Mount Cleveland (10,466ft) – Highpoint of Glacier National Park
Our first view of Mt Cleveland in the distance
Eric and Katie, Aug 30-Sept 2, 2014, attempt to 8,600ft
We had just finished climbing Grand Teton and started driving north to try for Mt Cleveland, the highpoint of Glacier National Park. On August 29 we drove into Montana and camped just outside the park. In the morning we went to the visitor’s center to pick up camping permits. We were hoping to get a spot at Stoney Indian Lake but they were all full. So we got three nights at the next closest spot, Mokowanis Junction.
We drove to just south of the Alberta border then started hiking south along the Belly River. The mountain tops looked covered in fresh snow, which was consistent with the fresh snow we’d just seen on Grand Teton. A ranger checked our permits a few miles in, then we hiked past Cosley Lake and Glenns Lake before reaching camp in the evening.
Hiking along the ledge
It rained that night (I assume snowed on the mountaintops) and I was a bit surprised to see another guy wander into camp late and pitch a bivy sack under the tree right next to us. Later I learned he didn’t actually have a permit, but was a former ranger of some sort so just camped wherever he wanted.
In the morning we left camp travelling light and hiked up through thick clouds to Stoney Indian Pass. We followed Greg Slayden’s GPS track from there, ascending up the ridge to the east, then traversing the slopes until we could cross over to the east at a notch just south of Stoney Indian Peak.
On the other side we met up with the improbably ledge that traverses the east face of Stoney Indian Peak. The face is very steep and the ledge at times quite narrow, but it somehow works. We carefully hiked north along the ledge and eventually reached the pass just south of the summit.
Driving out on Going to the Sun Road
At the pass the wind picked up and it was very cold. The summit was socked in the clouds and fresh snow covered the slopes starting just above us. The route to the summit followed the ridge up, and it looked steep and icy from our vantage point. A decision was made to not continue, given the certainty of hiking through a whiteout.
We turned around and carefully retraced our route. It started to rain when we reached Stoney Indian Pass and we were happy to make it to camp before dark.
We had an extra day in the park, so the next morning decided to go on a different hike. When I got up I noticed my socks and shoes had been stolen from under the vestibule by some animal! But I found them nearby in the woods. We did a 30-mile hike that day up to Elizabeth Lake, then hiked back out the next morning as it started raining and snowing again.
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