Nature Is Real: Glacier/Waterton Lakes National Parks

Glacier National Park Entrance Sign

First International Peace Park
"Prosperity Will Bless us." Canada's Minister of Interior wrote this in 1895 when what is now Waterton Lakes National Park was established. Visiting Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park today, you can only marvel at the foresight of those who set aside these national parks when western North America still seemed boundless and wild. Yellowstone became the world's first national park in 1872. It's popularity quickly gave rise to others, including Waterton Lakes in 1895 and Glacier in 1910. Their location, adjoining one another along the International Boundary, led to further evolution of the park ideal. In 1932 the governments of Canada and the United States linked the two parks as the world's first International Peace Park.

This landscape has always been sacred to the Blackfeet, Salish, and Kootenai peoples. It remains no less sacred today for the enduring vision of peace embodied in its unique status. Two countries, two provinces, one state, and the Blackfeet people share common boundaries and stewardship. Together all of these groups protect and celebrate one of the most ecologically diverse parts of the Rocky Mountain West.

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park represents a vision of a world in which peoples set aside their differences to work collectively in the interest of all life, for all time. This sacred place is the living embodiment of hope. Hope lives here in the recovery of animals like the wolf and trumpeter swan, eradicated in many other parts of their original North American ranges. Hope lives also in the survival of rare and sensitive creatures like the grizzly bear, lynx, bull trout, and long-toed salamander. People travel from around the world to renew their spirits in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The global importance of this special place was reaffirmed in the 1970's with the designations of Glacier and Waterton Lakes as Biosphere Reserves. In 1995 the International Peace Park again gained world-wide recognition when it was designated as a World Heritage Site.

Glacier National Park Geography and Location
Glacier National Park preserves over one million acres of unspoiled wilderness. More than 720 miles of trails in the park provide access to soaring peaks and verdant forests, mountain meadows and fish-filled lakes -- truly a backpacker's or hiker's paradise. Here hikers have the opportunity to leave the hectic pace of civilization far behind and seek a form of refuge in the silent grandeur of the mountains. Glacier is located in northern Montana and is connected to Waterton Lakes National Park at the USA--Canadian border. Nature Man, his wife Alma and friends Walt and Mary visited the park in June of 2011. Our flight from Jacksonville landed at the Glacier Park International Park in Kalispell, MT. We rented an SUV and traveled to Lake McDonald Lodge where we spent the next 3 nights. We next traveled to Rising Sun Motor Inn where we spent 3 more nights and then on to Many Glacier Inn for sadly our last 3 nights.

Logan Pass

Geology
The rock strata of Glacier National Park were laid down more than a billion years ago as sediment on the bottom of an inland sea. The oldest layer is of buff-colored Altyn limestone, with subsequent layers of greenish Appekuny argillite and reddish Grinnell argillite being deposited on top as mudstone and sandstone. Tectonic forces brought enormous pressure on the strata in this area, causing them to fold upward and eventually break. After the break, the forces continued, forcing a huge slab of rock to slide eastward a distance of 42 miles over neighboring strata. This geologic feature is known as Lewis Overthurst, and it is responsible for creating the original mountain masses in the park.

During the last great ice age, continual heavy snowfall collected in pockets and valleys and compressed under its own weight to form glaciers. These glaciers began to move downhill, pulled by the forces of gravity. As they moved, they carved the rock of the valley walls and floors, scouring deep U-shaped trenches with natural amphitheaters, or cirques, as their heads. When the glaciers retreated, they left behind piles of debris called lateral moraines (along the sides of valleys) and terminal moraines (where the foot of the glacier had been). Terminal moraines formed natural dams in many cases, creating some of the many lakes that dot the park. The action of glaciers on the mountains has resulted in horn peaks and arêtes. The action of the later, smaller glaciers has carved smaller indentations, or hanging cirques, high on the walls of the original valleys. The remnants of these later glaciers remain active in many parts of the park but are shrinking today due to global warming.

Biological Communities
Glacier National Park is a healthy, functioning system of communities that supports a wide variety of interdependent plant and animal species. At the end of the last ice age, temperatures at lower elevations began to rise. This encouraged faster-growing plants and pushed cold-weather-loving flora like relict tundra communities to higher elevations. As a result, an increase in elevation brings the hiker into communities that are very similar to those that dominate the subarctic and arctic regions. The lowlands reflect the convergence of a wide variety of plant communities--cedar-hemlock assemblages from the Pacific Northwest, grassland communities from the Great Plains, bunchgrass communities from the Great Basin, and fire-dependent lodgepole pine forests from the Rockies. The widely divergent plant communities that coexist in the park showcase a great diversity of animal species in a relatively small area.

Wildlife
Nature Man can assure you there is an abundance of "Real Nature" in Glacier National Park. Glacier is one of the few places in North America where all the native carnivores survive. Grizzly and black bears forage amid the greenery along streams and avalanche slopes or fatten on huckleberries or saskatoons. In 1986 wolves denned in the North Fork of the Flathead River for the first time in 50 years. They hunt elk and deer, especially as they gather in the valleys for winter. Cougars are widespread too, mostly at low elevations. Large predators indicate a healthy landscape with abundant prey, intact habitats and tolerant people. Bear tracks and wolf howls offer us all hope and inspiration. So do over 250 kinds of birds--bald and golden eagles, harlequin ducks and rufous humming birds and 70 species of mammals that dwell in the park. Native bull and cutthroat trout are amoung the 25 species of native fish here. Nature Man caught Westslope Cutthroat Trout in a mountain lake near Lake McDonald Lodge at the outflow of a mountain glacier stream. Wading in 50 degree water was necessary to get to this heavenly fishing spot but the blue feet were well worth the discomfort. Visit this place and you become part of a human community that shares and works to sustain the rich ecosystem that gives it life. Respect the wildlife and it will give you many hours of enjoyment.

Park Activities

Hiking and Backpacking
Over half of the visitors to Glacier National Park report taking a hike. That's a lot of hikers, but over 700 miles of trail provide many outstanding opportunities for both short hikes and extended backpacking trips. Hikers planning to camp overnight in Glacier's backcountry must stop at the Agpar Backcountry Office, St. Mary Visitor Center, or ranger station to obtain a backcountry permit.

Fishing

Nature Man Fishing on Avalanche Lake (MM Photo)

While no fishing license or permit is needed to fish inside Glacier National Park, it is recommended that you read and understand the park's fishing regulations. Excellent fishing for various species of trout is available in numerous areas of the park. Pay attention to seasons, species limits, catch and release areas and the limited areas closed to fishing.

Camping
Enjoy the crackling of a campfire and sleep under the stars in Glacier National Park. With 13 different campgrounds and approximately 1,009 sites to choose from, options are plentiful. Most campgrounds in Glacier are first-come first-served with the exception of Fish Creek, St. Mary and half of the group sites in Apgar (these can be reserved in advance).

Going-To-The-Sun-Road
One of the most amazing highlights of Glacier National Park is a drive on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. This engineering marvel spans 50 miles through the park's wild interior, winding around mountainsides and treating visitors to some of the most spectacular sights in northwest Montana. Nature Man, his wife and friends Walt and Mary traveled the entire distance down the Going-to-the-sun-road and we guarantee that it will be the best and most scenic experience of your life. Each turn is a new mountain vista, waterfall, lush green valley and rocky peaks.

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