Showing posts with label Glacier National Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glacier National Park. Show all posts

Monday, November 7, 2016

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Alberta, Canada


On our last day visiting Glacier National Park in Montana, my husband and I drove through the Going-to-the-Sun Road from the West side of the park, to the East side, and then outside the park onto Blackfeet Nation Reservation and then north on US Route 89 towards Canada.  Looming over a portion of the drive was Chief Mountain, or Ninaistako in Blackfeet language, at 9,080 feet (2,768 m). It can be seen for hundreds of miles.
(All photos and photo collages in this post will enlarge if clicked on)


The Blackfeet people have lived near Chief Mountain for millennia, and believe the mountain holds great power and ancient knowledge. If you click on the photo above of the informational placard you can read more about the mountain.


Near this area, we turned from US Route 89 N to MT Highway 17, or Chief Mountain Highway. The roads gave us beautiful views! We were surprised quite a few times by cows from nearby farms and ranches standing next to, or crossing the road.  We made sure to drive carefully.


We passed the Many Glacier parts of Glacier National Park (click here to read my blog post about that area) and then approached the Canadian border crossing where we stopped to show our passports. Highway 17 then turned to Alberta Route 6.


 We then entered into Alberta, Canada where the Waterton Glacier International Peace Park is located.


As we approached the park entrance the views were beautiful.


This area is called "where the mountains meet the prairies."


We passed through the park toll booth.  Unfortunately, our US National Parks Pass did not apply for free entrance as it does in the USA, so we had to pay admission.  The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was created by the US and Canada in 1932, and in 1976 it was designated an International Biosphere Reserve. In 1995 it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  The Peace park commemorated the peace and goodwill our two nations share and today Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park use peace and goodwill to work towards shared management in protecting the water, plants, and animals that are found in the shared area of the parks.


We almost immediately saw upper Waterton Lake.....


...where we bought tickets to take a boat ride by the Waterton Shoreline Cruise Company.


 We could see the beautiful Prince of Wales Hotel and Restaurant on the hill in the distance--more about the hotel later in this post.


The boat cruises along the shoreline of the beautiful Upper Waterton Lake and crosses the International border to Goat Haunt, Montana.  Waterton Lake is the deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies!


As we sailed away the Prince of Wales Hotel shrank in size. The high mountain next to it is called Bears Hump and there is a trail that leads to the top from the visitors center.


The narrated cruise is about an hour long each way with magnificent views!


We could see quite a few glaciers at the Goat Haunt area.


There was a half hour stop at Goat Haunt--the northern gateway to Glacier National park. We debarked at this beautiful sheltered and commercialized area to take a short hike along the shoreline. and to wade into the cold lake water.


The Waterton Lake bottom was filled with a pretty array of multicolored pebbles--the same as the other lakes within Glacier.


Inside the shelter were some placards about the history of the world's first International Peace Park--please click to enlarge to read.


Click to enlarge to read.


This placard explained that the events of 9-11-01 changed the concept of the International Peace Park borders to make this border crossing, that was once open to all nations, to be only available to US and Canadian citizens--a sad reality to increase national security.


There was also an interactive board where people could leave their ideas on how to be a peacemaker where they live. I found the answers interesting. What would you write?


Back on the boat to return to Canada, we could see the 49th Parallel Canadian/United States border. Canada and the USA have the longest undefended border in the world (5,525 miles/8,892 km.).
The return cruise sailed closer to the eastern side of the lake to see different views.


At one point the boat stopped to allow us to see this unusual shoreline rock formation.
When we went back ashore we were excited to visit the Prince of Wales Hotel.


 The hotel was constructed between 1926 and 1927 by the American Great Northern Railway. The hotel is named after the Prince of Wales--later King Edward VIII.  The bellhops wore red tartan plaid kilts and the plaid was also on display in the hotel lobby.


There is a beautiful view of Waterton Lake from the hotel lobby. Tea was in progress and I regretted that I did not make reservations to indulge in it, but I knew we wanted to explore other parts of the park and did not have the time.

The history of the Prince of Wales Hotel--please click to enlarge to read.


This is the view outside the Prince of Wales hotel looking across Waterton Lake south towards Goat Haunt at the far end.


Another view from outside the hotel, looking east.


 Unfortunately, we found out scenic Akamina Highway in the park was closed as it suffered serve damage the prior winter and had not yet been repaired. We then drove to Red Rock Canyon, passing beautiful mountain scenery along the way.


 We hiked a trail that circumference a portion of Red Rock Canyon, where the layers of red and green colored minerals offered a brilliant contrast to the surrounding lush green surroundings.  We watched visitors enjoying the water from various bridges that crossed over the canyon.


The day was approaching late afternoon so we headed back towards the USA border crossing, passing Chief Mountain again,  and then onto US Route 89 where we re-entered Glacier National Park at the St Mary entrance, and returned west towards our hotel along the Going-to-the-Sun road. It was a very full day, but one filled with many glorious tights and memories we will never forget.


 The next morning we checked out of our hotel to drive back to Colorado. This was our last look of Glacier National Park in the distance as we traveled south.  We would love to return one day to see and experience more of the park. We've visited many National Parks over the years, and Glacier has now become one of our favorites. It truly earned it's nickname as the "Crown of the Continent." Thank you for coming along on my blog for the journey!




