Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HANDS-ON LEARNING AT THE GLACIER INSTITUTE
Founded in 1983, the
Glacier Institute
(406/755-1211,
www.glacierinstitute.org
) is
a private nonprofit organization that offers hands-on educational experiences using
Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest as their classrooms. Their mis-
sion is to provide “an objective and science-based understanding of the area's eco-
logy and its interaction with people.” The Glacier Institute fulfills its mission by
providing field-based experiences in and around the park for all ages and levels of
fitness.
The Glacier Institute offers 3-5-day youth camps, starting at $125, that have a
variety of focuses. Whether it is the first overnight camp experience for children
away from their parents, an introduction to the basic concepts of ecology, or a focus
on art and nature, the institute offers experienced guides and experts to foster each
child's learning. They also have a variety of outdoor education courses open to young
and old. You can enroll for a full-day or half-day course with expert instructors for
a unique learning experience on the owls of the Mission Valley, wilderness first aid,
wildflowers along the Rocky Mountain Front, summer mushrooms, and birds of prey,
to name just a few of the diverse offerings.
To peruse the institute's extensive and fascinating offerings, visit their website;
if you see a course that interests you but is not being offered when you plan to be
in Glacier, the Glacier Institute creates custom programs and can plan a half-day to
several-day course just for your group based on the courses or expert instructors that
you select.
Slightly less flashy but quite comfortable are the air-conditioned and large-windowed
coaches of
Sun Tours
(800/786-9220,
www.glaciersuntours.com
, June 1-Sept. 1, $40-75
adults, $20-25 children). Tours last four, six, or eight hours, and what makes them unique
is that they are guided from a Blackfeet perspective. Plants and roots used for Blackfeet
medicine are pointed out, for example, as are the natural features that relate to the Blackfeet
Nation. The coaches can accommodate 25 passengers and depart daily from East Glacier,
Browning, St. Mary, and West Glacier. Sun Tours also offers a hiker shuttle service.
