Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is located in northern Montana bordering Alberta, Canada. Its name is derived from the forces that created the numerous jagged peaks, deep valleys, and large lakes. About 1.6 billion years ago, most of the central United States was a vast inland sea. Sediment from the surrounding highlands washed into this sea where pressure turned it into the sedimentary rock which dominates the park. Collision of the tectonic plates approximately 70 million years ago caused the uplifting of that sedimentary rock forming the mountain ranges and drained the inland sea. The Pleistocene Ice Age of about 2 million years ago saw large ice sheets repeatedly advance and retreat through the region. These glacial forces carved the massive U-shaped valleys, numerous lakes, and jagged mountain peaks that define the park today. The last major ice sheet melted approximately 12,000 years ago. When the park was first created, there were about 150 active glaciers in the park. Today, there are only 25 active glaciers in the park and scientists believe that within a decade Glacier National Park will, sadly, be without glaciers.

Evidence of human presence in Glacier National Park dates back some 10,000 years when Native Americans would cross over the mountains in search of buffalo. The most numerous of the tribes were the Blackfeet Indians who hold this land to be sacred and still hold spiritual ceremonies here to this day. The early Europeans here were in search of beaver and other pelts, but the completion of the Great Northern Railway in 1891 began bringing large numbers of homesteaders and tourist to the region. As the number of people swelled, people began to look at the region differently, they began to recognize it for its unique natural beauty. By the late 1800s, influential leaders were pressuring Congress to protect the land and in 1910 President Taft signed the legislation to create Glacier National Park as our nation’s 10^th national park.

When Glacier National Park opened in 1910, there were only a few miles of rough wagon roads in the park. Many people, including first Park Superintendent William Logan (Logan Pass named after him), wanted to see the construction of a trans-mountain road across the park so that visitors could reach into the interior of the park. As the National Park Service was established in 1916, one of their initiatives was to meet the growing needs of an automobile crazed nation. Sheer cliffs, short construction seasons, sixty-foot snow-drifts, and tons of solid rock make road building across the Continental Divide a unique challenge. By 1918, National Park Service engineers where surveying for the “Trans-Mountain Road” and came up with a plan which called for 15 switchbacks before crossing the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. Congress began annually appropriating funds for the road and construction began during the summer of 1925.

Immediately officials were not happy with the road’s design and appearance. Officials had mandated a road that presented breathtaking views and showcased the glacial forces: that is not what they got. They had the road redesigned to only have a single switchback, The Loop, and had the road run along the Garden Wall at a gentle 6% grade up over Logan Pass. During the construction there were three men who lost their lives in a late-May avalanche and three arches were added to the road’s design just before Logan Pass to honor them. After almost two decades of planning and construction, the $2.5 million Going-to-the-Sun Road opened on July 15, 1933 with great fanfare. The 50-mile road which connects the West Glacier and St. Mary’s entrances is one of the great engineering feats of the 20^th century and is certainly one, if not the, most beautiful drives in the United States.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is not open during the winter and usually closes for the season by mid-October. The National Park Service only plows about 10 miles in from the western and eastern entrances leaving the road snow-covered in the winter for snowshoers and cross-country skiers. Every spring the National Park Service sets to the monumental task of opening the Going-to-the-Sun Road which requires months of work by the road crew to remove the up to 60-feet of snow from the roadway. Snow drifts at the Logan Pass Visitor Center are known to reach 100 feet deep. Not only do crews have to remove the snow, but they also have to reinstall miles of guardrails which must be removed each year due to the constant avalanches on the road. This year the road did not open until June 22^nd for the summer season!

The road gets its name from a Blackfeet legend that the tallest peak in the region was as close as you could get to the sun. The European translation of that peak’s name is Going-to-the-Sun Mountain and legend has it that one of the great Blackfoot chiefs ascending the mountain to transition to the afterworld. The Going-to-the-Sun Road runs from the West Glacier entrance to the St. Mary’s entrance in the east. The road is the major artery of Glacier National Park, but it is narrow and they have a 21-foot length limit so I could not take Rosie on the road. In addition, for the past four summers the National Park Service has been requiring timed entry reservations for the road to try and curtail the traffic and parking congestion. Fortunately, the park service operates a free shuttle service for the entire length of the road and I found that a convenient way to get around the park.

After entering the park through the West Glacier entrance, you immediately come to Apgar Village which sits at the southern shore of the largest lake in the park, Lake McDonald. I made my week-long camp at Apgar Campground and found it to be great location and very peaceful. Lake McDonald was formed by glaciers and is 10 miles long, a mile wide, and 472 feet deep. About 10 miles up the Going-to-the-Sun Road is the historic Lake McDonald Lodge which was built in 1913 in the style of Swiss chalet. Early developers of the park marketed it as the “American Alps” and worked to lure tourists to Glacier instead of popular Europe. The lodge sits right on the lake and offers lodging, dinning, and boat tours. Lake McDonald is also a popular spot for kayaking and I spent a beautiful late-summer afternoon on the water.

