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Trip Report: Glacier National Park - July 2022
Published November 15, 2022
It had been some time since I last drove through Glacier National Park. Returning to the Going-to-the-Sun Road was just as I remembered it: long, winding, beautiful. I was excited to be back in one of my favorite national parks, this time leading back-to-back photo tours. It was another chance to leave distractions behind and focus solely on two of the better aspects of life, travel and photography. These are the main motivators for why these groups come together, right? And these trips are vehicles for us to pursue these passions with a like-minded group of individuals. Even more, it was one of the best times of the year to be in the park.
Each season offers its own character, but the summer months boast green, lush forests, wildlife, and, especially in July, peaking wildflowers. This was my first time viewing the wildflowers here in full bloom, and it’s safe to say the experience did not disappoint. You get all of this plus the opportunity to see and photograph stormy, moody weather as it's still the wetter season. After three days of re-familiarizing myself with the park I was excited to begin my workshops. On this trip I led both hiking and standard groups. This meant a lot of walking and a vast array of photography locales. A highlight of the hiking-specific tour included accessing some of the harder-to-reach waterfalls, while the standard trip integrated two different boat tours. And both shared a handful of easily accessed spots and pullouts throughout the park; the start of each trip began at Lake McDonald.
Each season offers its own character, but the summer months boast green, lush forests, wildlife, and, especially in July, peaking wildflowers. This was my first time viewing the wildflowers here in full bloom, and it’s safe to say the experience did not disappoint. You get all of this plus the opportunity to see and photograph stormy, moody weather as it's still the wetter season. After three days of re-familiarizing myself with the park I was excited to begin my workshops. On this trip I led both hiking and standard groups. This meant a lot of walking and a vast array of photography locales. A highlight of the hiking-specific tour included accessing some of the harder-to-reach waterfalls, while the standard trip integrated two different boat tours. And both shared a handful of easily accessed spots and pullouts throughout the park; the start of each trip began at Lake McDonald.
The scene of color-plastered rocks sitting just beneath the surface of Lake McDonald with distant peaks in the background may be the most iconic image of the park itself. We began both trips by aiming to recreate this beautiful image. After an initial stop here, each group made their way to Avalanche Gorge.
The hiking-specific group hiked all the way to Avalanche Lake. This is a long, somewhat steep hike that takes you through the forest and along a small river, eventually bleeding into a larger body of water. It’s an expansive lake with snow-laced mountains sitting just above it. The gorge itself comes early in the hike. It’s a beautiful, in-cut stream with pure aqua water sidelined with slick black rock walls. Each of my groups spent hours making images at the gorge and at other pullouts along the trail. During the afternoon of our first day each group photographed at pullouts near the road. Sunset was shot at Big Bend, an overlook near the top of Logan Pass that provides a view overlooking the west side of the park.
The second day of each trip began with sunrise at Many Goose Island overlook on St. Mary’s Lake (think introduction scene of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining). My group on the hiking trip walked down to the edge of the lake while those on the standard tour opted to stay near the top. Both offer incredible views and a unique perspective on the landscape. After sunrise, each group had breakfast before leaving for their respective adventures. The hiker tour walked to St. Mary’s and Virginia waterfalls while the standard group viewed St. Mary’s Lake from a boat (only slightly more luxurious). Both groups photographed the sunset from the beginning of the Hidden Lake trail behind the visitor center at the top of the pass. There was a beautiful display of yellow avalanche lilies set in front of green forests and lit mountains. There are worse places to spend the end of a day!
Day three began at Swiftcurrent Lake for the hiker trip and Two Medicine Lake for the standard trip. These are two of the more picturesque spots in the park, and each feels a bit European in their own way. They offer everything from classic lake and mountain views to blooming, colorful displays of wildflowers. Each is an easy location to spend a lot of time at, so that’s what we did. On this day the hiking tour walked to Grinnell Lake while the standard group took a boat ride across Two Medicine. Each was a fantastic experience in its own right!
The second day of each trip began with sunrise at Many Goose Island overlook on St. Mary’s Lake (think introduction scene of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining). My group on the hiking trip walked down to the edge of the lake while those on the standard tour opted to stay near the top. Both offer incredible views and a unique perspective on the landscape. After sunrise, each group had breakfast before leaving for their respective adventures. The hiker tour walked to St. Mary’s and Virginia waterfalls while the standard group viewed St. Mary’s Lake from a boat (only slightly more luxurious). Both groups photographed the sunset from the beginning of the Hidden Lake trail behind the visitor center at the top of the pass. There was a beautiful display of yellow avalanche lilies set in front of green forests and lit mountains. There are worse places to spend the end of a day!
Day three began at Swiftcurrent Lake for the hiker trip and Two Medicine Lake for the standard trip. These are two of the more picturesque spots in the park, and each feels a bit European in their own way. They offer everything from classic lake and mountain views to blooming, colorful displays of wildflowers. Each is an easy location to spend a lot of time at, so that’s what we did. On this day the hiking tour walked to Grinnell Lake while the standard group took a boat ride across Two Medicine. Each was a fantastic experience in its own right!
One of the main goals for those on my hiker trip was to photograph moose, so we exhausted the latter part of this day in search of wildlife. We didn’t score, but we stayed patient and determined. On the third evening my standard group photographed sunset from a viewpoint on Lower St. Mary’s Lake. It ended up being some of the best lighting on the trip!
The next day the standard group photographed at Swiftcurrent while the hiking group shot a separate locale. After, the standard tour photographed waterfalls near the top of the pass at Weeping Wall and Lunch Creek. For the hikers, we tried our luck at Fishercap for moose sighting, but ended up just missing it. We made the most of our time out there and decided to hike to Red Rock falls. It was a new location for all of us, including myself, and it was well worth it. It’s a definite add to future itineraries. The rest of the day was filled with photographing aesthetic pullouts, along with a mid-afternoon siesta and an editing session. Each tour photographed the sunset at Fishercap Lake, and both were able to capture images of moose feeding and bathing in the lake. It was a special experience for all of us, and the lucky break that my first group needed.
The hiking tour ended their trip with a sunrise session at Two Medicine, and walked to Running Eagle Falls afterwards. It ended up being one of the best sunrises I’ve seen yet! After their respective sunrises, each group enjoyed one last breakfast together before returning to Whitefish.
All-in-all, it was a fantastic two weeks spent in and around Glacier National Park. Each of the groups were able to photograph the park at its best, with both tours seeing wildlife, blooming wildflowers, and incredible post-storm light. Photographing Glacier in the summer is a special experience, and we did our best to capture as much of it as possible.
All-in-all, it was a fantastic two weeks spent in and around Glacier National Park. Each of the groups were able to photograph the park at its best, with both tours seeing wildlife, blooming wildflowers, and incredible post-storm light. Photographing Glacier in the summer is a special experience, and we did our best to capture as much of it as possible.
We offer world-class travel photography
experiences around the world.
Each tour is bundled with lodging, meals, and transportation between workshops included, allowing you to focus on photography instead of the stress of traveling.
experiences around the world.
Each tour is bundled with lodging, meals, and transportation between workshops included, allowing you to focus on photography instead of the stress of traveling.
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"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
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All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLCs - Copyright 2025
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2025
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.