Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bighorn sheep. Though rarely seen and few in number, wolverines, cougars, and fishers also
live here. Glacier's tailed frog is considered the most primitive frog in North America, and
the only one that fertilizes the female's eggs internally. It is most closely related to frogs
in New Zealand, which has led scientists to believe that its origins date back 250 million
years.
The addition of nonnative species and removal of native species can have far-ranging
and catastrophic results. The healthy red-backed vole population on the park's west side
eats primarily fungus and consequently spread fungal spores as they travel. The rootlets of
the spores are almost entirely responsible for the regeneration of conifer trees in the region.
Without the voles, there would be no forest. Without the fungus, there would be no voles.
The ecosystem is as delicately balanced as it is captivating.
A bustling entrance to Glacier, West Glacier (population 367, elevation 3,715 feet) has the
feeling of “last chance to get bug spray” and “first non-PB and J in a while.” It is clearly
not a destination but a portal, and it is a good place to find lodging, dining, and supplies in
immediate proximity to the park.
The town itself grew up around the magnificent Belton Chalet, a lodge built by the Great
Northern Railway in 1910, the same year Glacier became a national park. The Belton, an
arts and crafts-style gem, was the first permanent lodging on the west side of Glacier, and
thanks to a painstaking restoration in 2000 and a phenomenal dining room, it remains one
of the best accommodations in the area.
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Lake McDonald
The largest lake in the park at 10 miles long and 472 feet deep, Lake McDonald was gouged
out by a glacier that was likely 2,200 feet thick. Surrounded by jagged peaks on three sides,
it is bordered by the Lewis Range to the east, which creates a rain block and makes the Lake
McDonald Valley one of the mildest and lushest environments in the region. Not unlike the
Pacific Northwest, the Lake McDonald Valley boasts dense forests of towering western red
cedars and hemlocks.
