Growing up in South Jersey has some great memories for me. For most of my young life, one my favorite things to do was to head down the Jersey Shore and spend time on their beaches and boardwalks. Those days are long past and now I love spending my time on boardwalks of a different kind, like this one in Glacier National Park. Instead of the countless amusement piers, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, arcades and endless number of t-shirt stores, I would rather see wildflowers on either side of me and the majestic Rocky Mountains ahead and behind me. You won't find any waterfalls along the boardwalks on the Jersey Shore and there sure aren't any mountain goats there either.
This is one of the great hikes that you will find at Logan Pass, the high point in the park along the amazing Going to the Sun Road. The Hidden Lake Trail starts at the back of the Visitor Center and rises toward Clements Mountain before descending to Hidden Lake. The first half-mile is the boardwalk pictured in this photo, followed by a more normal trail the rest of the way. A little over 1.35 miles after starting the hike, you arrive at Hidden Lake Overlook. If you stop there instead of continuing down to Hidden Lake, you will have crossed the Continental Divide; climbed to 7,152 feet of elevation; seen a pristine mountain lake surrounded by numerous mountains; and probably walked past wildflowers (in the summer) and mountain goats. Not bad for a coupe hours of hiking.