I used to know a guy who said, “You seen one tree, you seen em all.” He would drive through a park like that with the radio on. He was also the guy who would go to a safari park and get out of the car to take pictures of the lions and zebras, ignoring the large warning signs saying “Stay in your car”.
Glacier National Park is a great experience even if you’re just driving through on Going-to-the-Sun Road. Whether you’re the driver or the passenger, the views are just incredible. I’ve vacationed there a few times and hiked a lot of its trails. Also been on the train, both westbound and eastbound. I definitely liked driving better, as we could stop at many places, get out, and soak in the views.
I went to Iceland to enjoy the parks, and over 90% of the other people there were walking around staring down at their phones or posing for selfies. Less than 10% were actually looking at the nature
I read this the other day, I’m not sure if I can properly credit the source. “I’m not outdoorsy, I’m outsidey. I want to see the beautiful mountain but from a roadside viewpoint. I want to eat a meal outside, but on a restaurant patio. I want to take a walk through the forest for less than a mile and nice and flat. I want to sit next to a fire in the woods, but then go sleep at a hotel.” @samanthas_suitcase
A lady I worked with, once had an incredible outdoor experience in Glacier. She went camping there.
In the wee hours of the morning, a bear wandered into their campsite. She woke up to the tent shaking, and the sight of a very large paw pushing in on the side of the tent fabric.
The bear eventually left. It had pulled down the food bag they’d carefully strung up in a tree, and eaten their food. It had also chewed up and eaten the camping-permit tag they’d twist-tied to their tent rope (as required by the rangers). Only the wire twist-tie remained.
They packed up and left immediately. “I’m never going back to Glacier”.
My family drove through Glacier National Park a couple of decades ago (Road to the sky) in a mini-van. It was beautiful with the road passing within feet of a glacier and an incredibly beautiful lake at the bottom of a valley.
Pretty much grew up 20 minutes from GNP. Hiked a lot of trails, climbed a bunch of mountains, backpacked, cross-country skied. It was my “backyard” for several years. One of the most beautiful places in the world. It has gotten so busy and crowded the last few years, you need a reservation to get in now most of the year. Can’t find a parking spot to go for a hike. Stopped going about ten years a go. We’re loving our wilderness to death.
Dumb Questions Asked at National Parks and Tourist Attractions
Any National Park…“Have we done all there is to do, or are we missing something?”“What is there to do around here at night?”“Is there anything interesting up the trail, or just more of the same? (trees, rocks, streams, you know)”“Tourists to one another: “Are you seeing anything good?”“Since there are bears here, should I keep my cat inside the tent?”
Glacier National Park" What does the park service do with all the animals in the winter?
I worked at Glacier Park for 2 summers when a college student. Met people from all over the world. Hiked a lot (I was still healthy then.) Never saw a grizzly or black bear but always kept aware.
My sister worked at Lake McDonald the “summer of the grizzlies”. My parents and I (still in h.s. at the time) visited her. On the drive there we were listening to a Montana radio station. Heard a news item that an 18 yr old girl working at Lake McDonald had been killed by a grizzly. Her name couldn’t be released because the family could not be reached. Well, I had never seen my parents turn grey before. Dad pressed the pedal to the metal. At the first gas station they both went inside to call my sister. She answered. Their – and my – relief was palpable. Turns out the girl had lived in the room across the hall.
Rules were established after this summer for hikers, people staying and/or working in the park.
Getting up close and personal in Glacier Park can involve interaction with Grizzly Bears. Whether that is positive or negative interaction is completely up to the bear.
I went on a safari in Africa. Occasionally, a male lion would walk right up to our parked vehicle. I was telling a guy about my trip, and he asked if people could roll down the windows and pet the lions.
Only once, I replied.
He was really excited and said he wanted to go to Africa and pet the lions.
BE THIS GUY 10 months ago
Pig wants to get close to nature in comfort.
cmxx 10 months ago
For a one-step-even-further-removed experience, one can go through it on a bus tour.
Asharah 10 months ago
Take a nature cruise.
iggyman 10 months ago
Cheetos, of course!
BasilBruce 10 months ago
Enjoy nature, but don’t give it a chance to get you.
orinoco womble 10 months ago
I used to know a guy who said, “You seen one tree, you seen em all.” He would drive through a park like that with the radio on. He was also the guy who would go to a safari park and get out of the car to take pictures of the lions and zebras, ignoring the large warning signs saying “Stay in your car”.
parforden 10 months ago
Gunsight pass in Glacier N.P, was the place I hiked into a looooong time ago. There are bears….
Gent 10 months ago
Was that fuel car or electric car Pig?
finzleftright 10 months ago
Hmm. I’ve ridden through on Amtrak. So Pig’s experience sounds pretty first hand to me. I only hope to drive through it someday. Cheetos optional.
enigmamz 10 months ago
Heated Cheetos? Is that really necessary?
