Glacier National Park

We took a family vacation in September to Glacier National Park—a long-time bucket-list trip I missed doing while living in Montana over a decade ago. We stayed at two of the park’s historic lodges and logged miles of hiking each day. Having grown up just outside Yellowstone, I’ve been surrounded by both beautiful nature and endless crowds of tourists, so that beauty has sometimes been taken for granted. Glacier was no different—overflowing with visitors and equally stunning.

Though we couldn’t access a few of the main trails we’d hoped for due to the crowds, we found others that led us past multiple waterfalls and quiet stretches of berry laden forest. We spotted bears and moose just outside our lodge. One night, I watched moonlight illuminate the mountains and lake outside Many Glacier Lodge.

While staying in the lodges, I tried to see them through a documentary lens. History disappears quickly, and you never know when something might be gone for good. Built in the early 1900s—before Glacier was even designated a national park—these lodges were privately established and constructed from old-growth timber sourced from the Pacific Northwest. Each has its own quirks and charm, a feeling of being frozen in time.

Beyond documenting the buildings themselves, I wanted to treat the entire trip as if I’d been sent on assignment for a magazine. Because sometimes, you have to shoot for the assignments you want people to give you.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the trip.

© Justin L. Stewart. All photographs and written content are protected under U.S. and international copyright law. Any unlicensed use, reproduction, distribution, or use in AI datasets will be considered infringement and subject to legal action.