Glacier 29 May - 4 June 2010

We had the campground almost all to ourselves, except for the elk that came hunting food every evening, until Memorial Day weekend and even then it wasn’t crowded at all. The facilities are very nice, a camp store, even has a good sized hot tub and swimming pool, splash park, bocce court, volleyball, a putting green, a pavilion, big dog walk, log cabins, and best of all; we looked out almost on all sides to the mighty snow covered Glacier mountains, the plateaus, the pines and red birch trees, the aspens, and the winding St Mary river and lake. It became colder that first evening there and then the snow showers came in before we went to bed. We lost power for several hours that morning and awoke to a half a foot of snow! It was ever so beautiful as it was a wet snow that covered the trees making the country side look like a Robert Kinkaid Christmas card; but was almost all gone by the afternoon which was nice. The boys loved it! We took advantage of it and rode all around to sort of get a sense of where everything was and what we wanted to do first. But first, let’s talk clothing for this part of the country!! Come with a travel wardrobe that goes from parkas, under armor, snow boots to jeans and light weight sweaters and hiking boots/sneakers which we found on sale! Most of everything out was for the summer which may not come here until very late June or early July. The weather changes almost every day this time of year. We came with no cold weather coats and had to make a trip to get some more cold weather things; but as we have found in all of Wyoming and Montana these outings gave us a chance to meet some very nice people from all over. Almost all the stores and restaurants here are full of college and graduate students from here and there who just want a place to stay (which are provided by the facilities) and days off to see the area to do all kinds of sports such as hiking, kayaking, boating, biking, trail riding, cross-country skiing, and rock climbing, animal & bird watching, etc. We were impressed that they were so adventurous and possessed such a sense of the environment, and what adventures were there for their taking. On May 11, 1910 Glacier was designated the 10th National Park, six years prior to the establishment of the National Park Service. This year, we are helping Glacier in celebrating its centennial and its 100 years of upholding its mandate to conserve the natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment of our future generations. It’s very important to note that Glacier NP’s namesake, the 150 glaciers that were identified in 1850 have dwindled to only 25 which are still large enough to be called glaciers. Initially, the U.S. Geological Survey Research predicted those 25 would be gone by 2030, but they are disappearing more rapidly than that due to continued climate warming. We could only see two from the road. Glacier claims that it has the top 10 scenic drives in the Northern Rockies and we have to agree. There are 175 mountains with a low of 3,150 ft and a high of 10,466 ft with 151 hiking trails totaling more than 743 miles. There are also 13 campgrounds with 1,137 sites and 116 lodging accommodations in both parks, as well as 177 picnic sites. There are several entrances to the park…West Glacier, Two Medicine, East Glacier/ St Mary, Many Glaciers, and Waterton National Park which is on the Canadian side. In 1932 Canada and the U.S. declared Waterton Lakes NP and neighboring Glacier NP to be the world’s first International Peace Park sharing all the responsibilities. To our dismay, we did not think to bring our passports as it would have been great to see that side and the famous Prince of Wales Hotel that sits on a high cliff overlooking the park. We did drive up towards customs on the Chief Mountain International Hwy which began just north of us in Babb. We saw a beautiful view of the valley and the Chief Mountain (9,080 ft) which dominates the horizon. It is a solitary peak that commands awe. The Blackfeet Indians seeking spiritual guidance still tie a traditional offering of colored cloth to the trees at its base. On the way, we were so fortunate to see a rather large brown bear right on the side of the road which we sat and watched while he foraged for food. That drive is really quite pretty and one we will do again if we are able to come back some time during the fall months. Another disappointment was that due to the weather and more snow storms in the mountains (over 100 ft of snow this season) Logan’s Pass, which is atop the Continental Divide, was still closed even though it was suppose to open the first of June. So regrettably, we did not get to see the Going-To-The-Sun Mountain – at 9,642 ft, (the highest peak in the park). Another reason to come back… The name comes from a Blackfeet legend that says Napi, the creator, came to help the Blackfeet, then climbed this mountain to return to the sun. We saw photos at the St Mary Ranger’s Station of the huge amount of snow that the snow plows were still working on...it usually takes a least 2 months to clear all the snow from the pass and this very narrow road which goes from the St Mary entrance to Apgar Village and West Glacier to the west and is about an hour and a half drive. Due to the closure of the pass, we were only allowed to drive about 8 miles into the park before the road closes (up to Jackson Overlook).

