Glacier National Park U.S.A. Glacier National Park in Montana USA (Glacier National Park)

Glacier National Park
national park Glacier is a National Park of the United States of America, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is located on the northern border of the state of Montana.
History:
Glacier National Park borders Waterton Lakes National Park in the Canadian province of Alberta and British Columbia - two parks known as the International Glacier Park and have been recognized as the first in the world international park peace in 1932.
Scenery:
The park is a stunning demonstration of the geological processes that have changed North America over several million years. The rocks in the park are almost entirely sedimentary, having been formed between 1600 and 800 million years ago when this area was an inland sea. The park covers over 4,000 square kilometers and includes parts of two mountain ranges, over 130 lakes, over 1,000 different plant species and hundreds of animal species. These sedimentary rocks are considered to be among the finest fossils from a very early age on Earth.
Flora and fauna:
The park provides many opportunities to see wildlife and its almost unchanged ecosystem. The park is also one of the largest remaining natural habitats for grizzly bears, and during the late summer, grizzlies often descend to low elevations to eat the area's popular berries and fish in the lakes. In addition to bears, the park is also home to two other endangered species, Canada lynx and bull trout. 23 species of fish live in the waters of the park and fishing is very popular here. Bird watchers will find many species of waterfowl, in addition to large birds of prey, including the bald eagle. The park has several ecosystems, from prairie to tundra. Coniferous forest is the predominant ecosystem, although the forests are markedly different on the east and west sides of the Glacier. Wind tracks passing through subalpine meadows are saturated with wild flowers and alpine tundra.Climate:
The weather in the national park often differs depending on the altitude and direction. The west side of Glacier Park has more rainfall, while the east side tends to have strong winds and plenty of sun. The Rocky Mountains disturb the movement of air currents over the North American continent, which has led to a difference in climate. During the summer season, temperatures during the day can reach over 30°C, but at night at altitude can drop to -5°C. Snow can fall at any time of the year. During the winter season, most of the park is covered with snow. Some trails and roads are closed during the off-season.
Fires are also common in the park.
Travel by car:
Hike to the Solar Highway. The most impressive place in the park is along this road. The highway is closed to traffic in winter and is open from June to October. The main attractions are Lake McDonald, the Logan Pass on the Continental Section, the Rising Sun and Lake St. Mary. Logan Pass is the highest road point near the park (2000 meters).

US Highway 2 (Hwy 2) runs on the south side of the park. This route is used for Amtrak trains. The view of the forest, river, railway tracks and railway tunnels all together make this place very picturesque.

Mirror Road (Glass Hill Road, Highway 49) from the top of the hill has a great view of the two lower medicinal lakes. Also, this path is short (and narrow and winding) to the east side of the park, so you don't have to walk all the way to Browning and back.

Highway 89 connects with roads leading to St. Mary's Park and Babb Park (lots of glaciers). Continues north where the highway intersects with the main mountain (Chief Mountain) at the international highway. Excellent views of St. Mary's Park and the lake from the northern hills and south of the city.

Main Mountain on the international highway (highway 17) connects the national glacier park and Waterton lakes in Alberta.

The two medical roads start four miles north of the East Glacier and run along the north side of the Two Lower Medical Lakes. Bears can often be seen in this area.

CutBankCreek dirt road on the east side of the park 23 kilometers south of St Mary's. The road leads to the Triple Divide Pass. Where the Continental Gap divides into three paths between the Pend Oreille - Columbia Rivers (mouth near Portland, Oregon in Astoria), Missouri - Mississippi Rivers (mouth near New Orleans) and Saskatchewan - Nelson Rivers (west of the Hudson Channel in Manitoba, Manitoba) . This area is only suitable for adventurers.

Inside the NorthFork road is a dirt road running from the north on the west side of the park that starts from Apgar at McDonald Lake.

The Camas Road runs parallel to the NorthFork Inner Road, but is paved. It leads to the Huckleberry Nature Trail. Both roads will eventually lead to Polebridge. This route is paved most of the way.

