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Okay, I had to start another thread on this topic because I now have an informed opinion of how The Rocky Moutains, Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons and Glacier National Park compare.
I am writing this message from my unit at the WorldMark in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. It's a wonderful place and my unit is very cozy and set right next to a huge mountain (not sure it's name since, but it may be 3 sisters). We just got in last night, so I haven't had a chance to include in this particular discussion anything about the Canadian Rockies which I am sure are spectacular.
Since I am on a multi-week WorldMark trip, I'll try to keep this discussion relevant to those who care about WorldMark.
Here is how I would sum up these National Park areas.
I would most like to live in the Rocky Mountains. There are a lot of little mountainside towns that would be a perfect setting for a 3-4 acres ranch home with a view. It's relatively near Denver and would be pretty centrally located to anywhere else.
Yellowstone is unmatched in the geological beauty of the geysers and hot springs. There are so many formations, beautiful colors, spouting beauties and variety, you could easily spend several full days just experiencing the geyser areas. The animal life is plentiful as we saw Bald Eagles, black bears, moose, elk and more. But those animals were on the same level as the Rocky Mountains.
The Grand Tetons were great because it really did remind me a lot of Europe. As we drove toward it and looked at the open fields of blooming flowers, I felt like belting out a verse of The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music. The animal life and blending of lakes, meadows and mountains is what I love the most about this part of the country.
But then, there was Glacier National Park. All I can say is that Elan was competely right and I was totally and utterly blown away by this place. It immediately makes the top 3 list as one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I have to go back to Bora Bora to refresh my memory and see which one is more stunning.
After the Rocky Mountain thread, I had my wife check out some alternatives for staying a couple of days in Glacier National before we made our way to Canmore. We will be making a lot of short stays in Canada, so Liz decided that we would just skip Glacier National Park this trip. Then, a miracle happened.
We packed up the SUV on Saturday morning and started on the to Canmore at about 10:30 am. The trip is about 620 miles and our Garmin told us we would arrive around 8:30 pm. It was a bit farther than our 555 trek from the Rocky Mountains, but just within our travel tolerance level for a family of 5.
One quirk I have learned about this GPS Navigator is that you really should supplement it with a road atlas. We have a AAA triptik, but the Garmin will take you on country roads if it thinks it will give you shorter travel time. The one thing it doesn't factor in is detours and road construction on country roads. As we were heading north on 287 in Montana after about 200 miles into the trip, I started getting nervous about finding a gas station. I hadn't seen another car for about an hour and there were no stores, no houses, nothing. All I needed was to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere.
Fortunately, after several small detours, we found a small town called Augusta, MT and filled up in this one gas station town at about 250 miles into the trip. I was relieved and got much bolder.
Right at the point we decide whether or not to head back to I-15, I see a sign for Glacier National Park. It's right on the way. We recalcuate our trip and find that it's only about a 17 mile detour to Glacier National. It's about 3 or 4 pm and we decided to go check it out. Let's see what this is all about. After several thousands of miles travelled, we could take a couple hours out to see what's in the park.
We make our make up to 2 medicines and see some spectacular mountains, lakes and trees, just like we sawin Grand Teton. We spoke to Park Ranger and she told us to spend the night either camping or in St Mary to spend the whole day on the "Going to the Sun Highway." She said it would be worth our time and Liz told me that it was one of the most photographed highways in the US. So, we headed to St. Mary and got the last unit in the St Mary Lodge. St Mary Lodge website. It had an RCI sign in it, so I think it has units for exchange. This location is perfect for a stay near Glacier National. If we can get exchanges into this place, it's what I would do next time.
We got up early Sunday Morning and got on the road at about 8:30 am. Quick stop at the Visitor's center to pick up the Junior Ranger program and started on our way. We must have taken several hundred pictures. The majestic mountains separating the blue green waters of the glacial lakes separated by the dense forrests are spectacular. The water falls and rivers were the best I have ever seen. They are too perfect. I have never seen staircased cased falls. Red and Green rocks fill the rivers. Not sure how they got that color, but I am sure many landscaping professionals come here for inspiration.
The animals are so unafraid of humans. I got 10 feet away from some Mountain Goats. A black bear crossed the street right in front of us near two medicines. And, a moose was in a perfect position just off road to give hundreds of visitors a perfect photo op. Disney couldn't have placed that moose more perfectly.
Needless to say, I would highly recommend this location for an extended stay. We want to plan a return trip centered around this area. Not sure when. But, we've got to do it before 2050. That is when they expect that the remaining 26 glaciers from the original 150 will be completely melted.
