Got my GNP permits!! Info/ ideas please!

[Jeffs Eleven]

So we got a permit! Yessss!! Should be sweeet but hard… …I think. Knowers tell!

8/17 leave Logan pass.
8/18 Flattop
8/19 Goat Haunt
8/20 Mokowanis
8/21 Helen Lake
8/22 Many Glacier

Whats the 411, Girl?

[BlackHatGuy]

Don't know nuthin' myself, man, but have a great time! Congrats!

[Jeffs Eleven]

Thanks, man I'm pumped.

Im lookin for info on bugs, vest vs jacket, wind.

I know its mtns and stuff… but, ya know…

[MFR]

Bugs shouldn't be too bad that time of year. I still keep a headnet in my pack in August for the evenings if I'll be down low like in the Belly. Otherwise, I don't even bother with bug protection other than a shell.

You'll probably have some wind up high (no surprises there), but it will likely be very warm during the day.

Vest or jacket is just your preference. It's rarely too cold that time of year. I get by with just a shell over my normal hiking shirt. I kept a light, cap 4 style fleece with me all last August, and I might have used it once. If we get a cold spell, you can just wrap up in your sleeping bag.

When did you hear about your permits? My wife and I got ours a few days ago, but I'm still waiting to hear on a North-South traverse of the park a friend and I put in for. We might be out there the same time as you.

[Jeffs Eleven]

I got my permit today.

Good to hear about bugs and cold. I'll prolly take the lesser options of my clothing selection. I'm worried about the mileage the first two days.

[MFR]

The Highline Trail from Logan Pass is pretty easy. It's a good 25 miles that way to Flattop Mtn IIRC, but you won't have a lot of elevation to deal with.

If you wanted to, you could make a big loop of it by starting at Many Glacier (NPS doesn't really care where you start, so long as you stick to you campground itinerary). Come up Swiftcurrent Pass from Many, into Granite Park and then up the Northern Highline and over to Flattop. Backtrack a bit and descend into Waterton/Goat Haunt. Then, once you go up and over into the Belly, you'll eventually end up where you started. It makes logistics a lot easier if you're up for a long first day.

Otherwise, you could start at Packer's Roost and have a much shorter trip into Flattop Mtn.

[David Chenault]

8/17 leave Logan pass.
8/18 Flattop
8/19 Goat Haunt
8/20 Mokowanis
8/21 Helen Lake
8/22 Many Glacier

A good itinerary and mostly good campsites. Well done.

Logan to Flattop will be fairly big. You'd hike the easy 7 miles to the Chalet, Have four steep miles of decent, a 1/2 mile of flat, cross Mineral Creek, then a 2k climb (on well graded trail) and a few flat miles to camp. That big climb at the end has no shade at all.

Flattop is a nice camp, and the hiking the next day from there up toward 50 Mtn is outstanding. Clayton's idea for starting in Many is good, but would make the day harder still.

Goat Haunt has two BC camps. The shelters are cement floored and feel rather civilized, with flush toilets right there. Arrive after 5pm when the last boat has gone back to Waterton and the place will be mostly deserted. The lake views from camp are pretty awesome.

The hike to Moko over Stoney is awesome. The Mok camp is one of the best. The hike to Helen is pretty easy, and Helen is also a great place to kick back and stare.

[Jeffs Eleven]

Nice, Fellas! That's the info I was looking for.

We will have to ponder the starting at Many thing. Logistically seems waay easier. I wonder if we will be missing out on the Garden Wall hike?? Worth it? Being able to park once is pretty sweet. Long days are fine as long as they aren't complete insanity.

What's the water situation? I imagine its fairly watery, much like the PNW? I hope so anyway, gotten kinda spoiled.

So for the trail from Many VS from Logan pass- its the same distance but Swiftcurrent is up and over the pass, where Logan is along the Garden Wall? Is the Garden Wall worth the logistical bother, or should we just go for the Swiftcurrent thing and park at Many?

[David Chenault]

The Highline is pretty cool, but the hike up the Swiftcurrent Valley is also pretty cool. You're trading one good thing for another. Bonus, the Highline will be a cluster**** of wobbly dayhikers that time of year, while Swiftcurrent should be a bit less packed. The Swiftcurrent hike is an easy walk up a big scenic valley and then one monster climb up some cool switchbacks blasted into a cliff.

Water should be pretty plentiful, though by late August the higher streams dry up. Longest stretch without a surefire source will be the last day, going from Liz to Ptarmigan Lakes.

[Jeffs Eleven]

Awesome!

Thank you, Sir!!

[adam mcconnell]

Jeffs, have you calculated your total mileage? Sounds like a helluva hike coming up. I had lunch with a friend today that got his permit email, but didn't get what he requested. I think his group is headed to the Teton's instead. I'm headed to GNP in July, but will only be dayhiking – family trip. We'll be starting out with the Highline and circling around Swiftcurrent back to Many. From what I've read, both sides are astounding. Out of curriosity, what type of footwear do you hike in?

[MFR]

The Highline stretch from Logan Pass to Granite Park is a hiker freeway. It will be packed with people in mid-August. It is still quite beautiful, but I only hike that section if I have family or friends in town who want to see the park. Personally, I don't mind the crowds, as I've learned to accept their presence as a part of the democritizing power of wilderness, but it is not the deep wild experience that other parts of the park can be.

As to Dave's suggestion of hiking up Swiftcurrent Pass, down to Mineral Creek, and back up to Flattop Mountain, it will be a mixed experience. Likely, once you get a couple of miles from the Many Glacier Hotel, day-hiker presence will drop off dramatically, especially once you begin ascending. From Granite Park down to near the Loop (a bit before Mineral Creek), expect a fair amount of trail traffic. While I haven't actually made it up to Flattop Mountain, I would expect that once you leave the main trail from the Loop to Granite Park, you would have quite a bit of solitude.

My only issue is that if you go this route, you will miss out on the fantastic experience that is the Northern Highline. Dayhikers rarely venture past Granite Park Chalet, so the trail beyond is often quite empty. The miles are significantly longer, but the elevation change is much more mild. Frankly, either Flattop Mountain or the Northern Highline will be fantastic routes, and any hemming and hawing back and forth about either one just underscores how good your choices actually are.

For first time visitors–or those who only get out here once every few years–the Northern Highline is hard to beat. As a plus, you would also enjoy much of the Flattop Trail by heading to the Fifty Mountain trail junction and then going over Flattop campground. As a bonus, if you go that way, take the spur trail to Ahern Pass. It's relatively short (less than a mile one way), and you'll look down some impressive cliffs onto Helen Lake. It's one of the more tucked away gems along the trail.

Honestly, no matter which route you take, you can't make a wrong decision. It's a fantastic itinerary.

[Jeffs Eleven]

The park said it was a total of 70miles. I trust em?

I hike in Garmont 9.81 Bolt DLs. (trail runner) Absolutely love em. But they dont make em anymore so when these blow out (hopefully I get this season out of them, maybe GNP will be their swan song) I'm gonna get the Scarpa Rapid LT.

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