Captive Columbine Near Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Picking up where my previous column left off, this article constitutes the final chapter of a three-part guide to photography at some of the view areas and short, easy hikes within Glacier National Park.  If you’ve followed along, then my last article led you from Logan Pass down to the Saint Mary entrance.  You should now be refreshed and ready to take Hightway 89 north to the Many Glacier entrance of the park. 

As advised in Parts 1 and 2 of this guide, make sure you have a circular polarizer, a graduated neutral density (grad ND) filter and a full ND filter in your camera bag.  A tripod is recommended as well.  Oh, and as you drive toward the Many Glacier Hotel and Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, watch out for cattle on the road, as this is a free range area. 

Stop 13 – Park Café and Grocery – Before striking out in earnest on your Many Glacier photographic journey, think about stopping for breakfast, or picking up a sack lunch to take with you for the day.  The Park Café and Grocery is just the ticket. You’ll see it on the right-hand side of the highway not too far from the Saint Mary entrance.  While there, walk around the outside of the building toward the restrooms and (if you are visiting during the summer) look to see if the columbines are blooming.  Unless the place has done some new landscaping, there should be a plethora of blooms alongside the wall.  This is a great opportunity for you to practice capturing close-ups of these lovely flowers so emblematic of the mountains. 

Swiftcurrrent Falls, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Looking Down Swiftcurrent Falls, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Stop 14 – Swiftcurrent Falls – En route to the Many Glacier Hotel parking lot, you will encounter Swiftcurrent Falls. Park your car and walk back to this beautiful bit of deep-green tumbling water and get some great “silky water” compositions when you place your camera on a tripod, affix your polarizer or ND filter (or both), and play around with slow shutter speeds.  The polarizer and/or ND filter are used to allow for these slower shutter speeds in order to softly blur the water without overexposing (blowing out) the frothy white rapids or any lighter parts of your image. 

Moody Day Over Many Glacier, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Moody Day Over Many Glacier Hotel, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Bridge To The Mountains Of Many Glacier, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Stop 15 – Many Glacier Hotel Parking Lot – That’s right, I have the parking lot listed as a stop.  Actually, it’s not so much the parking lot as it is the area immediately around the parking lot.  To get to the Many Glacier Hotel from your vehicle, one must either take a path or stone steps up and over a very small, long hill with lots of rock outcroppings.  Anywhere along the hill is a great place for a photo op, in any direction at almost any time of day (mornings and evenings - the “golden hours” - are more picturesque in terms of lighting angles, of course) . 

Don’t be put off from including the Many Glacier Hotel in your images.  I know there are quite a number of you who don’t want any aspect of "man" or civilization to be built into your shots, but this beautiful hotel is a big part of Glacier National Park’s history. 

Many Glacier Hotel Lobby, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Window On Swiftcurrent Scenery, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Stop 16 – Many Glacier Hotel – Take the stairs (or the very slow elevator if you are loaded down with camera gear) to one of the upper levels winding around the rustic hotel lobby to capture some interior shots.  Because you are photographing the inside of a building, you might want a tripod for your camera so you can set a slower shutter speed while using an ISO of 250 – 400 in order to get a good exposure.  If hand-holding your camera, experiment with using higher ISOs and faster shutter speeds to eliminate camera shake blur while still achieving a good exposure.  Just remember, the higher your ISO, the more “noise” (grainy look) you may experience. 

For some nice mood shots, try interior photography of the lobby during the early morning or evening, when the wood beams and posts take on a more saturated, golden hue.  If you are still awake after dark (and not tuckered out from a full day on the go), why not wander outside and point your camera (on a tripod) toward the warmly-lit windows to get some atmospheric captures of this hotel. 

During the day, try for one of those scenery-outside-of-the-window shots.  Use your polarizer filter to eliminate reflections in the window.  Set your exposure for the scenery. Your window frame will, of course, be under-exposed as you shoot from the interior of the hotel, but you can either leave it that way or do some editing work to lighten up the frame (which may look a little grainy since you set your exposure for the scenery outside rather than the wood window frame on the inside).  You can also take two shots, exposing one for the scenery and one for the window frame/interior and then blend them together in your photo editor.  You might try using a flash to lighten up the window frame, but be careful about reflections in the glass.  For something really different, you can go outside and capture an image of the scenery (and you) in the window’s reflection as you look into the hotel lobby.  Yes, you want the window reflection, this time. 