Entertainment:
A ride on the bicycle. Limited by bike paths, roads and parking lots. It is forbidden to ride on trails. Bicycle rental is not available. You can ride a bike on the path leading to Sun Road. Best time The day to ride is early morning or late evening.

Boating. Sea excursions available on many glaciers (Many Glacier), "lower medical roads", rising sun(Rising Sun), Lake Waterton and Lake McDonald.

Camping. There are several dozen remote camping sites along the trail system.

Winter leisure- from December to April. You can explore the park on skis or snowboards. Some trails may be closed due to the risk of avalanches.

Fishing. The glacier is famous for its great opportunity to catch trout. No permit required (except for bull trout fishing).

Hiking. The national park provides 1100 kilometers of path. Tourists can buy topographic maps and various guides. Available day trips and hikes. Trail of the Cedars, hidden Mountain Lake Huckleberry, SunPoint, and Swiftcurrent nature trails are the easiest.

glacier(Glacier) is a famous national park in the US state of Montana, giving, first of all, the opportunity to see the snowy peaks of the mountains and glaciers. First of all, this is what they come here for. The reflection of sunlight from the peaks of the mountains is a truly mesmerizing sight. But for a Russian person to visit a Glacier is to find out something familiar and familiar in it.

- This is one of the most remote national parks in the United States, located in the state of Montana, right on the border with Canada, however, it is not difficult to access. Nature does not tend to pay attention to state borders, that's why mountain range is part of two countries at once. In the USA it is known as Glacier, but on the Canadian side it is called Waterton, and it is not surprising that a large percentage of visitors are residents of the Canadian province of Alberta.

In Glacier Park you can see:

Virgin mountain forests;
Alpine meadows;
Rocky Mountains;
Breathtaking lakes.

For lovers trekking and those who seek privacy in a walk through the wild, the park has about 1000 kilometers of prepared trails of varying difficulty.

Glacier Park was founded in 1910 as a recreational reserve, and the development of the park's infrastructure immediately began, which improved significantly after the construction of the famous mountain road Going-to-the-sun Road in the 30s of the last century. Today it is one of the most impressive mountain resorts USA. On the territory of the park there are about 200 waterfalls, 130 lakes, not counting the very small ones, and about three dozen glaciers, which, unfortunately, are rapidly melting. According to scientists, by 2020 the last glacier in the park may melt.

Today, Glacier Park is home to more than 1,100 plant species, 62 mammal species and about 250 bird species, as well as reptiles, amphibians and over 20 fish species.

In 1976, Glacier was recognized as a state biosphere reserve (as in the state of Washington, as well as in Russia), and in 1995, Glacier, along with Canadian Waterton, were recognized as a single UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Park information

Brief geological background

The sedimentary rocks of Glacier Park, formed between 1.6 billion and 800 million years ago, when the territory of the park was a shallow sea, are well preserved in various fossils, which makes this park unique for studying the history of the planet, since similar sedimentary rocks from that period in other parts of the world are strongly destroyed and changed during mountain building and are not suitable for the study of fossil organisms.

About 170 million years ago, during the formation of the Rocky Mountains in America, significant mountainous areas were shifted about 80 km to the east - the so-called Lewis thrust was formed, which has a height of about 5 km and a length of several hundred kilometers. Today, Glacier has 6 three-kilometer mountain peaks in the Rocky Mountains, the highest of which is Mount Cleveland with a height of 3190 m. And Mount Triple Divide Peak is the watershed point of the North American continent.

Rocky Mountains in Glacier National Park

The relief of Glacier Park was largely formed during the last ice age, which ended about 12 thousand years ago. During the Little Ice Age - the last cooling on the planet Earth (from the middle of the 16th to the middle of the 19th centuries) - the area of glaciers in the Glacier National Park increased slightly. However, now the situation with glaciers is just the opposite and their area is decreasing.

