Scheming other car-free adventures

It may be hard to believe if you only know me through this blog, but lately I’ve been fixated on planning an adventure that doesn’t involve biking. That’s right. I’m scheming a trip where I purposely leave my bike behind.

Like last year, I’ll have some time off in September. And instead of taking an epic bike trip like my 2012 excursion to South Lake Tahoe, I’m instead hoping to backpack the heck out of Glacier National Park.

Yes. Getting to Glacier, all the way in Montana, can be a car-free adventure. Amtrak has two stations that serve the park, one on the west side and one on the east, and there are even shuttles to get you in between (the main shuttle ends after Labor Day, but luckily for me the east side still has a private shuttle through September).

So I can grab my backpack, hop on a train in Portland and get off in Montana ready to hit the trails. Sweet!

Despite the lack of biking involved, I’m getting super psyched for a long trip through the Glacier backcountry. Just me and my backpack and my hiking shoes: the other car-free adventure:)

 

If you have any Glacier recommendations, by the way, I’d love to hear them. I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at maps and natural history guides, but I’ve only ever driven through the park on the way home. Let me know if there’s anything I should be sure not to miss! :)

2 Comments:

  1. I’m a big fan of the Two Medicine Lake on the east side of the park, fairly close to East Glacier Village. It’s not on Going-To-The-Sun Road, so it’s “off the beaten path” as far as Glacier is concerned.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/5941111820/in/set-72157626947821176

    Also, the HI Hostel in East Glacier (Brownies) should still be open then.

    • Woah dude. James and I backpacked around Two Medicine Lake as per your recommendation and it was phenomenal. Especially since this was near the end of the season (i.e. most things were shut down) so there was practically no one there. SO RAD.

      Thanks for the thought! :)

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