Glacier National Park

no time is so memorable as vacation time and no vacation time is so long remembered as when one has witnessed the true power and force of nature ever at work timing the i in the Rocky Mountains of north Montana straddling the Continental dead is one place where Nature has bestowed her magnificence with complete generosity Glacier National Park gateway to the Pacific Northwest here is the very definition of the word magnificent icy cold streams dashing headlong to become tumbling waterfalls that Roar and re-echo along widening Canyons valleys and plateaus beautifying themselves with colorful blankets of wild flowers of endless variety Mighty mountains rugged and challenging crusting Skyward awe inspiring in their silent Grandeur glistening glaciers as old as the ice AG clinging to precipitous Cliffs all combining to weave an unforgettable spell over the fortunate visitor since Congress created Glacier National Park in 1910 increasing thousands come each year from early summer through mid- Autumn to enjoy in full measure the countless wonders which nature offers in such abundance and among the very first to extend the hand of Welcome are the blackbeat Indians living in wearing the colorful costumes of their forefathers these are picturesque remnants of a tribe once famed as dauntless Fighters gone now is much of their former greatness but in their faces still reflect the measure of dignity and nobility of one of the mightiest and most interesting of American Indian tribes Glacier Park Hotel world renowned as a rustic Masterpiece with dining room windows like huge frame paintings of majestic cap mountain is a starting point for many Motor Coach Tours through the park we climb aboard the famous bright colored open top buses and we're on our way for an unobstructed view tour designed exactly For the Lover of the out ofd doors and the Searcher for real Beauty on our way again after passing the St Mary checking station we're on the famous going to the sun Highway [Music] winding gracefully along colorful Upper St Mary Lake this highway carved from the solid rock of precipitous Mountain walls has open to view scenery rarely surpassed for sheer [Music] Beauty at an altitude of just over 6,500 ft on the Continental Divide separating the watersheds of the Pacific Ocean and Hudson Bay the highest point reach by Sun highway is Logan [Music] pass separated only by the thickness of an imaginary borderline Glacier National Park is joined on the North by Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park but nature is not regulated by boundaries there is vastness and magnitude here which the visitor finds difficult to absorb in true proportion high above the lake is the famous Prince of hotel and of course the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the traditional red tunic worn only in court in parades and in areas where American tourists are numerous returning to Glacier Park again to Swift Current Lake this is the site of many Glacier Hotel the largest hosy in the park from here the hiker to whom GL is practically a Mecca can follow the foot and horseback trails to such popular objectives as Iceberg Lake usually frozen over solid into July the lake actually is filled with miniature icebergs and it is here that the legend of the fur bearing trout was born of course one of the real Thrills accompanying any visit to Glacier Park is to take a pack trip back into the mountains for a closeup of some of the glaciers to treat the eyes to Scenery not to be seen from the park highways so let's cinch up the sadle and climb aboard and we're on our way to a world high above Timberline out of the Corral we're soon riding through a Wonderland of trees and flowers on Trails built and maintained by the National Park Service this is indeed the Ence of real outdoor pleasure along the way we sto to rest our horses and for a bite of lunch if there ever is a time when food is at its tastiest bet certainly this must be it and while we're resting you say you like to fish the fighting Fury of mountain trout offers the Thrills of a fisherman's lifetime place your Park's waters are kept well stocked with cutro rainbow Eastern Brook gring and Dolly Varden trout be his choice the crystal clear reflecting lake or Waters racing headlong for the Open Sea truly this is the fisherman's pot of gold back in the saddle and on our way again reaching for the higher altitude here we are just about to the top of the trail which is as far as our horses will be able to take us and right ahead seemingly unconcerned by our presence are rocky mountain goats of which there are more in Glacier Park than in any other area on the North American continent in order to get the best possible view of our Glacier objective we go on up just a little higher on foot forming a human chain for ease in climbing over the icy snow as well as for protection against falling who careful there and there just off in the distance is grenell Glacier one of the largest of the 60 glaciers remaining in the park due to climatic changes these last accessible American glaciers gradually are disappearing a glacier is defined as a mass of ice that forms from compacted snow in a region of perennial Frost moving at a rate of only a few feet a year depending on the thickness of the ice the glacier breaks off fragments grinding them into powder then as the glacier melts the runoff water becomes Laden with milky silk which is carried Downstream to the Lakes below giving them coloring rarely matched on the artist's Palace coming down a snow bank is sometimes a lot faster than going up and a lot more fun no matter you may choose to wander over the face of the Earth no matter what sight you are desirous of seeing one place that will always beckon to those in search of pristine Beauty and high adventure is Glacier National Park here as we give thought to those forces which have joined together to create such magnificence we readily can appreciate how truly insignificant man is more fully realizing that as the world progresses into succeeding periods of turmoil of wars and destruction creating forces which would destroy man himself it is the processes of nature ever steady ever moving that will stand above those forces for nature alone remains indestructible