A Nice Place To Relax, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Swiftcurrent Morning Reflections, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Morning Clouds Over Many Glacier, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Stop 17 – Swiftcurrent Lake – Nothing could be finer than to sit on the large back deck of the Many Glacier Hotel while pointing a camera toward the sapphire blue waters of this lake … nothing except, perhaps, standing on the actual shore of the lake during the sunrise.  Even on an overcast day, the lake and mountains around it are an incredible view.  Early in the morning, just as the sun is rising, the lake can be still as glass and provide excellent opportunities for mountain and sky reflections.  If the wind picks up, then try out your polarizer and/or ND filter to smooth out the choppy water for some interesting atmospheric shots or to just bring out the color and texture of any storm clouds over Mts Gould, Grinnell, or Wilbur. 

'Shroom Along Swiftcurrent Lake Loop Trail, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Morning View Along Swiftcurrent Lake Loop Trail, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

A Quiet Afternoon On Swiftcurrent Lake Loop Trail, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Stop 18 – Swiftcurrent  Lake Loop Trail – This is a lovely, easy, relatively level loop trail around the lake (3 miles, 25-ft elevation gain) with myriad photos to be gotten while walking through shaded forest as well as open field.  This loop trail also leads to the Grinnell Glacier trailhead if you are so inclined for a much longer (and ultimately steeper) hike. 

Coming In To Dock On Lake Josephine, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

South Shore Scenery On Lake Josephine, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

 Stop 19 – Lake Josephine – A very short trail (~200 yards) forking off from the Swiftcurrent Lake loop ends at the north shore of a jewel of a lake complete with boat and dock.  The boat is actually a scenic ferry that shuttles passengers to the south shore of this lake to shave off a couple of miles from the Grinnell Glacier Trail.  Check with the hotel front desk for more information on the boat service. 

Use your wide-angle lens and polarizing filter to get the expanse of mountains and shore, as well as to eliminate the reflections so your lens will see through the clear water to the pebbles below.  If the boat is moving toward the dock, capture that scene as the boat can be a frame of reference as well as scale against the immense backdrop of Mt. Gould.  If the boat is docked, move yourself and your wide-angle lens closer to the boat and hunker down to get an interesting perspective on the scene that only a wide-angle lens can provide. 

If you decide to take the boat service to the southern shore just for the experience, make certain to disembark and stay awhile to photograph the forest and mountains you see from that viewpoint.  Use a polarizing filter here, too, and also a grad ND filter to even out the bright sky with the darker surroundings.  Catch the next boat back to the north shore of Lake Josephine to continue the loop around Swiftcurrent Lake. 

The View Across Swiftcurrent Lake, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Stop 20 – The Road from Many Glacier Hotel to Swiftcurrent Motor Inn – Take your vehicle or simply start walking along that stretch of road leading from the hotel to the motor inn.  Along the way, look back from whence you came for views of the lake and the hotel, or take the short gravel road down to the boat launch to attain a wide-angle view of the lake, the hotel, and the mountains looming over both.  Use your polarizing lens to cut through the glare and reflections on the water so you can see the pebbles on the lakebed, beneath.  Lower your tripod close to the ground while you use your wide-angle lens to get more of a foreground perspective of the view. 

Continue walking along as far as you want, photographing wildflowers and maybe even spying a moose or bear in the distance (stay away from either animal and use your telephoto lens for close up views). 

Many Glacier Scenery From The Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson

Stop 21 – Swiftcurrent Motor Inn Area – The end of the road leads to the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and various trails: Ptarmigan Tunnel, Ptarmigan Falls, Iceberg Lake, Elizabeth Lake, and Swiftcurrent Pass, to name a few.  Even in the parking lot, you can aim your camera up towards the glacially-sculpted mountains and red rock of the Grinnell Formation for some awesome imagery.  Go ahead and take one of the longer trails. You don’t have to hike the entirety, but simply walk as far as you feel like and then turn around when you are ready.  Every single step of these trails yields great views.  Make sure to take plenty of water and remember to make noise to warn off any bears in the area. 

Thus ends Part 3 of this Glacier National Park photography guide.  I could go on and on as there are so many beautiful compositions to be framed, just off the side of the road.  I have left out the drive up to the Canadian Waterton entrance of the park (primarily because I did not have a digital camera during the one day I visited and I can’t find my slides of this area to scan).  I deliberately did not include any of the trails such as Grinnell Glacier, Ptarmigan Tunnel, Iceberg Lake, or even Red Rock Falls, since these are lengthier hikes and my guide specifically deals with photo ops at which I have stopped and of which you can reach with minimum effort.  

I hope the information I’ve provided is of help to you in building your own personal photography guide with your own set of photo stops for this spectacular national park.

Enjoying The View On Swiftcurrent Lake, Glacier National Park/Rebecca Latson