GLACIER Circular of General Information 1936

GLACIER
National Park

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Montana, established by act of Congress May 11, 1910, contains 981,681 acres, or 1,534 square miles, of the finest mountain country in America. Nestled among the higher peaks are more than 60 glaciers and 200 beautiful lakes. During the summer months it is possible to visit most of the glaciers and many of the lakes with relatively little difficulty. Horseback and foot trails penetrate almost all sections of the park. Conveniently located trail camps, operated at a reasonable cost, make it possible for visitors to enjoy the mountain scenery without having to return to hotels or chalets each night or to carry food and camping equipment. Many travelers hike or ride through the mountains for days at a time, resting each evening at one of these convenient high mountain camps. The glaciers found in the park are among the few in the United States which are easily accessible.

A rushing trout stream.

INTERNATIONAL PEACE PARK

The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was established in 1932 by Presidential proclamation, as authorized by the Congress of the United States and the Canadian Parliament.

At the dedication exercises in June of that year, the following message from the President of the United States was read:

The dedication of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is a further gesture of the good will that has so long blessed our relations with our Canadian neighbors, and I am gratified by the hope and the faith that it will forever be an appropriate symbol of permanent peace and friendship.

In the administration of these areas each component part of the Peace Park retains its nationality and individuality and functions as it did before the union.

Waterton Lake—The International Peace Lake. Copyright, Hileman.

HOW TO REACH GLACIER PARK

BY RAIL

The park entrances are on the main transcontinental line of the Great Northern Railway. Glacier Park Station, Mont., the eastern entrance, is 1,081 miles west of St. Paul, a ride of 30 hours. Belton, Mont., the western entrance, is 637 miles east of Seattle, a ride of 20 hours.

For information regarding railroad fares, service, etc., apply to railroad ticket agents or address A. J. Dickinson, passenger-traffic manager, Great Northern Railway, St. Paul, Minn.

A regular bus schedule is maintained by the Glacier Park Transport Co. to accommodate persons arriving by rail.

BY AUTOMOBILE

Glacier National Park may be reached by motorists over a number of well-marked automobile roads. The park approach roads connect with several transcontinental highways. From both the east and west sides automobile roads run north and connect with the road system in Canada, and motorists may continue over these roads to the Canadian national parks. Glacier National Park is the western terminus of the Custer Battlefield Highway.

A fee of $1 is charged for a permit to operate an automobile in Glacier Park. This permit allows reentry into the park at any time during the current season. Maximum speed limit in the park is 30 miles per hour. On mountain climbs and winding roads, utmost care in driving is demanded. All cautionary signs must be observed.

BY AIRPLANE

Fast de luxe airplane service is available by Northwest Airlines to Missoula, Mont., and Spokane, Wash., as is transportation via United Air Lines, from the east and west coasts to Spokane. National Park Airlines has a service from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Great Falls, Mont.

CENTERS OF INTEREST

GLACIER PARK STATION

Glacier Park on the Great Northern Railway is the eastern entrance to the park. It is located on the Great Plains, near the base of Glacier's Rockies. It is on U. S. 2, which traverses from the east through northern Montana along the southern boundary of the park to Belton, the western entrance, and on to the Pacific coast. Glacier Park is also the southern terminus of the Blackfeet Highway which parallels the eastern boundary of the park and connects with the Alberta highway system. It is the southern end of the Inside Trail to Two Medicine, Cutbank, Red Eagle, and Sun Camp.

The commodious Glacier Park Hotel, several lesser hotels, auto camps, stores, an auxiliary park office, a Government fish hatchery, a post office, and other structures are located here. The village gives a fine touch of western life, with Indians, cowboys, and picturesque characters contributing to its color. An encampment of Blackfeet is on Midvale Creek; these Indians sing, dance, and tell stories every evening at the hotel.

Trick Falls in Two Medicine Creek. Grant photo.

