I’m planning on starting the CDT June 14th and am hoping to begin at Waterton Park and go south via the highline trail. I guess my question is . . . do ya think the park people will let me do this if I show up with crampons, and an ice axe? Or would I be better off starting at the chief mtn trailhead.
P.S. Anyone else starting around then thinkin’ of going via Waterton???
lost
My husband and I will be in East Glacier sometime on the 13th. We want to start hiking on the 15th or 16th, and we are hoping to do the Highline Route, too.
Not Yet
Think Chief Mountain however, you could possibly start in Waterton and bypass the highline Trail (IMO). Call the park folks and ask if it’s possible. I noticed that the route around is on Johnathan Ley’s maps. Good luck, WB
WB
I hear there’s not much snow this year so it should be ok. Visa related good times put me at Chief Mountain on the 16th/17th.
Heaps
Mid-June 2003 I hiked from East Glacier over to 2 Medicine to get a permit (I was quite glad I had partial crampons (Austria Alpin type) for the iced up afternoon traverse on the way. I was refused a permit due to the campsites being partially snowed, I think the term was they were "melting out". Of course the bridges were also not put in yet which necessitates some fords. Also, bear activity affects whether you can use some walk-in campsites. In July, you have the problem of short-timers taking up all the campsites, especially near the "goingtosunroad"... so in 2004 they gave me a 11 mile day then a 27 mile day & I ended up bivouacking along the lakeshore somewhere cuz of course I couldn't make it so far at the start of my hike! Good news is you don't need alot of food since the park "towns" have good restaurants, backpack food in the stores, & beer! The Park "camptowns" also have hiker-biker sites so no prob staying there usually: except they are the farthest sites from the store/restaurant! I started at Chief cuz one of our party had border problems & I really didn't want to start out with alot of snow traverse... I started in July after hiking north from the Butte area which was already a flip-flop; then the rangers couldn't permit me from 2-med to Canada, so I had to flip-flop the park as well! Sposedly, you should have a permit for the 2-med to E.Glacier portion crossing Blackfoot land, but all the folks in EG looked at me like I was crazy trying to buy such a thing... the price will be incorporated in your permit if you are southbound (however, I had already dayhiked over to 2-med, both in 2003 & 2004 so only had to get a permit from chief mtn to 2-med; after hiking south from Chief, I then took one of the antique park buses for a few bucks back to E.glacier, stayed at Serrano's hostel/MX restaurant, & headed south along the ridiculously overgrown Autumn Creek trail. I bushwhacked a shortcut southbound cuz I was tired of the AC trail machete special, but it wasn't ez cuz I was off my maps!
gingerbreadman
They should give you a permit even if the campsites are snowbound. sheesh… unless something has changed. You’ll need a bear can, which they’ll also give you (or at least they used to). We got a permit for 50-mountain and it was covered in snow.
Many of the rangers simply default to “no” if conditions are not ideal. They’ll tell you “trail isn’t logged-out yet, you shouldn’t go”. they’ll tell you “there’s snow, it’s dangerous”. they’ll tell you lots of stuff. I believe the only reason they’ll close a campsite is because of “problem bears”.
If you take the highline route, I think you shouldn’t have to deal with stream crossings. The only big bridge I can remember was near St. Marys, and big suspension bridge that was all-year.
Jonathan
As you will notice, I did not say I couldn't camp if snowbound, but that the sites were melting out or perhaps half-snowbound: CALL THE PARK & ASK BEFORE YOU GO!!! I didn't need a bear can because there were roped-poles at the campgrounds; but when I had to stealth, I tied my Ursack to a tree. The one lucky thing for SBers starting in mid to late June: by early July, the Bob wilderness should be partly or fully cleared of logs... I had to climb over or go around hundreds from Flathead ford to the China Wall if I member right. Which reminds me; I was NBd on the Autumn creek & I remember being glad I shortcutted it & surprised that the A creek trailhead was completely unmarked: (one of the few times SBers have it worse than NBers), there was several roads to choose from & being the start of the CDt south of the park, it surprised me.
gingerbreadman
to me if you cant do the proper route, waterton, then you have started too soon. As a CDT thru-hiker I can say with certainty that the Glacier Park is the best of the entire trail. Those who start early and walk the road should have started in New Mexico.
dog
I hiked the CDT between Chief Mountain and Butte, MT in late July and early August. The Glacier National Park rangers instructed backpackers to hang their food in bear bags. I was the only person taking a bear canister. They told me to hang the bear canister inside a bear bag, too, but I never did.
Thought Criminal