Purple People Eater 10 months ago
If you want to get up close to nature, try this:
https://www.youtube.Com/watch?v=I2aCVi4ekps
Zykoic 10 months ago
Should have ditched the car. Next time take your RV diesel pusher with the satellite dish and espresso coffee maker.
Imagine 10 months ago
That’s like driving past a cemetery and calling it a near death experience.
Walrus Gumbo Premium Member 10 months ago
What an immersive experience!
Kurtass Premium Member 10 months ago
Cheetos and cold beer, that’s the ticket.
cracker65 10 months ago
We used to take our oldest daughter to drive through safaris. Those are awesome.
Ellis97 10 months ago
Guess he didn’t want to get all cold.
Huckleberry Hiroshima 10 months ago
I’ll bet you subscribed to both.
KageKat 10 months ago
Nothing wrong with Pig’s way of doing things!
monya_43 10 months ago
Sure it was an “up close” experience. If Pig rolled down his car window, he would be able to actually feel the cold.
jessegooddoggy 10 months ago
At least Pig is smart enough to not pet the fluffy cows.
phritzg Premium Member 10 months ago
Glacier National Park is a great experience even if you’re just driving through on Going-to-the-Sun Road. Whether you’re the driver or the passenger, the views are just incredible. I’ve vacationed there a few times and hiked a lot of its trails. Also been on the train, both westbound and eastbound. I definitely liked driving better, as we could stop at many places, get out, and soak in the views.
Dom999 10 months ago
I went to Iceland to enjoy the parks, and over 90% of the other people there were walking around staring down at their phones or posing for selfies. Less than 10% were actually looking at the nature
anamchara42 10 months ago
My wife and I have stayed there twice. “Really pretty” isn’t nearly strong enough.
Marcia Gibson Premium Member 10 months ago
I read this the other day, I’m not sure if I can properly credit the source. “I’m not outdoorsy, I’m outsidey. I want to see the beautiful mountain but from a roadside viewpoint. I want to eat a meal outside, but on a restaurant patio. I want to take a walk through the forest for less than a mile and nice and flat. I want to sit next to a fire in the woods, but then go sleep at a hotel.” @samanthas_suitcase
[Traveler] Premium Member 10 months ago
Maybe the best drive in the country, and I’ve seen many, many of them.
MS72 10 months ago
There are nuts that get out of their cars and approach buffaloes in national parks.
Droptma Styx 10 months ago
This is why I have a convertible.
markkahler52 10 months ago
And the glaciers are receding, also.
dogbreath84 10 months ago
When I was there I thought it’s name should have a NO- in front of it.
SusieB 10 months ago
That’d be me too.
ladykat 10 months ago
That’s one way to do it. A lot of parks discourage you from getting out of cars and interacting with the animals.
DavidPlatt 10 months ago
A lady I worked with, once had an incredible outdoor experience in Glacier. She went camping there.
In the wee hours of the morning, a bear wandered into their campsite. She woke up to the tent shaking, and the sight of a very large paw pushing in on the side of the tent fabric.
The bear eventually left. It had pulled down the food bag they’d carefully strung up in a tree, and eaten their food. It had also chewed up and eaten the camping-permit tag they’d twist-tied to their tent rope (as required by the rangers). Only the wire twist-tie remained.
They packed up and left immediately. “I’m never going back to Glacier”.
Goat from PBS 10 months ago
Nature really is beautiful from a car window.
well-i-never 10 months ago
I’m here to tell ya, my Google Earth experience was awesome!
bngooby 10 months ago
Heated car seats are the only way to go.
royq27 10 months ago
Traveling the American way!
Paul D Premium Member 10 months ago
Wait . . . Pig, Goat, Zebra and the Crocs ARE “Nature”
Richard S Russell Premium Member 10 months ago
Are there any glaciers left in Glacier National Park? If so, what’s their currently estimated half-life?
guy42 10 months ago
My family drove through Glacier National Park a couple of decades ago (Road to the sky) in a mini-van. It was beautiful with the road passing within feet of a glacier and an incredibly beautiful lake at the bottom of a valley.
wolfgang73 10 months ago
Pretty much grew up 20 minutes from GNP. Hiked a lot of trails, climbed a bunch of mountains, backpacked, cross-country skied. It was my “backyard” for several years. One of the most beautiful places in the world. It has gotten so busy and crowded the last few years, you need a reservation to get in now most of the year. Can’t find a parking spot to go for a hike. Stopped going about ten years a go. We’re loving our wilderness to death.
WCraft Premium Member 10 months ago
Don’t forget to bring along the Diet Mt. Dew.
