacier Park.

Just beyond the lake we could see a mountain to the SW with a clear avalanche chute.

After visiting Stanton Lake we checked out the side trail to Grant Ridge.  This side trail crossed over a large beaver dam at the foot of the Stanton Lake.

Once across, we followed tracks along the lake shore, and other than a few exploratory checks up in the trees, we never followed the Grant Ridge trail.  I had never been on this trail so we decided not to try to find it under the snow.