Cink family embraces Glacier National Park as perfect getaway

Stewart Cink hasn’t been to Alaska – yet. But after hiking in Glacier National Park, he can’t imagine any terrain in the continental United States that could surpass Glacier’s stunning beauty.

“It's rugged. It's spectacular. It's steep,” Cink says. “And the trail system throughout that national park is like unbelievable. It takes you to the best places.

“If you're willing to get out there and go a long way, then you can get to probably the best scenic trail access and scenery in maybe in the world.”

Montana’s Glacier National Park offers 1,600 square miles of mountains created by prehistoric ice rivers, as well as forests and meadows to explore. There are about two dozen glaciers, estimated to be 7,000 years old, along with 200 lakes, abundant waterfalls and countless pristine streams.

Conservationist and author George Bird Grinnell, who first visited Glacier in 1885, was so taken by the beauty of the area, he gave Glacier the nickname “Crown of the Continent.” It became a national park in 1910 and has now hosted more than 100 million visitors.

One of those was Cink’s wife, Lisa, who was immediately drawn to the area. She brought her husband, and he fell in love with it, too.

“It's our spot,” says Cink, who is kicking off the new season this week at the Fortinet Championship, a tournament he won two years ago.

The couple has visited nearly a dozen times. They’ve gone with their two sons and took their “wives before they were wives.” Some of their friends have accompanied them on trips, as well, and they’ve made more friends who live there.

There are 700 miles of hiking trails for people of all abilities at Glacier National Park. When Cink and his family and friends go, they focus on big day hikes. The longest is about 16 miles. Others are in the 7- to 10-mile range to make sure the group spends as much of the day as possible outside.

“It’s not a very long summer but it's just spectacular,” Cink says. “And … there's a couple roads that also access some pretty spectacular scenery. … It's not like you're starting in the valley. You have to work your way to the top. It stays in amazing scenery, but the longer you're out there, you get different vantage points. You see other people and it's just really awesome.”

Those hikes, as might be expected, are strenuous, though.

“When you get done, you're ready to stop and you're sore,” Cink says. “Even for somebody who walks a lot like me, … I've had my days with knee issues. And certainly, like the next day, I don't want to get out of bed because I feel like I'm 100 years old. But it's worth it. It's good exercise. And it's just so good for the soul.”

Cink doesn’t camp at Glacier, opting for some of the rustic lodges – “glorified campgrounds,” he says -- since grizzly bears are among the abundant wildlife in the park. He’s camped in grizzly territory the Grand Tetons, and he knows it takes more preparation.

“There's people in my family that aren't in favor of it,” he says with a grin. “But I would love to do a couple overnights there. I think it'd be fantastic. It's just such a beautiful place.”

Even so, there have been some close encounters with black bear – “That’s still scary,” Cink admits -- and he’s seen grizzlies from a distance on every visit to Glacier.

The park spans the Continental Divide and as a result, can feature dramatic extremes in weather. The Glacier National Park website suggests hikers in the summertime bring extra layers for protection as the climb continues and the altitude thins.

Cink has experienced those changes firsthand, too.

“We have memories of snowstorms where like, we’re even talking August,” he says. “You can't always predict. It's just such a rugged place.

“You can get a summer thunderstorm and it's just like raining like crazy, and up there it can be snowing like crazy because it's high up. We got buried by about 8 inches of snow one time That was interesting. …

“It's just a fun place. I feel like a kid when I'm out there.”