T Smith 10 months ago
The bison prefer Cool-Ranch Doritos (don’t ask me how I know).
Zebrastripes 10 months ago
Some never give up the comforts of home
John Jorgensen 10 months ago
Did you pull over and take pictures out the window with a zoom lens?
mindjob 10 months ago
At least he could have parked his Winnebago and watched TV
waes-hael 10 months ago
Out of the Frying Pan (Crocs) and into the Fire (Grizzlies)…
Brilliant_Birdie 10 months ago
Not to close, but just enough to stay in your comfort zone.
zeexenon 10 months ago
Too bad the Google Maps lady doesn’t include a geography and history narrative.
Cameron1988 Premium Member 10 months ago
We’re spoiled rotten these days with today’s technology
sheashea 10 months ago
Hey, if you’ve got Cheetos, you’re good.
dsom8 10 months ago
Dumb Questions Asked at National Parks and Tourist Attractions
Any National Park…“Have we done all there is to do, or are we missing something?”“What is there to do around here at night?”“Is there anything interesting up the trail, or just more of the same? (trees, rocks, streams, you know)”“Tourists to one another: “Are you seeing anything good?”“Since there are bears here, should I keep my cat inside the tent?”
Glacier National Park" What does the park service do with all the animals in the winter?
SukieCrandall Premium Member 10 months ago
How could anyone go to Glacier in the winter and not watch the gatherings of bald eagles?
elgrecousa Premium Member 10 months ago
Don’t blame Pig for seeking comfort while enjoying Nature. That’s the modus operandi for most people.
Drbarb71 Premium Member 10 months ago
OMG get out and at least take photos! They are AMAZING!
marilynnbyerly 10 months ago
If I were a major food group for large predators, I’d stay in my car, too.
Retired engineer 10 months ago
Been there. I would have gotten a much better view of nature if they would just cut more of those trees down.
librarylady59 10 months ago
I worked at Glacier Park for 2 summers when a college student. Met people from all over the world. Hiked a lot (I was still healthy then.) Never saw a grizzly or black bear but always kept aware.
My sister worked at Lake McDonald the “summer of the grizzlies”. My parents and I (still in h.s. at the time) visited her. On the drive there we were listening to a Montana radio station. Heard a news item that an 18 yr old girl working at Lake McDonald had been killed by a grizzly. Her name couldn’t be released because the family could not be reached. Well, I had never seen my parents turn grey before. Dad pressed the pedal to the metal. At the first gas station they both went inside to call my sister. She answered. Their – and my – relief was palpable. Turns out the girl had lived in the room across the hall.
Rules were established after this summer for hikers, people staying and/or working in the park.
mousefumanchu Premium Member 10 months ago
Love Cheetos!
Spacetech 10 months ago
Next Year, let’s hire a drone – and experience the Park from Virginia.
PoodleGroomer 10 months ago
Animals like Cheetos, too. Count your fingers when you’re done sharing.
ekke 10 months ago
Getting up close and personal in Glacier Park can involve interaction with Grizzly Bears. Whether that is positive or negative interaction is completely up to the bear.
rick92040 10 months ago
Now you need a $2. pass that’s impossible to get.
[Unnamed Reader - 14b4ce] 10 months ago
Try that place in Manitoba,Canada where they take up-close auto tours through polar bear territory.
We’ll get up a Vegas line on whether or not Pig survives
[Unnamed Reader - 14b4ce] 10 months ago
I’ve never seen anything wilder than a deer.Fire Island,New York is full of them
JLChi 10 months ago
I went on a safari in Africa. Occasionally, a male lion would walk right up to our parked vehicle. I was telling a guy about my trip, and he asked if people could roll down the windows and pet the lions.
Only once, I replied.
He was really excited and said he wanted to go to Africa and pet the lions.
Yes, some people are that dumb.
The Brooklyn Accent Premium Member 10 months ago
“Trees, rocks, and big holes in the ground.”—my evaluation after a week in Arizona with my wife about 45 years ago
plaidley 10 months ago
It’s important to travel with the right snacks.
AndrewSihler 10 months ago
True enough, but the road through Glacier Park isn’t conducive to sight-seeing. Not unless you have a death-wish.
Arghhgarrr Premium Member 10 months ago
passengers on the road to the sun keep their eyes shut if they any degree of vertigo.
eddi-TBH 10 months ago
A safer approach than trying to hug a bison.
rugeirn 10 months ago
I have been known to introduce myself as “ … and lover of the great outdoors, especially when it’s on TV.”
AndrewSharpe 10 months ago
What he really wants is pigs in a blanket.
Sisyphos 10 months ago
You have to admire Pig’s practicality. How much closer do you really want to be to all that Nature stuff?!
Ceeg22 Premium Member 10 months ago
Totes