East Side Update, February 2019 Edition

Have you ever been in the midst of a marvelous summer day on the east side of Glacier Park, perhaps reveling in post-hike glory with a Huckleberry Margarita at Two Sisters or one of Jake’s fancy cocktails at the Cattle Baron or a very nicely appointed Bloody Mary at Duck Lake Lodge or a local draft at Rising Sun Pizza….or whatever you like to do after a long, epic day on the trail…. and wondered what this place looks like around February?

Well, here’s a peek at the scenery around the St. Mary area this week.

(NOTE: If you are viewing these galleries on your mobile device, turn it sideways to “landscape” mode to read the captions. Otherwise they are invisible. If you clicked through from Facebook, you may only be able to turn to landscape by viewing in Safari, not the native App. I have no idea why it is so difficult! The viewing experience seems much better on laptops/computers at this point- We’ll figure that out shortly!)

Cut Bank Creek

The road up to Cut Bank Ranger Station had tracks in…about 20 yards. Not a lot of traffic there any time of year!

Divide Mountain

The very first wisp of wind is starting to pick up on Divide Mountain. You can just make out the old FIre Lookout on the shoulder.

Blackfeet Viewing Spot

Plenty of snow at the beautiful new Blackfeet viewing exhibit on 89 just north of St. Mary.

St. Mary Valley

Just breathtaking. It is sometimes hard to reconcile just how scary the fire that created this view was with the beauty that was revealed in its aftermath.

Roland and Curtis

The Park Cabin Co’s resident watch dogs are of course thrilled with the fresh snow, and take every opportunity to curl up on it and in it.

There are plenty of things not happening in St. Mary Proper, as well.

St Mary from the North

Many thanks to Hugo from Johnson’s of St Mary for plowing out a path so I could get where I needed to be today!

Maint Street

Yeah, it’s kind of a ghost town in February.

St. Mary Lodge

I went “to town” the other day and I believe gas was 2.28 per gallon in Browning….so, this hurts my feelings.

Closed Road

Between the gate and the snow berm, you won’t be driving up the Sun Road anytime soon. There were some XC Ski tracks heading that way, though.

Pretending to be a Webcam

The St. Mary Webcam captures a similar view from the Visitor’s Center

Towards the 1912 Ranger Station

It also leads to the housing complex for the current Ranger Station, which is why it is plowed.

Wildlife on St. Mary Flats

Anybody local missing some horses? These four are grazing the flats, with Napi Point in the background

The cruise back to the Cabin Co is similarly quiet, but does feature a couple of year round businesses!

The Eastern End of the Sun Road

Take a left for most everything locally available, including the Park Cabin Co.

Chewing Blackbones Campground

An absolutely lovely campground…but no, not actually OPEN.

Our New Highway Sign

Take another right on 464 to reach the Park Cabin Co! But yeah, we aren’t open right now either.

Duck Lake Lodge

Now here’s an open, year-long business! Duck Lake Lodge has rooms, a restaurant, a bar, AND often great live music. We appreciate Terri and the gang staying open, as DLL is a great gathering spot for the community.

The Leanin’ Tree is open year round as well, and is just down the road. Careful between the two businesses as the frost heaves in the highway can catch you by surprise!

The Park Cabin Co

We keep the driveways plowed and accessible, but aren’t currently taking winter reservations. This shows our main office building, with the Cosley Cabin in the background.

So that’s the current east-side tour! After a very mild start to winter, we’re back to our more normal “how in the world is this not on the news” sort of weather system. The average temp for the first two weeks of February was right around -8 degrees Fahrenheit. After two days in the teens, it looks like we’re going right back to arctic conditions tomorrow. Stay warm out there, Babbylonians!