Latitudes with Lucy

Bears are most active at dusk and dawn. The easiest way to spot a bear is by taking a drive through the park at sunrise or sunset. I have frequently seen bears while driving the Going-to-the-Sun-Road alongside Saint Mary Lake or on the road into Many Glacier alongside Lake Sherburne. (Of course, living in Many Glacier means I was in the East side of the park far more often than the West.) On a boat tour with Glacier Park Boat Company, we spotted a bear on the mountainside above Lake Josephine. The guide told me that bears tend to hang out in avalanche chutes where berry bushes grow plentiful, and they saw bears daily on the Many Glacier boat tour that summer.

Moose, like bears, are most active at dusk and dawn. Moose generally hang out around lakes and marshy areas. By far the most popular lake to spot moose is Fishercap Lake, which is hardly a half-mile stroll from the Swiftcurrent Pass trailhead. If Fishercap comes up empty, you could continue down the trail to Red Rock and Bullhead Lakes. Moose are also frequently spotted by hikers in the Two Medicine region of the park. However, you don’t necessarily need to hit the trails to spot a moose. Visitors to Many Glacier Hotel often spot moose on the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake. Grab a cocktail at the Swiss Lounge, and watch sunset on the balcony overlooking the lake.

Bighorn Sheep were as common at Many Glacier Hotel as deer in my backyard in Wisconsin. In May and early June, before the property was bustling with tourists, bighorn sheep would hang around the hotel all day long. They might stand right outside the windows of the Ptarmigan Dining Room while guests ate lunch. However, as the high-season crowds push bighorn sheep deeper into the park, you have to put in a little more effort to see them. Bighorn sheep are typically found at higher elevations than bears and moose. They often roam around Logan Pass, the highest point on the Going-to-the-Sun-Road. Any of the hiking trails at Logan Pass could lead to bighorn sheep.