The Kinsey & Kirk Family Vacation to Glacier National Park

by Christy Kirk

We were very fortunate this summer to take our family trip out west to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Glacier National Park.  We have family that live near Coeur d’Alene so once we made the decision to visit them we quickly realized that we couldn’t be that close to one of the most beautiful national Parks and not go.  So we made the 4.5 hour drive from Coeur d’Alene to Glacier.

We were amazed at the beauty of this park!  It is hard to imagine what this part of the country actually looks like until you see it yourself, pictures just can’t do it justice.  As soon as you enter the park you are surrounded by beautiful snow topped mountains with waterfalls, lakes & streams  My daughters Lorinda 16, Lainee 10 & Gracie 8 were in awe over the turquoise rivers and streams and wanted to stop at every one.    We entered the park through West Glacier and decided we would take Going to the Sun Road through the park to East Glacier and on to the Many Glacier section of the park to make the 10 mile roundtrip hike to Iceberg Lake.  As we were driving on the Going to the Sun Road the views were breathtaking however my daughters were more amazed by all of the Mountain Goats we saw near Logan’s Pass.  At every turn along the Sun Road the scenery became more beautiful.  Once we made it to East Glacier it was a mix of prairie meets mountains and a beautiful view of Saint Mary Lake.

Finally we made our way to the Many Glacier section of the park, equipped with Bear Spray we started our trail to Iceberg Lake.  Within the first 10 minutes, my parents, Ron & Brenda Kinsey, were convinced we were trying to kill them since there is an elevation gain of roughly 185 feet in only a quarter-of-a-mile!  However, they quickly got over that once we all learned that from safe distance we would be able to view a Mama Grizzly bear and her cub.  This was the most exciting part of the trip for my husband!  Along the trail we hiked through gorgeous alpine meadows, dense forest, Ptarmigan Falls and even snow.  My girls loved playing in the snow in July!  Finally, at an elevation of 6094, we reached our destination of Iceberg Lake.  Iceberg Lake is a beautiful crystal-clear Iceberg filled lake surrounded by mountains.

This is an absolutely gorgeous and amazing National Park!  We hope to visit again since it isn’t possible to appreciate all the beauty this park has to offer in just one trip!