Apgar Lookout Trail
Depending on water levels this year the access opens and closes without notice on the parks website or even at the entrance station.
Basically you are going to have to drive to the parking area for the horse stable to see if the QUARTER CIRCLE BRIDGE ROAD is open. BEWARE if you encounter water over the road on the approach to QUARTER CIRCLE BRIDGE the park might close the road behind you. So take this trail at your own risk. The Road has been REOPENED 7/7/11 On - Site Report as of 7/8/11 The QUARTER CIRCLE BRIDGE ROAD remains open!
Beware of falling trees!
NPS Trail Crew Report as of 7-18-11 The biggest hazard on this trail is to be caught scrambling over downed trees and get crushed by another falling tree, unlikely but possible. Mosquitos wait in anticipation of hikers exiting their cars in the parking area. Except for the first half mile the trail is dry. The entire trail and surroundings are free of snow. There were as of 7/8/11 some twenty trees across the trail. Two of them fell across the trail about twenty feet in front of me on my way out. Another two fell alongside the trail a few minutes later. This trail can get very windy and the temp can drop rapidly. Lots and lots of vegetation filling in after the Roberts Fire of 2003. Indian Paintbrush, ferns, cow parsnip, may apples, Rocky Mountain Maple and various other wildflowers and shrubs fill the slopes. Seems that the Quarter Circle Bridge has been under water as of 6-27-11 the water is under the bridge instead of over the bridge. The Quarter Circle Bridge is is opened on 6-28-11 then closed during the afternoon of 6-29-11.
The views towards West Glacier have opened up considerably since 2005 as more and more of the dead trees fall over, frequently across the trail. If your bothered by hiking through a burnt out forest then this isn't the hike for you. The trees were whistling in the wind as I hiked up towards Apgar Lookout. As I went up the wind increased and the temperature dropped. Bring a windbreaker/raincoat otherwise even on a hot day you can get cold on this trail.
Since the Roberts Fire of 2003 there is no shade on the Apgar Lookout trail. I seriously miscalculated the amount of water needed for the hike and suffered for it. The view of Lake McDonald from the fire tower is very nice but this is one of those hikes that is not on my list to hike again. Well after hiking this trail with an ample supply of cold water I have changed my mind about this trail. It is now on my list of regular hikes. Particularly to witness the changes after a major forest fire plus to see the difference in Lake McDonald. The view from Mount Brown Lookout is much more spectacular of Lake McDonald. The Apgar Lookout Trail is a series of switchbacks that crisscross the mountainside. The main attraction for me of the Apgar Lookout Trail is that the trail clears of snow earlier then most trails, thanks to the burned out forest canopy. If you want to see the effects of a forest fire up close then this is a good trail for you. You can also view the effects of a forest fire at a distance when looking down on the west shore of Lake McDonald. The burn you see there was caused when the Roberts Fire, pushed by high winds, crested Howe Ridge and burned all the way to the lake. High winds and fire are a dangerous combination. I remember the winds the day the Roberts Fire crested Howe Ridge. I was hiking down the Danny On Trail on Big Mountain and nearly got blown off the trail just below the Summit House.  Apgar Lookout was repeatedly doused by fire retardant during the Roberts Fire in 2003. In 2005 the building was still pink.
The application of fire retardant was in preparation for the Forest Service igniting the forest to act as a firebreak against the Roberts Fire. The helicopter shown above set fire to the forest to the west of Apgar Lookout. I know it looks like a 'painted' backdrop but the sky was filled with smoke and ashes. For those of you familiar with the area around West Glacier, Montana, the USFS command post was set up on a small knoll next to the large eagle on US Hwy 2 in West Glacier. The helicopter flew over the command post after igniting the forest to the west of Apgar Lookout. | |||
|
|||
 Mount Brown Lookout provides an even more dramatic view of Lake McDonald from the northern end. |
Agility in climbing over or under fallen trees is required to climb this trail.