TWO MEDICINE

Two Medicine presents a turquoise mountain lake surrounded by majestic forest-covered peaks separated by deep glaciated valleys. A road leads into it from the Blackfeet Highway and ends at the chalets near the foot of Two Medicine Lake. Across the water rises Sinopah Mountain, a spur of Mount Rockwell, while to the north sweep upward the gray-green slopes of Rising Wolf to terminate in purple-red argillites and snow banks. One of the most inviting camp sites of the park is immediately below the outlet of the lake, not far from the chalets. From it, one looks across a smaller lake, banked with gnarled and twisted limber pines, to the superb mountain scenery in every direction.

The cirques and broad mountain valleys above timberline are studded with cobalt blue lakes, and carpeted with multicolored beds of flowers. Mountain goats and sheep are frequently seen in these higher regions. Beaver colonies are located at the outlet of Two Medicine Lake and elsewhere around it, making this one of the best regions in the park to study these interesting mammals. An abundance of brook and rainbow trout in Two Medicine waters makes it a favorite spot for fishermen.

A camp-fire entertainment with a short popular talk is conducted every evening in the camp-fire circle of the auto camp by a resident ranger naturalist. Both chalet and camp-ground guests avail themselves of the opportunity to meet for pleasure and instruction under the stars. Trails for hikers and saddle-horse parties radiate to adjacent points of interest: to Glacier Park via Scenic Point and Mount Henry, to Upper Two Medicine Lake and Dawson Pass, to Two Medicine Pass and Paradise Park, and up the Dry Fork to Cutbank Pass and Valley. A daily afternoon launch trip across Two Medicine Lake brings the visitor to the foot of Sinopah, from which there is a short, delightful path through dense evergreen forest to the foot of Twin Falls. Trick Falls, near the highway bridge across Two Medicine River, 2 miles below the lake, is more readily accessible and should be visited by everyone entering the valley. A great portion of its water issues from a cave beneath its brink. In the early season it appears a very proper waterfall, paneled by lofty spruce with the purple, snow crowned Rising Wolf Mountain in the background. In late season water issues from the cave alone, with the dry fall over its yawning opening.

Going-to-the-Sun Chalets. Hileman photo.

CUTBANK

Cutbank is a primitive, densely wooded valley with a singing mountain stream. Six miles above the Blackfeet Highway are a quiet chalet, a ranger station, and a small grove for auto campers. A spur lane, leaving the highway at Cutbank Bridge, 4 miles north of the Browning Wye, brings the autoist to this terminus. A more popular means of approach is on horseback, over Cutbank Pass from Two Medicine or over Triple Divide Pass from Red Eagle. Cutbank is a favorite site for stream fishermen. At the head of the valley above Triple Divide Pass is the Triple Divide Peak (8,001 feet) which parts its waters between the three oceans surrounding North America, i. e., its drainage is through the Missouri-Mississippi system to the Gulf of Mexico (Atlantic), through the Saskatchewan system to Hudson Bay (Arctic), and through the Columbia system to the Pacific.

Cutbank Chalet was closed in 1935 and will also be closed in 1936.

RED EAGLE

Red Eagle Lake in Red Eagle Valley is reached by trail only from Cutbank over Triple Divide Pass or from St. Mary Chalets or Sun Camp via the Many Falls Trail. From the lake rise imposing Split, Almost-a-Dog, and Red Eagle Mountains. On its sloping forested sides reposes Red Eagle Camp, which furnishes rest and shelter. It is a stopping place for travelers on the Inside Trail from Sun Camp or St. Mary to Glacier Park, and is a favorite spot for fishermen, as large, gamey, cutthroat trout abound in the waters of the lake. Reached by a secondary, picturesque trail that winds through magnificent forests, the head of Red Eagle Creek originates in a broad, grassy area almost as high as the Continental Divide. This bears Red Eagle Glacier and a number of small unnamed lakes, and is hemmed in by imposing rock walls and serrate peaks.

ST. MARY AND SUN CAMP

To many people Upper St. Mary Lake is the most sublime of all mountain lakes of the world. From its foot roll the plains northeastward to Hudson Bay and the Arctic. Its long and slender surface is deep emerald green, nestled in a salient in the Front Range, with peaks rising majestically a mile sheer over three of its sides. These for the most part possess names of Indian origin: Going-to-the-Sun, Piegan, Little Chief, Mahtotopa Red Eagle, and Curley Bear.