During the summer there are free shuttles from July to Sep that travel around the park, as well as the famous old nostalgic appeal of the elegant and iconic retractable canvas topped sightseeing buses. These bright red buses are actually converted 25 ft touring sedans. It is reported that each one had traveled about 600,000 miles by the late 1990’s! It is incredible that they are still functioning! We could have gone around the southern route to West Glacier but that would have taken most of the day going and coming since it is about a two and a half hour drive without going through the pass. We had chosen the East side of the park as it is not as commercial as West Glacier and we are so very glad we did, although we did entertain thoughts of driving to the West and taking a helicopter tour of the park since that was highly recommended by one of Debra’s friends. Again, due to the weather and high winds, even that turned out not to be an option.

We made many trips to the side of the park called Many Glacier and the Swiftcurrent Valley. It is named for the glaciers on surrounding mountains and was a good place for us to see bighorn sheep and moose and other wild animals and birds. There is the Lake Sherburne Dam as you enter the park and just beyond is the Many Glacier Hotel which was built by the Northern Railway in 1915 to help promote tourism along its tracks. We could see Grinnell Glacier which is one of the largest in the park. In addition to the hotel there are some chalets, and a small motel which has of all things, an Italian Restaurant. During our first visit we got to see some mountain goats which many folk do not see this time of year. We also invested in a good set of self focusing binoculars which helped us both in Yellowstone and here. Our necks were stiff at night from stretching to see if we could see all the many falls created from the melting glaciers and any other wildlife while looking up at the majestic mountain peaks.

The tremendous range of topography in Waterton-Glacier supports a rich variety of plants and wildlife. Almost two thousand plant species provide food and haven for more than 60 native species of mammals and 260 species of birds. We loved watching a bull moose eating away at some berries and bushes as we drove back from one of our outings to Many Glaciers. In the 1980’s the gray wolf settled into Glacier for the first time since the 1950s. I think we saw one and photographed it…or it could have been a husky, we just weren’t sure. We planned on showing the photo to a ranger and see what they thought. Debra’s convinced it was a husky. We have a picture of it…maybe you can tell.

It was sad to learn that now strip-mining and oil, gas, housing and logging projects proposed are underway near the park’s respective borders and endanger the habitats of both water and land animals, including elk, bighorn sheep, and the threatened grizzly. Park officials and conservation groups are working with the U.S. Forest Service, the Canadian government, the Blackfeet Tribe, and private companies to protect critical habitats. I know I for one have become more aware of these types of things during this trip and intend to increase my contributions to the National Parks and Conservation Society.

The Wednesday evening before we left, a wind & rain storm came barreling through and the wind gusts were so bad we had to bring in the slide outs. It was like what we would call a nor’easter at home. Thursday the wind finally died down in the afternoon so we could make our last outing to Two Medicine, a short high mountain scenic highway, inside the park’s southeastern border which is surrounded by brightly colored cliffs and huge beautiful valleys.

The last night we were there we ate at Johnson’s restaurant up on the hill across from the little café. We hadn’t thought about it till we met these two guys who let us in on the secret of Johnsons. They have specials every night and are served family style. What a meal…their bean soup was absolutely the best!! It was like eating in a bunk house with lots of family memorabilia. Lester Johnson was quite the trailblazer in the area and well known. He had recently died at the age of 96 and his wife was still alive at 91. Some of the children were still running it.

The morning we were to depart, as we were leaving the campground for breakfast at our favorite cafe, there was a gorgeous rainbow that was so low to the ground it looked as if we could find the end just across the road into the woods. A fitting end to our trip.

We loved every moment of this stop and wished we were going to be there longer for the warmer weather to get to go through Logan’s Pass and to cross-over into Canada. But if all goes well we will return!! We encourage all our friends and family to make this trip soon before we lose these wonderful glaciers which are a study in ecology in themselves. We learned a lot about the circle of life at the park and how the whole park is dependent on the glaciers in so many different ways. Next stop...Mount Rushmore via Devil's Tower and Little Bighorn!