Two Medicine

One of the most beautiful places in Glacier lies in the southeastern corner of the park: the Two Medicine area. This rugged, unspoiled wilderness is miles away from hotels and restaurants and, aside from the small camp store next to Two Medicine Lake, is untouched by commerce. The lake itself sits in a valley carved out by glaciers several millennia ago and is now flanked by Rising Wolf Mountain, Sinopah Mountain, and Mount Henry. A perfect place to hike and explore!

We began our hike along the South Shore Trail with the destination of Rockwell Falls in mind, a mere 3.3 miles away. But we also decided to add in the little offshoot to Paradise Point–an outcropping into the lake where you can see Rising Wolf Mountain in all its glory. If you look closely at the photo above, you can see the Sinopah taking visitors on an hour-long tour of the lake. To give you some context, Sinopah is a name that comes from the Blackfeet meaning “Kit Fox.” The original Sinopah was the wife of early explorer Hugh Monroe (whose Blackfoot name was “Rising Wolf”). Monroe was a trapper, guide, and interpreter in the mid-1800’s who got his start working for Hudson’s Bay Company (now famous for their blankets), but who spent most of his life traveling and living with the Piikani Blackfoot Chief Lone Walker. He ultimately married the chief’s daughter and was known throughout his lifetime as the “White Blackfoot.”

Understanding a bit about the history of this place helped us appreciate it more, although it’s still just as beautiful knowing nothing. The trail winds through forests, meadows, and a few beaver ponds, with amazing views throughout. Behind us in the photo above is Mt. Sinopah.

There are lots of small streams to be crossed, with bridges of various sizes. This suspension bridge was by far the largest and most elaborate, crossing Paradise Creek. I’m sure the bridge is sturdy enough to bear the weight of more than one person, but it swings pretty dramatically in the middle so it’s probably safer to adhere to the posted “one person at a time” limit.

Not too long after this, we reached the falls, which are spectacular! Rockwell Falls is a two-tier waterfall that originates from snowmelt at the top of Rockwell Mountain. The mountain was originally named Rising Bull Mountain, in honor of the highly respected Blackfeet Chief, Rising Bull, who was known for his bravery, kindness, and generosity. But I have not been able to determine how the name got changed to Rockwell.

We also saw quite a lot of wildlife on this hike! Beginning with the bighorn ram above, on our way in, we also saw several deer and a moose!

One thing we didn’t see on this trip was a bear. Or, for that matter, any trace of a bear. We kept our eyes peeled for tracks and scat, or any berry bushes or carcasses that might attract bears, but saw nothing anywhere. However, we were amazed to be approached by a friendly ranger named Austin on our way back, who explained that he is hiking the trails doing bear awareness education and prevention. He gave us this quick check: Are you both carrying bear spray? Yes! Are you making plenty of noise? Can’t believe you didn’t hear us! Have you shaken your bear spray recently? Ooh! Did not know this one! Apparently you have to shake your bear spray cans periodically because the propellant tends to separate from the contents and the lines can get clogged up. Good to know! He left us and set off to educate some other folks, calling out something that sounded like “Day-oh!” periodically until he was out of earshot, which inspired me to sing the Harry Belafonte classic most of the way back to the trailhead.

One thing I haven’t mentioned yet: working for the Conservancy is a little like being a celebrity out here. You tell someone you work for the Conservancy and they suddenly regard you as a friend. Austin was friendly from the start but when Rob mentioned that we were working for the Conservancy he shook our hands, learned our names, and shared a few stories (all good ones). It’s a great feeling to be a representative of something that people obviously appreciate and respect! Also a reminder to be on our best behavior–not that we wouldn’t be anyway, but you know… a little care goes a long way.

We concluded our hike with a visit to the cute little camp store that sits at the foot of Two Medicine Lake. We’ve been wanting to check this out for a long time, but it’s never been open until now. Rob actually interviewed for a job running this store in 2024, but they were looking for a couple and he ultimately wound up at Yellowstone. The camp store was formerly the dining room for a larger chalet that was built by the Glacier Park Hotel Company in 1914, as part of the Great Northern Railway’s extensive development of visitor services designed to attract people to travel to Glacier via the railway. FDR visited Glacier in August, 1934, and delivered one of his public radio addresses from the chalet.

Although this was not one of his famous “Fireside Chats,” you can perhaps picture him sitting here by the dining room fireplace as he spoke: “Today, for the first time in my life, I have seen Glacier Park. Perhaps I can best express to you my thrill and delight by saying that I wish every American, old and young, could have been with me today. The great mountains, the glaciers, the lakes and the trees make me long to stay here for all the rest of the summer.” Though he actually stayed a mere 24 hours, his words ring just as true for us nearly a century later. Glacier is still a magnificent place, one that is worth seeing if you possibly can.

So by now you may be wondering, what exactly are the two medicines? It’s kind of a misnomer, as the Blackfeet actually referred to this area as Na-too-too-kase: “Place of Two Medicine Lodges.” A medicine lodge is a ceremonial structure used by Native Americans for spiritual purification and healing. There is no medicine as white folks commonly understand it. But I can tell you this: after our first 7.5-mile hike of the season, we ended up being grateful for the ibuprofen we had stashed in the truck!