St. Mary Chalet at the lower end of the lake, Going-to-the-Sun Chalets (Sun Camp) near the upper end, Roes Creek Camp Grounds on the north shore, and a hikers' camp at the outlet of Baring Creek furnish ample accommodations for all classes of visitors.

The celebrated Going-to-the-Sun Highway from St. Mary Junction over Logan Pass to Lake McDonald runs along the north shore of St. Mary Lake past Roes Creek Camp. Spurs connect the chalets. Trails centering at Sun Camp lead everywhere: Along the south shore (the Many Falls Trail) to Red Eagle and St. Mary Chalets; up St. Mary Valley to Blackfeet Glacier, Gunsight Lake, and over Gunsight Pass to Lake Ellen Wilson, Sperry Chalets, and Lake McDonald; up Reynolds Creek over Logan Pass and along the Garden Wall to Granite Park; a spur from the trail up the same creek turns right and joins at Preston Meadows, high on Going-to the-Sun Mountain, with another trail from Sun Camp which leads up Baring Creek past Sexton Glacier and over Siyeh Mountains; from Preston Meadows over Piegan Pass and down Cataract Canyon to Many Glacier; up Roes Creek to Roes Basin; up Mount Reynolds to a fire look-out.

A ranger naturalist is stationed at Sun Camp who conducts field trips daily, lectures each evening in the chalet lobby, and maintains a cut-flower exhibit there. Small stores are maintained at both chalets; gasoline is obtainable at each. Scenic twilight launch rides on the lake are featured when the waters are calm. The ranger naturalist generally accompanies these trips to impart interesting information about the lake and mountains.

Walks and hikes are popular at Sun Camp—to Baring, St. Mary, Florence, and Virginia Falls; to Roes and Baring Basins; to Sexton and Blackfeet Glaciers; to the summit of Goat Mountain. Sunrift Gorge, 100 feet north of the highway at Baring Creek Bridge, should be seen by everyone. It can be reached by trail from Sun Camp.

MANY GLACIER REGION

For many Swiftcurrent Lake is the hub of points of interest to be surpassed by no other spot in the park. From it branch many deep and interesting glacial valleys. Fishing, boating, swimming, hiking, photographing, mountain climbing, horseback riding, and nature study are to be enjoyed at their best here. It is reached by an excellent spur road from the Blackfeet Highway at Babb, or by trail from Sun Camp, Granite Park, and Waterton Lakes.

Many Glacier Hotel, the largest hotel in the park, is located on Swiftcurrent Lake. Just beyond the hotel is an excellent auto camp and a group of auto housekeeping cabins. The hotel has telegraph and telephone services, an information desk, curio shop, a grill room and soda fountain, swimming pool, barber and shoe-shining shop, photograph shop, a first-aid medical establishment, and other services. A garage is situated near the hotel. A store with an ample line of campers' needs, including fresh meat, bread, butter, and eggs, is located in the auto camp ground.

Picturesque Glacier Park Hotel. Grant photo.

Ranger naturalist service is available at Many Glacier. This includes daily field walks; a nightly lecture augmented by motion pictures and slides in the Convention Hall in the basement of the hotel; an evening camp-fire entertainment in the auto camp; a cut-flower and geological exhibit in the hotel lobby and in the auto camp; a small museum on the opposite shore of the lake from the hotel, on the road leading to the camp ground; a self-guiding trail around Swiftcurrent Lake; information service in the museum; a naturalist-accompanied launch trip on Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes in the afternoon. In addition to this last-named, several other launch trips are taken daily on these lakes. This service may be used to shorten hikers' distance to Grinnell Lake and Glacier.

Many Glacier is a center for fishermen, as there are a dozen good fishing lakes in the vicinity. Rainbow, brook, and cutthroat trout abound in Swiftcurrent, Josephine, and Grinnell Lakes, and the lakes of the Upper Swiftcurrent Valley. Wall-eyed pike are plentiful in Lake Sherburne, the only body of water in the park in which these fish are found.

