Glacier National Park - MT, USA - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

Waymark Code: WM17K2Z

Location: Montana, United States

Date Posted: 03/02/2023

Published By: wayfrog

Views: 1

Pages 377, 378
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK (1,534 sq. m.) straddles the Continental Divide between the Canadian boundary and Marias and Theodore Roosevelt Passes; it stretches from the Great Plains to the North Fork of the Flathead River. Its latitude and altitude make the climate temperateduring short summers, cold and snow-blanketed through long winters. The heavy snows keep its streams full in summer, and feed gleaming emerald lakes and resplendent waterfalls.

Page 382
Eons ago the land here rose, the sea drained off, and rock bodies upthrust by the wrinkling of the earth's crust became mountains. Snow accumulated and formed glaciers, and glacial erosion changed V-shaped valleys to U-shaped ones. The rocks were exfoliated by alternate thawing and freezing, and the glaciers plucked off the scales, forming cirques or amphitheaters, many of them now partly occupied by small lakes. The larger lakes are mostly the result of the damming of glacial valleys by moraines. Continued action of the ice cut into the steep walls that backed the cirques, so that where two glaciers lay on opposite sides of a wall, the crest dividing them was reduced in thickness, forming passes and sawtooth ranges.

The mountains of the park are young and spectacular segments of the continental backbone, with a glacier, a lake, and a singing stream in every interstice. On the west the ascent to the summit is gradual on the east the slope is so abrupt as to amount to an escarpment, a result of the Lewis overthrust fault, which uplifted and shoved the park area 15 to 25 miles out over the plains. On the eastern side there is an abrupt change from rolling shadeless plain to tremendously rugged timbered country. The sixty large and small glaciers that give the park its name are not strictly "rivers of ice," like those in Alaska and the Alps, but remnants of such rivers; they are bedded in glacial cirques and cling to high benches and northern slopes ; every year they recede slightly. They have, however, all the glacial characteristics movement, crevassed surface, and morainal deposits but their day is spent. If there is no climatic change, they will be gone in a thousand years.

Page 384
With abundant food, and protected by strict laws, nearly all species of big game of temperate North America thrive in the park. When tourists throng into the area they withdraw to undisturbed places, but the watchful traveler, especially on remote trails, can see white-tailed and mule deer, elk, moose, mountain goats and sheep, mountain lions, wolves, and grizzly and black bears. Moose frequent marshy ponds in the deepest forests; elk take to the open ridges and mountain sheep and goats haunt the loftiest cliffs and meadows. The small valleys tributary to the North Fork of the Flathead are natural breeding grounds for moose, deer, and bear. On hot summer days, moose wade in shallow lakes or browse in the thick willows along streams. The great brown head and humped shoulders of a bull, with spade-like antlers set back against the hump, are often seen moving in the glacial waters of Trout Lake. In the water the moose is at a disadvantage; but it is unsafe to go very near to him, for he will fight as readily as a grizzly, and can crush a light craft with one stroke. Bears frequent campgrounds. The smaller animals beaver, coyote, porcupine, otter, mink, weasel, wildcat, lynx, and marten are found most readily by those who learn to tread softly and remain alert. Often, a man sitting quietly in the shade will see more wildlife in an hour than he would in a day of vigorous walking.

Fish are plentiful in all waters of the park. On the lakes the best fishing is usually near inlets or outlets, at about sundown. On the streams the time of day is not so important as cautious approach and quiet casting.

Page 393
Nearly 1,000 species of plants bloom in the area, the most lavish display being in early July. The park is divided by exposure, precipitation, temperature, and other factors into three life zones Canadian, Hudsonian, and Arctic-Alpine with remarkable contrasts. Above timber line, the flowers follow retreating snowbanks; there are no successive flowering seasons, for all bloom nearly at once in a riot of color. High up, only the hardiest mosses and lichens, such as the thick-rooted stonecrops, cling among the constantly avalanching shales; only slightly lower grow rare sky-blue alpine columbine, forget-me-not, velvety dryad, globeflower, and carpet pink. A step lower, among stunted, gnarled alpine fir and white-barked pine, delicate glacier lilies push skyward through lingering snowbanks. Fringed parnassia, red and yellow mimulus, wild fragrant heliotrope, heather, and gentian add to the glow of color. Still lower, showy, creamy plumes' of beargrass bloom in alternate years.
From Montana, A State Guide

A showcase of melting glaciers, alpine meadows, carved valleys, and spectacular lakes. With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness steeped in human history. Relive the days of old through historic chalets, lodges, and the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Glacier National Park's glaciers support the American way of life by contributing meltwater to irrigation for agriculture, to cold streams for wildlife, and to lakes for recreation. The melting of the park's glaciers does have consequences, but for many people glacier retreat itself has become enough reason for concern. The national park was named for its many active glaciers. Losing these glaciers may be a lesson about the significance of the crisis. Though other effects of climate change are felt closer to home–more frequent heat waves, rising seas, larger wildfires–the loss of the park’s namesake asks us to imagine what the future of Glacier should be.
From the National Parks Service

Known as the Crown of the Continent and the Backbone of the World, Glacier National Park is one of the most beautiful destinations on earth. Located in Montana, the park is home to more than 1 million acres with diverse terrain that includes a lush rainforest, ancient cedar trees, wildflower-filled meadows, glacial-carved peaks, glistening lakes and incredible hiking trails. Open year-round, each season in Glacier National Park delivers distinct experiences like biking the Going-to-the-Sun Road in the spring, kayaking or standup paddleboarding Lake McDonald and the emerald waters of the Flathead River in the summer, watching wildlife and wild autumn colors in the fall, and snowshoeing among a quiet forest of giant snow-covered trees during winter.
From Visit Glacier