Many Glacier area

The Many Glacier area was our favorite in the park.  It was stunningly beautiful.  When looking for lodging, Rick looked into Many Glacier Hotel, but it was booked for the dates we would be at the park.  We can see why--the views were gorgeous and the hotel itself was Swiss themed; rooms in the hotel were named after Swiss cities and the male staff dressed in lederhosen.  So charming.        

The parking lot to the hotel was actually up on a bluff above the hotel which provided for some nice pictures.  It was pretty windy and brisk that morning, and this area seemed like  it was a higher elevation (though my quick online search shows it was only 100 feet or so higher than where we were staying).  Regardless, at 5,000 feet the walk from the hotel back to the car left me a little short of breath.  I'm sure the extra weight wasn't helping.

The interior of the hotel was not as elaborate as ours, but the outdoor scenery made up for it.  Every lodge and hotel had a fireplace, and I thought this one was interesting.

Behind the hotel was this gorgeous lake.  The day we were there it was beautiful, and I couldn't help but take too many photos.  I'm not sure how many glaciers you can see in the "Many Glacier" area, but I figure at least one of the massive chunks of snow probably fit the classifications.

I have a small obsession with photographing boats, and these were so colorful!

We thought about taking a boat tour on this lake, but it listed a "quarter mile STRENUOUS hike" from one lake to another.  I thought for sure we could do it (though my doctor cautioned me on difficult hikes in the altitude), but Rick and I decided to do the boat cruise on Lake McDonald instead.  I was glad we passed after the hike back up to the car which was definitely less than a quarter mile and I wouldn't classify it as strenuous.  Funny how you're supposed to get exercise while pregnant but not to the point of being short of breath.  I also have an altered sense of balance, so we opted out in case the footing was poor.

We then hopped back in the car, grabbed some lunch back near our hotel, and then drove to the other side of the park (we opted not to drive on the Going to the Sun Road and instead took the winding highway along the south side of the park) for our afternoon boat cruise.