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Monday, October 31, 2016

Going to the Sun Road, Glacier National Park Part 4



Glacier National Park, located in Montana in the United States, is so unique and beautiful that it is hard to show all of its features in just a few blog posts. I am already up to part four of our trip to this park and I know I could write dozens more to show all we saw. So to condense our visit a bit I want to show you some of the highlights we saw along the 50 miles long Going-to-the-Sun Road, that allows visitors to travel in both directions from west to east, and east to west, through a major portion of the park. On the west side, a large portion of the road is surrounded by towering pines and cedars forests, with large mountain peaks looming ahead.  I showed the western entrance, Lake McDonald and the Trail of the Cedars we walked on my Part Two post--click here--so I will not repeat that part of the drive here.
(All photos and photo collages in this post will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on)


After leaving the Lake McDonald area we traveled along the McDonald Creek


We parked in a viewing area and as I was taking photos a large female moose walked out from the trees!


She waded through the creek onto the shore directly below where I was standing, and then wandered off very peacefully.


Back in our car and continuing on east after that exciting encounter.


We soon passed through a mountain tunnel...


To be greeted by the majestic sight of Heavens Peak. If you click on the photo collage above you can read more about the peak.


We stopped again in a viewing area to take photos of Heavens Peak. The viewing area was surrounded by the most delightful wildflowers!


In fact, wildflowers were in profusion all over the park!


As we drove along the Going-to-the-Sun Road we saw many waterfalls descending from the glaciers in the mountains above.


They were breathtaking sights to see!  This waterfall is called Bird Woman Falls


A close up of Bird Woman Falls, that descend 492 feet into the Hanging Valley


As you can see in the photo above the road winds around ...


...and over some of the waterfalls.


More photos, above and below, of the peaceful Hanging Valley--McDonald Creek, where I earlier saw the moose, and Heavens Peak, are seen in this photo.


Please click on this photo to enlarge it to read more about this area.


Looking back at Going-to-the-Sun Road, as it winds around the mountain. Construction on the Going-to-the-Sun Road was begun in 1921 and was formally dedicated on July 15, 1933.  Without stopping, it takes two hours to travel the 50-mile road.


Another view of Bird Woman Falls and Hanging Valley from another point along the road.


We now were approaching another marvel to see within the park--the Weeping Wall.


We were visiting in late August so the waterfall that seeps out through the Garden Wall, from snowmelt above, was now mostly a trickle, but enough to create a glistening rock wall and wet road.


More views of how the Going-to-the-Sun Road twists and turns around the mountains.


The views from all points are spectacular!


The Triple Arches is a rock bridge support built on the side of a mountain that was a solution to an early engineering problem. While we were visiting the park there was construction repair going on to replace part of the rock railing that had been dislodged by an avalanche during the prior winter season.


Traffic was in one lane only, at this portion of the road, and while we were stopped to allow westbound traffic to pass I took the photos above and below...


....of some of the glaciers across from the Triple Arches.


Continuing to drive east...


...we saw a couple of mountain goats frolicking on the rocks.


We now reached Logan's Pass.  At 6,648 feet, it is the highest point on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Logan's Pass is 32 miles (51,5 km) from the west entrance and 18 miles (29 km) from the east entrance to Glacier National Park. It is a popular place to visit and the parking lot often is completely filled between the hours of 9:30 am and 4pm.  We did manage to park at Logan's pass on one trip on the road and we took the beautiful Hanging Garden Trail to Hidden Lake--click here to see that blog post.

 This part of the Going-to-the-Sun road is also one of the most difficult to plow in spring. Often over 80 feet (24 m) of snow can lie on top of Logan Pass, and more just east of the pass where the deepest snowfield is referred to as the Big Drift.


After passing Logans Pass, we're headed towards the St. Mary section of the park


 When we saw this waterfall right on the side of the road we stopped to take photos. It was running quite strongly, and we had fun touching its spray and taking a video of it.  If you'd like to see a short video of the waterfall you can click on this facebook link or this Instagram link.  I'd also be very pleased if you follow me at either, or both, links!


Continuing to drive east...


...more spectacular views!


We soon approached the Mt. Jackson viewing area where Jackson Glacier, the seventh largest glacier in Glacier National Park is located.  If you click on the photo collage above you can read the park placard that tells how the glaciers are all shrinking over the decades, and sadly it is believed by the year 2030 none of them will remain.


 As we drove toward St Mary Lake we passed into an area that suffered a serious forest fire in 2015. Over 4,000 acres of forest burned.


 It was a sad and sobering sight to see, but fires are natures way of renewing the forests and someday there will be new trees growing here again.


St. Mary Lake is the second largest lake in Glacier National Park and lies on the eastern end of the park.  It is 9.9 miles long and 300 feet deep. In winter is often frozen four feet deep.


The little island located towards the middle of the lake is called Wild Goose Island.


The St. Mary Valley is so picturesque! 


I loved the reflections of the mountains on the lake water.


The easternmost part of Glacier National Park is now less dramatic, with rolling hills and plains.


We visited the St Mary Visitor Center at the end of the Going-to-the-Sun road. As this visitor center borders the Blackfeet Nation reservation it has interesting Native American information about the meaning of the natural aspects of the park to the native peoples.  Every year there is a special program called Native American Speaks where tribal members share their knowledge of the history and culture of native America with Glacier National Park visitors.


A view of the eastern entrance to Glacier National Park from a distance.


We would make the drive from the western part of Glacier to the east again the next day as we were headed to the Canadian portion of the park called the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.  See more in my next post!

 To see posts in this series that you may have missed--click the links below:

 Glacier National Park -Part One--Many Glacier
Glacier National Park -Part Two- Trail of the Cedars
Glacier National Park-Part three--Hanging Garden Trail to Hidden Lake

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