There are many excellent trails in the Swiftcurrent region. Cracker Lake, Morning Eagle Falls, Cataract Falls, Grinnell Lake, Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake, and Ptarmigan Lake are all reached by oiled horseback trails. Good footpaths lead around Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes to the summit of Mount Altyn and to Appekunny Falls and Cirque. The possibility of seeing and studying wildlife is best in the Many Glacier region. Except during midsummer, mountain sheep are commonly seen at close range around the chalets or in the flats above Lake Sherburne. Throughout summer they are high on the slopes of Mount Altyn or Henkel. Mountain goats are often seen clinging to the precipitous Pinnacle Wall on the way to Iceberg Lake, or on Grinnell Mountain while en route to Grinnell Glacier, or on the trail to Cracker Lake. Black bears and grizzlies occasionally visit the grounds near the hotel. Conies are to be heard bleating among the rock slides back of the ranger station along the trail to Iceberg Lake, or near the footpath across the lake from the hotel. Early in the morning, or at twilight, beavers are frequently seen swimming in the lake. Marmots are common in many valleys near the hotel and auto camp. Deer infrequently visit the region. Hikers, horseback riders, and rangers have reported seeing such rare animals as foxes, wolves, and lynxes. Without moving from one's comfortable chair on the veranda of the hotel, one may watch the osprey soaring back and forth over the lake in quest of fish. These graceful and interesting birds have a nest across the lake on top of a dead tree. It is 6 feet wide and visible from across the lake. The pair of birds return annually to the same nest. Beside Swiftcurrent Falls, two families of nesting water ouzels may be studied at close range.

Bighorn rams are among the many interesting animals to be seen in Glacier. Hileman photo.

BELLY RIVER VALLEY, WATERTON LAKE, AND GOATHAUNT

Though much like Swiftcurrent Valley in topographical make-up, the Belly River district is much wilder and more heavily forested. It is accessible by trail only; from Many Glacier over Ptarmigan Wall or from Waterton Lake over Indian Pass. These, with spur trails to Helen and Margaret Lakes, make up the principal trail system. The Glacier Park Saddle Horse Co. maintains a comfortable mountain camp on Crossley Lake, where food and lodging are available at reasonable rates. Fishing is good in the lakes of the Belly River country. The 33-mile trip from Many Glacier to Waterton is one of the finest to be taken in the park. Crossley Lake Camp is approximately midway.

The International Waterton Lake and the northern boundary line of Glacier National Park mutually bisect each other at right angles. Mount Cleveland rises 6,300 feet sheer above the head of the lake. Waterton Lake townsite, Alberta, is located at the foot. It is reached by highway from Glacier Park, Babb, Cardston, Lethbridge, Calgary, and points in the Canadian Rockies. The modern Prince of Wales Hotel, several other hostelries, cabin camps, garages, stores, and other conveniences are in the settlement. A 12-mile spur highway leads to Cameron Lake, another international body of water on whose northern (Canadian) shore is a fine example of a sphagnum bog. Another winding road leads through a colorful canyon known as "Red Rock." In 1936 the picturesque new Kennedy Creek Cut-off Road, leading over aspen-covered foothills around the very base of majestic Chief Mountain, will shorten the distance from Babb to Waterton by its direct routing.

Horseback party on Boulder Pass. Grant photo.

Trails lead from the village to principal points of interest in the Canadian Park as well as up the west shore to the head of the lake at which are situated the Government ranger station and Goathaunt Camp, operated by the Glacier Park Saddle Horse Co. The head of the lake is more readily reached by the daily launch service from Waterton Village, or by trail from Many Glacier by Crossley Lake Camp, or by Granite Park and Flattop Mountain. A scenic trail leads to Rainbow Falls and up Olson Valley to Browns Pass, Bowman Lake, Hole-in-the-Wall Falls, Boulder Pass, and Kintla Lake in the northwest corner of the park. There are no hotel or camp accommodations at Bowman or Kintla Lakes.