Basic information about Glacier national park in the table:

Name	Glacier National Park
Where is	In the Rocky Mountains of Montana, USA
The address	64 Grinnell Drive Glacier National Park Headquarters West Glacier, MT 59936, USA
Nearest city	Kalispell
GPS coordinates	48° 41′ 0″ N, 113° 43′ 0″ W 48.683333°, -113.716667°
What is	Mountain area, with unique ecosystems and fossils, State Biosphere Reserve and site world heritage UNESCO
Founding date of the park	May 11, 1910
Working hours	Every day around the clock. Some roads are closed for the winter.
Attendance	2,100,000 people per year
Cost of visiting	Weekly ticket - $30 per car (in winter - $20) Weekly ticket - $25 per motorbike ($15 in winter) Weekly ticket - $15 per cyclist or walker ($10 in winter) Annual subscription - $45 Annual pass to all US national parks - $80
visitor centers	Apgar Visitor Center, Logan Pass Visitor Center, St. Mary Visitor Center
Official site	https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm

Glacier Park map - clickable, click for details

Glacier National Park on USA map

What to do in Glacier

Hiking. More than half of all visitors to Glacier National Park come here to go trekking. A wide selection of trails for every taste allows you to choose the most suitable hiking route for each visitor, taking into account his wishes and physical capabilities.
camping in nature. If you want to spend the night under the stars, choose your place in one of the 13 campsites on the territory national park Glacier.
Various ranger-led activities– from simple introductory park tours to challenging hikes and boat tours
Boating. To do this, you must obtain permission and pass the appropriate check before launching the boat into the water.
Fishing. Allowed in certain places in the park. No special license is required for line fishing.
Horseback riding- only allowed on certain trails.
Skiing in winter.
Picnic in nature- in the forest or on the river bank.
Tours in the park with a guide.
Road trip following the sun (Going-to-the-sun Road), which links the western and eastern parts of the park.
Bicycle rides through the park, including driving on the Going-to-the-sun Road.

Free shuttles at Glacier Park

Glacier National Park has a free shuttle service that runs along the Going-to-the-sun road between the Apgar Visitor Center and St. Mary Visitor Center every day from 7 am to 7 pm. Bus routes cover the western and eastern part Glacier parka. On the western route, buses leave every 15-30 minutes, and travel time from Apgar Visitor Center to Logan Pass is 1.5 to 2 hours. In the east, shuttles run every 40-60 minutes from St. Mary Visitor Center to Logan Pass, travel time is about 1 hour. All buses are air-conditioned and equipped with wide windows for better view views and attractions from the road-follow-the-sun.

Our review of visiting Glacier Park in the USA

We came to the amazing Glacier National Park to see its beauty from the car window, stop at several observation platforms and go on a couple of easy tracks in the mountains and near the lakes. We only had about four hours to this amazing place, and this is the biggest omission. But even it was enough to feel the full power of the Rocky Mountains and enjoy the breathtaking views and clean mountain air.

Such a short time was due to the time limit of our itinerary for traveling by car in the United States, during which we wanted to see as much as possible. And we combined a visit to this park with a long drive from Spokane, Washington to Helena, Montana. But even during this time, it became clear that both Glacier Park and the state of Montana as a whole deserve much more attention and a separate trip.

Here's what we saw in Glacier Park and we advise you to look:

at the foot of the Rocky Mountains;
A trip along the road in the mountains -;
- the snowy watershed of America.

Despite the fact that the United States has one of the best travel infrastructures in the world, few Russian-speaking tourists come to Glacier Park. Local tourists from other states and residents of nearby countries have much more opportunities to come and see the snowy peaks. But Montana is so far away, and the state itself is so huge, that it will take you a long time just to get here. We set our record for moving in Montana. For those who wish to follow the sun along the road with the romantic name Going-to-the-sun, there are two entrances - the western West Glacier and the eastern Saint Mary. You have to go east for the sun, and that's what we did.

If you have arrived and do not want to ride along the narrow track yourself, then there is a red bus for guests - a shuttle that will stop at all points on the route. True, you will have to travel in the company of 15 people, but it is completely free! But then you will have to return for the car to the entrance to the Glacier National Park where you left it.

Glacier Park Photos

Lake in Glacier National Park

Glacier Bay National Park with an area of 13.287 sq. km. located on the southeast coast of Alaska. The nature of the coast of Glacier Bay is - a mountain range with snowy peaks, covered with forests, deep fjords, rivers and lakes. The national park is under the protection of UNESCO.