Avalanche Lake is a five-mile-roundtrip hike from the Trail of the Cedars Nature Trail at the Avalanche Creek Campground. The hike starts off with some spectacular views of Avalanche Creek carving its way through a red rock gorge before entering some dense forests and prime bear habitat. The trail is well traveled so I wasn’t surprised not to see bears, but I did see a doe with her two fawns who were very photogenic. The trail opens up to Avalanche Lake which is breathtaking with its emerald blue water with the jagged mountains framing it. The emerald blue water of the lakes and creeks in Glacier come from sediment in the glacial melt waters. Numerous waterfalls called the Monument Falls cascade hundreds of feet off the mountains with their meltwater from Sperry Glacier which ultimately flows into the lake. It is a spectacular hike and I can certainly see why it is one of the most popular in Glacier.

Located on the Continental Divide at an elevation of 6,646 feet is Logan Pass which marks the midway of traveling the Going-to-the-Sun Road as well as dividing the park east to west. The pass can be quite windy and cooler than the rest of the park with winter snow drifts as high as 100 feet! Located at Logan Pass are two of the more popular trailheads: Hidden Lake and Highline. The Hidden Lake Trail begins behind the Logan Pass Visitor Center and is a 3-mile roundtrip up through the jagged peaks to the beautiful emerald-blue Hidden Lake. I did this hike on a sunny morning and it is a good workout with all the elevation change, but it is worth it with the spectacular views. The Highline Trail is 7.6 miles to Granite Park Chalet along the vertical Garden Wall. The trail is actually carved into the side of the rock wall and it is often a sheer drop along a narrow trail with a cable handrail for safety. Plenty of people safely travel the Highline Trail, but schedule and weather didn’t work out for me to try at least part of it: reason to return.

As you descend down the Going-to-the-Sun Road from Logan Pass heading east, you get great views of Jackson Glacier which is one of the largest remaining in the park. Continuing east on the road you come to the St. Mary Falls trailhead which leads to the river flowing through a beautiful rock gorge before dropping at St. Mary Falls. If you continue up the same trail, then you come upon the multi-tiered Virginia Falls which are even more spectacular. A lot of people turnaround at the lowest tier of Virginia Falls, but it you go another mile up the trail you come to the 70-foot of the upper Virgina Falls as melt from Blackfoot Glacier falls off Mount Logan. The total hike for the two falls is about 3.6 miles and well worth it. A little down the road at Sunrift Gorge a small river carves its way through a rock gorge before plummeting over Baring Falls.

From the St. Mary Falls trail, you begin to get views of the western shore of Saint Mary Lake, the second largest lake in the park. Although much narrower than Lake McDonald, this is another beautiful glacial lake with crystal clear water. The eastern side of Glacier is not as densely forested with more marshes and meadows offering prime moose habitat. Unfortunately, I did not see any moose (other reported to seeing them) and the abundant huckleberry bushes didn’t produce the bears promised in the tour guides! At the far eastern shore of the lake is the St. Mary Visitor Center and park entrance which has a vast meadow and gorgeous views of the mountains back across the park. The eastern side of the park gets far fewer visitors and is suppose to be a prime location for spotting moose, black bears, and grizzly bears. Sadly, the only animals I saw in Glacier National Park were deer, ground squirrels, and chipmunks all which are numerous.

Glacier National Park actually borders Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park and in 1932 the United States and Canada designated the two parks the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The world’s first international peace park was established to celebrate the goodwill and friendship between the two countries which share the largest undefended border in the world. It was also created to recognize the shared responsibility that the two nations have to preserve and sustain this pristine wilderness amid a rapidly changing world. When you visit Glacier today, you will see the maple leaf flying alongside the stars and stripes along with park literature bearing the names of both Parks Canada and National Park Service.

At just over one million acres, Glacier National Park is vast and 90% of the park is designated as wilderness. Therefore, those areas of the park not along the Going-to-the-Sun Road really weren’t accessible to me in an RV, but worth mentioning. The Many Glaciers region of the park is located north of St. Mary and is known for its numerous glaciers, large grizzly population, and some of the best backcountry hiking in North America. Likewise, the Two Medicine region of the park is located south of St. Mary and receives far fewer visitors despite its beautiful wilderness hiking and views.

I’ve rambled on here for a while, so sorry about that. This was my first visit to Glacier National Park and I absolutely fell in love with the breathtaking beautiful of this park. As you drive along the Going-to-the Sun Road, after each turn the views are more spectacular than the last. I’ve seen some beautiful sights on this road trip the past four months, but none as gorgeous as Glacier National Park: my new #1 (sorry Yellowstone). As I say goodbye to Glacier and head further west towards Idaho, I am feeling a little sad but I know I’ll be back!