Game is varied and abundant at Waterton Lake. Moose are sometimes seen in the swampy lakes along Upper Waterton River. Later in the season, bull elk are heard bugling their challenge through the night. Deer are seen both at Waterton Lake Village and Goathaunt Camp. Sheep and goats live on neighboring slopes. One does not have to leave the trail to see evidence of the work of the beaver. The trail down Waterton Valley has had to be relocated from time to time, as these industrious workers flooded the right-of-way. A colony lives at the mouth of the creek opposite Goathaunt Camp. Otters have been seen in the lakes in the evening. Marten have bobbed up irregularly at the ranger station.

Bird life is abundant in this district, because of the variety of cover. Waterfowl are frequently seen on the lake. A pair of ospreys nest near the mouth of Olson Creek. Pine grosbeaks, warblers, vireos, kinglets, and smaller birds abound in the hawthorne and cottonwood trees, and in the alder thickets.

FLATTOP MOUNTAIN AND GRANITE PARK

Glacier Park has within its boundary two parallel mountain ranges. The eastern, or front range, extends from the Canadian boundary almost without a break to New Mexico. The western, or Livingston Range, rises at the head of Lake McDonald, becomes the front range beyond the international line, and runs northwestward to Alaska. Between these two ranges in the center of the park is a broad swell which carries the Continental Divide from one to the other. This is Flattop Mountain, whose groves of trees are open and parklike, wholly unlike the dense forests of the lowlands with which every park visitor is well acquainted.

A trail leads south from Waterton over Flattop to the tent camp called "Fifty Mountain" and to Granite Park, where a comfortable high-mountain chalet is located. Here is exposed a great mass of lava, which once welled up from the interior of the earth and spread over the region which was then the bottom of a sea. The chalets command a fine view of the majestic grouping of mountains around Logan Pass, of the noble summits of the Livingston Range, and of systems far to the south and west of the park. Extending in the near foreground are gentle slopes covered with sparse clumps of stunted vegetation. In early July open spaces are gold-carpeted with glacier lilies and bizarrely streaked with lingering snow patches. Beyond are the deep, heavy forests of Upper McDonald Valley.

The chalets may also be reached from Sun Camp and Logan Pass over a trail along the Garden Wall, from the highway 2 miles above the western switchback by a 4-mile trail, from Avalanche Camp and Lake McDonald over the McDonald Valley trail, and from Many Glacier by the beautiful trail over Swiftcurrent Pass. A short distance from the chalets a spur from the trail to the Waterton Lake leads to Ahern Pass, from which there is an unexcelled view of Ahern Glacier, Mount Merritt, and Helen and Elizabeth Lakes, and the South Fork of the Belly River. This spur is only a mile from the chalets. At Fifty Mountain Camp, half-way between Granite Park and Waterton, a second spur, a quarter of a mile long, takes one above Flattop Mountain to the summit of the knife-edge. From here there is a fine panorama of Mount Cleveland, Sue Lake, and Middle Fork of Belly River.

A foot trail 1 mile long leads from the chalet to the summit of Swiftcurrent Mountain above the pass of the same name. For the small amount of effort required to make this ascent of 1,000 feet, no more liberal reward of mountain scenery could be possible. Another foot trail leads from the chalets to the rim of the Garden Wall, from which there are splendid views of Grinnell Glacier and the Swiftcurrent region. This trail has features labeled and explained by suitable markers.

Animal life is varied and easily studied at Granite Park. Bear and deer are common in this section. Mountain goats are frequently seen above Flattop Mountain or near Ahern Pass. Mountain sheep graze on the slopes of the Garden Wall. Ptarmigan should be looked for, especially above Swiftcurrent Pass.

Granite Park is a paradise for lovers of alpine flowers. On the Garden Wall, the connoisseur should seek for the rare, heavenly blue alpine columbine. Here are expanses of dryads, globe flowers, alpine firewood, and a wealth of others. Early July is the best time for floral beauty.

LOGAN PASS

Logan Pass lies between the headwaters of Logan and Reynolds Creeks. It crosses the Continental Divide and carries the Going-to-the-Sun Highway from Lake McDonald to Upper St. Mary Lake and the trail from Sun Camp to Granite Park.