A hundred years ago, the most famous glacier here was the Muir Glacier, 3 km wide and 80 m high. But the climate is constantly changing and in 1990 the glacier receded. Today, tourists have the opportunity to observe the Margerie and Lamplugh glaciers. The photo shows a waterfall from under the Lamplugh Glacier. (Photo by Larry Wilson | NPS):

Birth from the Margerie Glacier. (Photo by NPS | T.Rains):

Ice cave in an iceberg. The blue color of the iceberg indicates that it is very dense and formed relatively recently. (Photo by J. Driscoll | NPS):

13 km Lamplugh Glacier. Glaciers are always trying to find a balance where the amount of ice produced equals the amount of ice lost by the glacier. In the case of a significant increase in nutrition and its excess over melting, the edge of the glacier moves forward - the glacier advances, with the reverse ratio, the glacier retreats. (Photo by J. Mallis | NPS):

This mountain is the most high peak British Columbia and the ninth highest peak in Alaska. (Photo by Emily Mount | NPS):

Glaciers born on slopes fairweather mountains, drain west into the Gulf of Alaska. The absolute height of the peak is 4663 meters above sea level:

Over the Glacier Bay National Park from an airplane. (Photo by Piero Sierra):

(Clickable, 2000×1328 px) . (Photo by T.Rains | NPS):

Landscapes of Glacier Bay National Park. (Photo by T.Rains | NPS):

At the waterfall. (Photo by Emily Mount | NPS):

19 km Johns Hopkins Glacier. The general condition for the formation of glaciers is a combination of low air temperatures with a large amount of solid precipitation. (Photo by NPS):

Killer whale from the dolphin family. Males reach a length of 9-10 m and weigh up to 7.5 tons. The killer whale was given the English name killer whale because of its reputation as a dangerous predator. (Photo by christopher):

Bird's-eye. (Photo by Steve Wall):

Baribal, or black bear. (Photo by Melinda Webster | NPS):

Glacier Bay National Park is not only glaciers, but also beautiful, mysterious forests. (Photo by T.Rains | NPS):

Elk. (Photo by Rosemarie Salazar | NPS):

Modern glaciers cover an area of over 16 million square kilometers, or about 11% of the land. They contain more than 25 million cubic kilometers. ice - almost two thirds of the volume fresh water on the planet. (Photo by Anita363):

The transformation of snow into ice can take place both at negative temperatures and at melting temperatures. (Photo by Donna62):

Beautiful glacier in Halo Bay. (Photo by Len Radin):

Another photo fairweather mountains. (Photo by Linda Lieberman | NPS):

The climate of Glacier Bay National Park is maritime, influenced by ocean currents. On the coast, winters are quite mild (-2 +5 C), and summers are cool (+10-15 C). (Photo by Rosemarie Salazar | NPS):

. (Photo by Janene Driscoll | NPS):

The tail of a humpback whale. Humpback whales spend their summers in Glacier Bay National Park and then winter in Hawaii. (Photo by christopher):

Here is the lowest point of the Glacier Bay National Park - 430 meters below sea level. (Photo morganglines):

valley tree hubbard glacier, the largest on the coast of Alaska. It originates on Mount Logan. The ice at the foot of the Hubbard Glacier is about 400 years old, which is how long it takes the ice to descend from Mount Logan to the ocean. The upper 67 km are in Canada, the lower 48 km are in the United States. (Photo by Rich Engelbrecht):

The width of the frontal part of the Hubbard Glacier (resting against the bays) today is approximately 9 kilometers in summer and about 15 in winter. Hubbard Glacier is a growing glacier. It has continued to grow and advance for approximately the last hundred years. (Photo by Jill Schad):

Ice broke off the glacier. (Photo by Jeff Huffman):

It was a short tour of Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. (Photo by Preston Filbert | NPS):

(Photo by Maurizio Peddis):

Glacier National Park is an incredibly beautiful park, mostly located in the US state of Montana where mountainous terrain prevails. A smaller part of the national park is located in British Columbia - a province of Canada. It is believed that the first people lived on the territory of the modern Glacier Park, whose area is a little more than 4 thousand square meters. kilometers, even 10 thousand years ago.

