Glacier national park, usa. Glacier National Park in Montana USA (Glacier National Park)

national park Glacier Bay with an area of 13.287 sq. km. located on the southeast coast of Alaska. The nature of the coast of Glacier Bay is -, 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):

Date: 2016-05-20 | Views: 3590

One of the most beautiful points on the planet and a great place to relax in the bosom of pristine nature is Glacier National park. It occupies an area of more than 4 thousand km², passing through the Rocky Mountains of Montana to the very border with Canada.

Due to the lack of residential areas and industrial enterprises nearby the Park, the air here is crystal clear and fresh. The country's Geological Survey regularly analyzes it, monitors climate change and the melting of glaciers.

The extraction of any minerals, hunting and logging, as well as the use of snowmobiles for movement are prohibited here. At the same time, fishing, skiing and horseback riding are allowed, and travel is encouraged along numerous tourist routes, the total length of which is about 1,100 kilometers.

You can choose hiking, caravanning, or take advantage of excursions on boats or vintage red cars called Red Jammers. Every year Glacier is visited by 2 million tourists.

If you try to briefly describe Glacier, it will turn out something like this: mountains, rocks, glaciers, streams flowing from mountains, forests, lakes are everywhere ... There are 130 large lakes, about 700 (!) Small reservoirs, about 200 waterfalls. The height of the most beautiful and most big waterfall Bird Woman 150 meters. There are also glaciers, which, as already mentioned, are gradually disappearing. There are as many as 37 of them.

Since we are talking about the very best, it would be appropriate to recall the largest lake in the west of Glacier Park - Lake McDonald 15 km. in length and 141 m in depth.

It was not for nothing that the National Park was created in these parts back in 1910, and later received the status of a biosphere reserve and an object world heritage. All animal and vegetable world Glacier has remained unchanged since the time when the first Europeans set foot on this earth.

More than 1100 different species of plants (30 of them are endemic to this area), 260 species of birds, about a hundred species of other animals, including such rare ones as lynx, baribal and grizzly bears, bighorn ram, and wolverine are carefully protected and multiplied here. , porcupine, elk, wolf and bighorn goat. The latter has become a symbol of Glacier National Park. Local forests consist of fir, spruce, whitebark pine, hemlock and folded thuja.

Would like to note interesting feature- due to glacial deposits, the water in some streams flowing down from the mountains has a whitish tint, and in some lakes it is an opaque turquoise color.

The elevation difference in the Park is quite large - 2100 meters. This causes a variety of microclimates here. For example, in the mountains all year round freezing temperatures and snowfalls are not uncommon. And below the climate is softened by the influence of the Pacific Ocean.

For the convenience of visitors, a road and railway were built here at the beginning of the 19th century, along which hotels and campsites were built. All of them are now historical monuments of the United States.

This concludes our short tour. I hope she brought you pleasure. And all those who would like to decorate their desktop with views of this corner of the planet can do this with the help of the corresponding theme "Desktop Wallpaper with Views of Glacier Park".

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Thematic release! Wallpapers for December-January-February 2018/2019 this season are dedicated to one of the most "winter" countries - Finland. To be more precise, the Nuuksio National Park (Nuuksion kansallispuisto) is photographed. Read more about it in our article.

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 of 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. This is about national park Glacier, 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.

A lot of tourist routes, both on foot and designed for the use of transport, have been laid through the park. 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 the coastal ice massif, making a powerful shot sound, 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 water rides, trips through the park on a red sightseeing bus, and just staying on one of the terraces, from which magnificent views open up, attract tourists much more.

glacier(Glacier) is a famous national park in the US state of Montana, which gives, 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 solitude in a walk along wild nature, the park has about 1000 kilometers of prepared trails of various difficulty categories.

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 on the territory of Glacier there are 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
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 UNESCO World Heritage Site
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 a night under the stars, choose from one of the 13 campsites in Glacier National Park.
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 lookouts 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

with Canadian provinces British Columbia and Albert. Currently, about 37 glaciers remain in the park. Glacier Park is part of a huge ecosystem that has come down to our time almost unchanged. Glacier impresses with its wild meadows, emerald valleys, incredible mountain peaks and amazing waterfalls. On the territory of the reserve there are more than a hundred lakes, thousands of plant species, great amount various wild animals. Glacier is a corner of untouched nature, occupying about 42 thousand square kilometers.

The region that became Glacier Park was originally inhabited by Native American Indians. The Indians predominantly occupied "Blackfeet" to the east and "Flathead" to the west. Under pressure from the federal government, part of the land was vacated in 1895 and later became the territory of the park. In May 1920, shortly after the creation of the park by the Department of the Great Northern railway, several chalets and hotels were built. These buildings are listed as National Historic Landmarks. By 1932 work was completed on the equipment tourist route"Road to the Sun"

This route was one of the first projects designed for auto travelers. This is the only route that crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass at 2026 meters. The road was conceived by George Goodwin back in 1917. The construction of the route began in 1921. The entire route was operational at the end of 1933 and cost the Treasury $2.5 million.

The main attractions of the Glacier Park

The largest lake in Glacier is McDonald. The width of the lake is about 16 kilometers, the length is 1.6 kilometers. The depth of the reservoir is about 130 meters. Lake McDonald is located at an altitude of 960 meters on the western side of the American Continental Divide. The surface area of the lake is 27.6 square kilometers. The lake is home to many species of trout, salmon, and sockeye salmon. Grizzly bears, black bears, moose and deer are found near the lake. The lake is surrounded by a dense coniferous forest dominated by various types of spruce, fir and larch. On the shore of the lake you can stop for the night, have a bite to eat, rent a motor boat.

“On the trail of cedars” is the name of the mountain hiking trail. This is 960 meters of equipped route. Walking along it, you can enjoy the mighty cedars, the height of which reaches 24 meters. The trail splits into two parts, one winding while the other continues to Lake Avalanche. On the way among the rocks you will meet an amazing waterfall.

Will especially impress you 170 meter waterfall under the poetic name "Bird Woman". It is clearly visible from a distance of 3 kilometers. The waters of the waterfall are fed by the remains of a glacier located on the northern and western slopes of Mount Oberlin. The waterfall is most full-flowing in late spring and early summer, and in autumn its waters dry up.

"Garden Wall" Alpine meadow, covered in the summer months with dozens of species of flowering plants and shrubs. An unforgettable sight!

Glacier National Park is featured on the 25 cent coin in the America the Beautiful series.

How to get there

The park is located in northwestern Montana along the Rocky Mountain range. international Airport Glacier Park (FCA) is the closest to the reserve. It is 30 miles from the western entrance to Glacier National Park and receives flights major airlines from, and other airports in America.

You can also get here by car. The road from Seattle will take about 10 hours, from Canadian Calgary about 6 hours, and from Spokane only 4 hours.

Video: Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park on USA map

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