Montana: Glacier National Park
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Montana: Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park is located in the U.S. state of Montana, bordering the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. This spectacular park encompasses over one million acres and includes parts of two mountain ranges, sub- ranges of the Rocky Mountains (Lewis and Livingston). This vast acreage of land is home to over 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 different species of plants and animals. The ecosystem that is contained within Glacier National park has been referred to as the “ Crown of the Continent Ecosystem” and is a 16,000 square mile piece of protected land.
The mountains of Glacier National Park began forming 170 million ago, the current shapes of the Lewis and Livingston mountain ranges along with the positioning and size of the lakes within show evidence of massive glacial action; by carving u- shaped valleys and leaving behind moraines which impounded beautiful water creating lakes. Unfortunately of the estimated 150 glaciers that once existed in the 19th century, only 25 active glaciers remain today. Sadly scientists today suggest that all the glaciers may disappear by the year 2030 if the current climate patterns continue.
Glacier National Park has almost all of its original endemic plant and animal species. Mammals including the thunderous grizzly bear and the agile mountain goat as well as not so famous mammals including the wolverine and the lynx. Hundreds of different species of birds call the park home as well as more than one dozen fish species, a few reptiles and some amphibian species.
A total of 1,132 plant species have been identified throughout the park. The predominantly coniferous forest is home to various species of trees including the Engelmann spruce, Douglas fir, sub alpine fir, limber in and western larch. Of the deciduous trees the most common found in the park are the cottonwood and aspen found at some of the more lower elevations of the park. Thirty species of plants can be found thriving throughout the park and only in the park and its surrounding National Forests these include Beagrass found near the moisture sources and is a beautiful tall growing flowering plant. Wildflowers found in the park include monkey flower, glacier lily, fireweed, balsamroot and the Indian paintbrush.
The park contains over a dozen large lakes and over 700 smaller ones, however only 131 of those lakes are named. The largest and longest is Lake McDonald which sits on the western side of the park and is measured at 9.4 miles long, 6,823 acres in area and at its deepest section measures 464 feet deep. Smaller lakes known as tarns are located in kettle like puddles formed by glacial erosion. Lakes like Avalanche Lake and Cracker Lake are colored opaque turquoise by suspended glacial silt (a material somewhere between clay and sand), the same material that causes a number of streams to run milky white. While all these lakes are a spectacular vision they remain cold year round, temperatures never reaching any higher than 50 degrees Fahrenheit at their surfaces, so little plankton growth is found. Some 200 hundred waterfalls can be seen throughout the park one of the tallest being Bird woman Falls which has a drop of 492 feet.
A fleet of restored 1930’s White Motor Company coaches, called Red Jammers offer tours on all main roads in the park. A number of historic boat tours some dating as far back as the 1920’s operate for tourists on several of the larger lakes. Probably one of the most popular activity involving Glacier National Park is hiking. Over half of all the visitors to the park report having hiked on the park’s some 700 miles of trails. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail spans most of the distance of the park from north to south making it a hikers paradise. Numerous day hiking options are available throughout the park as well as back country camping at permitted campsites found along the trail ways. Fishing of course is among some of the more popular Glacier National Park activities and is home to some of the best fly fishing in North America. And in the winter the recreation is not limited, snowmobiling may be illegal throughout the park but cross- country skiing is not and can commonly be found in some of the lower valleys away from the dangers of the avalanche zones.