We entered the Glacier National Park in its southwestern part, immediately finding ourselves at the largest lake in this park - lake macdonald. Our further path ran along the lake, but when we reached the through road through the park, we found that the road was being repaired, and therefore closed. Therefore, to get to the main tourist trails of Glacier Park, we had to go back and drive 100 miles around the park. By the way, Glacier National Park also hosts tours on vintage red buses called Red Jammers.

But, everything that is done is for the better, and if it were not for the repaired road, we would not have to follow this route, but here, as they say, there is something to see. Amazing landscapes!

We pass the second largest lake in Glacier National Park - Saint Mary Lake. And then we get back to the original road, only now on the other side.

Very beautiful waterfall Florence Fall and another Sherburne Lake.

And finally, the Visitor center, from which we set off towards Hidden Lake. By the way, the Canadian flag was not accidentally here - as I already mentioned, the national park Glacier is located on the territory of two states at once.

Glacier National Park was founded in May 1910, and almost immediately after the opening, infrastructure began to actively develop here, which includes hotels, highways, etc. According to scientists, if the glaciers of Glacier Park, of which there are more than thirty, continue also actively melt, then by 2020 they will completely disappear.

When we first entered the territory of the Glacier National Park, we were given a newspaper, a map and various brochures. And if we regularly looked at the Glacier Park map, then our hands did not reach all the other materials. Only on the way back did I decide to read the rest of the brochures, including instructions and recommendations for visiting the park, where I learned a lot of new and interesting things. In particular, this area is called Bear country, so there are a lot of bears here: both grizzlies and blacks.

There are a lot of routes in the Glacier National Park, I can’t even approximately imagine how long it takes to get around them all. Given the fact that we had very limited time, we chose not very large, but insanely beautiful route - Hidden Lake Trail.

Along the way, I came across an omnivorous chipmunk. We understand that he does not care what he eats, he just ate both bread and sausage. And here is Hidden Lake - the main goal of the route.

I would like to point out that There are approximately 130 lakes in Glacier Park, some of which are trailed. At the same time, the total length of all routes for tourists is about 1100 kilometers.

Walking through these incredible places, noticed that sedimentary rocks predominate here and a large number of plant species are represented. After doing the Hidden Lake Trail, we were so excited that we decided to master another one, which is called the Iceberg Lake Trail. The round trip was about 15 kilometers.

Having slightly miscalculated the time, in the middle of the road we were covered in twilight, so we returned back almost in pitch darkness. I had to drive quite carefully, because every now and then different animals jumped out onto the track, such as deer and raccoons. In general, we were very pleased with the trip to Glacier National Park, we would like to return and visit places where we did not have time to go.

Glacier (Montana, USA) - exact location, interesting places, inhabitants, routes.

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There is a place in the United States in the state of Montana near the border with Canada, which is ideal for lovers wildlife And beautiful scenery. The sky here is incredibly expressive, the snow is perfectly white, the plants are all shades of green, the lines of the mountains are fantastically beautiful, and the reservoirs look more like huge mirrors than water. Most importantly, this is one of those places where you can view the glaciers. We are talking about Glacier National Park, which is located at the northern tip of the Rocky Mountains.

How to get there

Airports Missoula (190 km) and Kalispell (40 km) receive flights from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and other US cities. You can get from them to the park without any problems, by shuttles or regular buses. From Canada (the city of Calgary) to the national park is only 4.5 hours away.

Directly next to the park is the town of Gustavus, which can be reached from Juneau by air taxi or by boat.

Those who come to the park in their car will have to pay 25 USD for an entry permit, valid for 7 days. Having reached the park on their own two (that is, public transport) you will also have to pay 12 USD per person (for the same 7 days). There are season tickets in Glacier that are valid for a year and allow you to stay in the park for an unlimited time. Their cost is 30 USD. In addition, Glacier can be visited with The National Park Pass, which includes all US national parks, costs 80 USD per year.

Climate

If we talk about the current situation, then here it is quite warm (on average from -2 ° C to +4 ° C) winters, and summers are rather cool, average temperature keeps in the region of +12 ... +15 ° С. The mountains are much cooler than the lowlands. The driest months are April, May and June.