Well, that was a mouthful. I'll try to post some pictures later in the week.
I am writing this message from my unit at the WorldMark in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. It's a wonderful place and my unit is very cozy and set right next to a huge mountain (not sure it's name since, but it may be 3 sisters). We just got in last night, so I haven't had a chance to include in this particular discussion anything about the Canadian Rockies which I am sure are spectacular.
Since I am on a multi-week WorldMark trip, I'll try to keep this discussion relevant to those who care about WorldMark.
Here is how I would sum up these National Park areas.
I would most like to live in the Rocky Mountains. There are a lot of little mountainside towns that would be a perfect setting for a 3-4 acres ranch home with a view. It's relatively near Denver and would be pretty centrally located to anywhere else.
Yellowstone is unmatched in the geological beauty of the geysers and hot springs. There are so many formations, beautiful colors, spouting beauties and variety, you could easily spend several full days just experiencing the geyser areas. The animal life is plentiful as we saw Bald Eagles, black bears, moose, elk and more. But those animals were on the same level as the Rocky Mountains.
The Grand Tetons were great because it really did remind me a lot of Europe. As we drove toward it and looked at the open fields of blooming flowers, I felt like belting out a verse of The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music. The animal life and blending of lakes, meadows and mountains is what I love the most about this part of the country.
But then, there was Glacier National Park. All I can say is that Elan was competely right and I was totally and utterly blown away by this place. It immediately makes the top 3 list as one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I have to go back to Bora Bora to refresh my memory and see which one is more stunning.
After the Rocky Mountain thread, I had my wife check out some alternatives for staying a couple of days in Glacier National before we made our way to Canmore. We will be making a lot of short stays in Canada, so Liz decided that we would just skip Glacier National Park this trip. Then, a miracle happened.
We packed up the SUV on Saturday morning and started on the to Canmore at about 10:30 am. The trip is about 620 miles and our Garmin told us we would arrive around 8:30 pm. It was a bit farther than our 555 trek from the Rocky Mountains, but just within our travel tolerance level for a family of 5.
One quirk I have learned about this GPS Navigator is that you really should supplement it with a road atlas. We have a AAA triptik, but the Garmin will take you on country roads if it thinks it will give you shorter travel time. The one thing it doesn't factor in is detours and road construction on country roads. As we were heading north on 287 in Montana after about 200 miles into the trip, I started getting nervous about finding a gas station. I hadn't seen another car for about an hour and there were no stores, no houses, nothing. All I needed was to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere.
Fortunately, after several small detours, we found a small town called Augusta, MT and filled up in this one gas station town at about 250 miles into the trip. I was relieved and got much bolder.
Right at the point we decide whether or not to head back to I-15, I see a sign for Glacier National Park. It's right on the way. We recalcuate our trip and find that it's only about a 17 mile detour to Glacier National. It's about 3 or 4 pm and we decided to go check it out. Let's see what this is all about. After several thousands of miles travelled, we could take a couple hours out to see what's in the park.
We make our make up to 2 medicines and see some spectacular mountains, lakes and trees, just like we sawin Grand Teton. We spoke to Park Ranger and she told us to spend the night either camping or in St Mary to spend the whole day on the "Going to the Sun Highway." She said it would be worth our time and Liz told me that it was one of the most photographed highways in the US. So, we headed to St. Mary and got the last unit in the St Mary Lodge. St Mary Lodge website. It had an RCI sign in it, so I think it has units for exchange. This location is perfect for a stay near Glacier National. If we can get exchanges into this place, it's what I would do next time.
We got up early Sunday Morning and got on the road at about 8:30 am. Quick stop at the Visitor's center to pick up the Junior Ranger program and started on our way. We must have taken several hundred pictures. The majestic mountains separating the blue green waters of the glacial lakes separated by the dense forrests are spectacular. The water falls and rivers were the best I have ever seen. They are too perfect. I have never seen staircased cased falls. Red and Green rocks fill the rivers. Not sure how they got that color, but I am sure many landscaping professionals come here for inspiration.
The animals are so unafraid of humans. I got 10 feet away from some Mountain Goats. A black bear crossed the street right in front of us near two medicines. And, a moose was in a perfect position just off road to give hundreds of visitors a perfect photo op. Disney couldn't have placed that moose more perfectly.
Needless to say, I would highly recommend this location for an extended stay. We want to plan a return trip centered around this area. Not sure when. But, we've got to do it before 2050. That is when they expect that the remaining 26 glaciers from the original 150 will be completely melted.
Well, that was a mouthful. I'll try to post some pictures later in the week.
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