MONTANA – GLACIER NATIONAL PARK – Swiftcurrent Lake

Photo Experience:  My wife and I were at Many Glacier Hotel in the northeast section of the park for one night, so I tried shooting at both sunset and sunrise. When I was there, by far and away, the better opportunities were at sunrise. I used both my 17-35mm and 24-120mm lenses. Beginning before the sun broke the eastern horizon, I tried different locations along the shoreline in front of the hotel, starting from the left and moving to my right. I found almost all of these spots yielded worthwhile compositions. Eventually I worked my way down close to the boat dock. Here, I found some near-shore rocks that I thought provided nice foreground interest.

Other Info:   An admission fee or appropriate pass is required for park entrance. If you would like to stay at the Many Glacier Hotel, be prepared to make reservations a year in advance. Rooms at this historic inn are spartan. (No air conditioning. No internet service. No cell signal. No TV.) The parking lot is a hike from the lobby of the hotel, so make sure you drop off your bags before parking your vehicle. There are restaurants at the hotel, but we did not purchase food at any of them. At and just before sunrise, the temperature was in the 40s F even though it was July, so a wool hat, gloves, and a polar fleece jacket felt good to me.