September and October have the most rainfall of the year.

Nature and wildlife of the park

The area of the park is almost 4000 sq. km, it is rich in mountain ranges, hundreds of large and small lakes, waterfalls, meadows variegated with flowers, glaciers formed many centuries ago. The park is inhabited by a large number of animals and birds, and people first settled in these places about 10,000 years ago, these were Indian tribes.

The area of the park is almost 4000 sq. km, it is rich in mountain ranges, hundreds of large and small lakes, waterfalls, meadows variegated with flowers, glaciers formed many centuries ago.

The first Europeans arrived here at the beginning of the 19th century as part of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and they discovered the Indians here. In 1807, Fort Manuel was built, intended for trade with the Indians. Later, gold was found in the vicinity, due to which the almost deserted territory began to turn into a lively and densely populated area. Fortunately, through the efforts of enthusiasts, it was possible to protect the unique area from the fate of a gold mine and a place for fur trade. In 1910, the region received the status of a national park, and construction work began here.

Glacier Park hiking trails

Quite quickly, the territory of the park was equipped with the necessary infrastructure for tourism, and today there are more than 300 structures included in the National Register of Historic Places.

From the end of May until September, the official tourist season lasts in Glacier Park, it is during these months that the bulk of tourists come here. In the remaining months, only limited service is possible.

The park has become a zone of increased interest for ecotourism lovers: in Glacier there are glaciers from among those that in the near future may literally disappear from the face of the earth - melt due to climate change. Currently, there are about 30 glaciers in the park, while in the 19th century there were five times more of them. Under the influence of the most massive of them, landscapes of the area were formed and changed from year to year. According to scientists, the melting of glaciers is a natural and irreversible process, it is impossible to stop it.

There are many tourist routes, both on foot and designed for the use of transport. The most popular is the 80-kilometer route called "Road to the Sun": it's a two-hour ride in a small bus or car. It starts from the lower territories of the park, and ends at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level at the Continental Pass. This short trip will give you the opportunity to see many magnificent views, each of which is a masterpiece of an artist named Nature. Do not forget that the best views in the park are only available from hiking trails.

Incredibly interesting water route through the park. The ship moves along the shores of Glacier Bay, so passengers have the opportunity to examine in detail the coastal glaciers, each of which has its own unique pattern and color. Quite often you can see and hear how a block of ice breaks off from the coastal ice massif, making the sound of a powerful shot, and falls into the water with a loud splash. It is not possible to get close to the glaciers, as it is dangerous.

Viewing the park from the air is another opportunity to give yourself an unforgettable experience of contemplating wildlife. As a collection of deep fjords, Glacier Bay and its shores look very expressive from the air, which is why excursions by helicopters and light aircraft are especially popular.

Glacier Bay National Park

Lodges, campsites and hotels in Glacier

Among the several hundred tourist facilities in Glacier Park, there are, of course, hotels. They were built in picturesque places, as a rule, on the banks of water bodies, and are part of tourist complexes, including cafes, restaurants, recreation areas, shops.

In the western part of the park in 1914, the Lake McDonald Lodge Hotel opened its doors to guests. The hotel was named after big lake in the park, on the banks of which it was built. The complex of buildings in the style of a Swiss chalet fits perfectly into the landscape. In the main building (which is listed as a National historical monuments America) is the hotel lobby - an open space surrounded by three floors of balconies from which you can get to the rooms. The interiors and furnishings of the hotel are designed in a solid rustic style, the rooms are equipped with all amenities.

On the east coast Lake Swiftcurrent houses the Many Glacier Hotel, the largest in the park. The hotel enjoys an exceptional reputation, as its location is considered the most successful. This is a complex of buildings in which there are rooms, open verandas, a restaurant with live music, shops, cafes, bars. The hotel rooms are decorated without frills, but very comfortable. However, few people here spend time in the room: hiking, horseback riding and boat trips, trips around the park on a red sightseeing bus, and just staying on one of the terraces, which offer magnificent views, attract tourists much more.