Bootprints Hiking Guide: Illecillewaet Glacier in Glacier National Park

From Takakkaw Falls at Hungry Horse Pass in Yoho National Park of southern Canada, I headed west and reached Golden, British Columbia, in late afternoon. After dinner, I drove up into the Selkirk Mountains to Rogers Pass. Arriving late to Glacier National Forest and captured in a gentle rain, I found the campgrounds at Illecillewaet, Loop Brook and Sir Donald full. I accepted this opportunity to explore the far side of the mountain range and descended out of the rainforest into a drier climate zone, where I found a dry campsite at Canyon Hot Springs west of Glacier National Park.

In early morning, I prepared for a hike into the Asulkan Valley to view the Illecillewaet Glacier. A mother black bear led three cubs across the campground meadow and quickly retreated into the forest as I collapsed my tent and packed for the day.