If meandering trails through flower-laden meadows, dramatic climbs over mountain passes, and pristine lakes that simply beg you to jump in for a swim are your cup of tea, then backpacking in the Belly River area of Glacier National Park is for you! “The Belly,” as locals affectionately call the area, is actually made up of a few different valleys, each with their own unique and stunning scenery.
You won’t have to go very far on the Belly River Valley trail to know why so many folks call “the Belly” their favorite place in Glacier National Park.
Recently I lead a week-long trip backpacking in the Belly River, with some incredibly wonderful people, and I’m still smiling about it. By the way, if you spend much time in the backcountry, you learn quickly that “wonderful people” is an accurate way to describe most of the people you’ll encounter when you venture into the mountains. I could go on and on telling you why I love this remote corner of Glacier Park, but it’ll be a whole lot more fun for everyone if I show you instead:
The trip started just like every other backpacking trip we take out — packing our backpacks at headquarters.
It’s amazing how fresh and clean everyone looked when we stopped for our first snack break.
Don’t worry though, by day two we definitely started to look like seasoned hikers. Also, check out the awesome bear grass bunny ears on Colleen (the lovely gal in the middle)!
Our second night we stayed at Cosley Lake. Places like this have a way of sticking with you.
Sometimes you have to cross bridges…
…and sometimes there are no bridges!
The BEST thing about backpacking is how hungry you get and how much you can eat, completely guilt free. Shrimp stir-fry with ginger garlic coconut curry sauce, anyone? Photo by Colleen Warren.
Backcountry life is pretty rough some days….
Apparently whatever I had at Elizabeth Lake was contagious and everyone seemed to have caught it by the time we got to the top of Red Gap Pass. Photo by Lydia Wilkinson.
Naps make late night star-gazing a little easier. Have you ever seen the Milky Way so bright it had a reflection?! Photo by Matt Villicana.
A kind soul who was staying at the same campsite as us caught rainbow trout for everyone for dinner the last night! Photo by Matt Villicana
Dirty, smelly, exhilarated, and proud — how everyone should feel after six days in the mountains.
So, who’s ready for a backpacking trip backpacking in the Belly River?