Though there are no overnight stopping places on the pass, its accessibility by automobile makes it a starting place for several delightful walks, chiefly to Hidden Lake, which occupies a basin only recently evacuated by ice, and tiny Clements Glacier, which sends its water to both the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, and which has been termed "Museum Glacier" because it encompasses in its few hundred acres of surficial area all of the principal features of a major glacier.

Ranger-naturalist services, including short field trips, are available daily throughout summer on the pass.

AVALANCHE CAMP

Avalanche auto camp is located in a grove of cedars and cottonwoods on a picturesque flat at the mouth of Avalanche Creek. It is equipped with modern toilets, showers, and laundry, but has no stores or gasoline station. A Government ranger naturalist and a camp tender serve the camp, which is on Going-to-the-Sun Highway.

Near the upper end of the camp, Avalanche Creek has cut a deep, narrow gorge through brilliant red argillite. It is filled with potholes scoured out by stones swirled in the foaming torrent. Drooping hemlocks, festooned with goatsbeard lichen, keep the spot in cool, somber gloom even on the hottest midday. This gorge is the home of the water ouzel, which is often seen flying back and forth in the spray.

From the gorge, a self-guiding trail leads 2 miles to Avalanche Basin, a semicircular amphitheater with walls over 2,000 feet high over which plunge a half dozen snowy waterfalls. A dense forest and calm lake repose on the floor of the cirque. Fishing is good in the lake. The narrow canyon through which the trail leads from the camp offers fine views of Heaven's Peak, Mount Cannon, Bearhat Mountain, Gunsight Mountain with the cirque bearing Sperry Glacier, and the canyon in which Hidden Lake reposes. In the early season, the walls of the basin and canyon are draped with countless waterfalls. The sides of Cannon and Bearhat offer one of the most opportune places for seeing mountain goats. In late season huckleberries are abundant.

A ranger naturalist conducts an entertainment every evening in the campfire circle in the auto camp.

LAKE M'DONALD

Lake McDonald is the largest lake in the park, being 10 miles long and a mile wide. Its shores are heavily forested with cedar, hemlock, white pine, and larch. At its head, impressive, rocky summits rise to elevations 6,000 feet above its waters. The Going-to-the-Sun Highway runs along its southeastern shore. Its outlet, is 2 miles from Belton station.

Lake McDonald Hotel is on the highway near the upper end of the lake. It has a store for general supplies, a gasoline station, curio shop, and all modern conveniences. Its dining room, facing the lake, is one of the most appropriate and charming in the park. Its lobby is filled with well-mounted animals and birds of the region. It is the focal point for trails to Sperry Chalet and Gunsight Pass, Upper McDonald Valley, the summit of Mount Brown, and Arrow Lake. There is good fishing in Arrow and Snyder Lakes.

Private cabin camps are located at the head and foot of the lake. A general store and gasoline filling station are located at the foot of the lake. A well-equipped public auto camp ground is at Sprague Creek, near Lake McDonald Hotel.

Rocky Mountain Goat. Hileman photo.

Ranger-naturalist services are available at the hotel. Lectures on popular natural history are delivered each evening in the hotel lobby and at the Sprague Creek camp-fire circle. A cut wild-flower exhibit is also placed in the hotel. Self-guiding trails lead to Fish and Johns Lakes, short distances from the hotel.

SPERRY CHALETS

Sperry Chalets are located in a picturesque high-mountain cirque, with precipitous, highly colored Edwards, Gunsight, and Lincoln Peaks hemming it in on three sides. It is reached by trail only from Lake McDonald and from Sun Camp via Gunsight and Lincoln Passes.

Mountain climbing, exploring Sperry Glacier, fishing in nearby Lake Ellen Wilson, and meeting mountain goats are the chief diversions of this entrancing spot, located at timberline. During late afternoons goats are to be seen perched against the cirque walls. Practically every evening they start down for the chalets, to reach there after midnight and fill expectant visitors with joy. Besides these, deer, marmots, conies, and Clark nutcrackers and other wildlife are abundant.

BELTON

Belton, on the Great Northern Railway, is the entrance to the west side of the park. It has stores, hotel, chalet, and a cabin camp to accommodate the visitor.