Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Encompassing 135,000 hectares (333,600 acres) of the Selkirk Mountains, this park is a
wonderland of jagged snowcapped peaks, extensive ice fields, thundering waterfalls, steep-
sided valleys, and fast-flowing rivers. The Trans-Canada Highway bisects the park, cresting
at 1,327-meter (4,350-foot)
Rogers Pass.
Those from south of the 49th parallel probably associate the park's name with the Amer-
ican national park in Montana. The two parks share the same name and glaciated environ-
ment, but the similarities end there. In the “other” park, buses shuttle tourists here and there
and the backcountry is crowded with hikers. Here in the Canadian version, commercialism
is almost totally lacking and use of the backcountry is blissfully minimal.
The best place to start a visit to the park is the
Rogers Pass Information Centre.
Look-
ing south from the center, you can see the
Illecillewaet, Asulkan,
and
Swiss Glaciers.
Im-
mediately to the west of the
summit of Rogers Pass,
you'll find more stunning views and
a display erected in 2010 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the rail line reaching
the pass. As far as actual “sights” go, driving through the park you'll be surrounded by one
of the most awe-inspiring panoramas visible from any Canadian highway. Each roadside
viewpoint seems to outdo the last. You can also get out of the car and go hiking to get a
better feeling for the park, but most of the trails entail strenuous climbs.
Through-traffic excepted, permits are required for entry into Glacier National Park;
they're available from the information center. A one-day permit is adult $8, senior $7, child
$4, to a maximum of $20 per vehicle.
Regardless of whether you approach the park from the east or west, you'll be climbing from
a valley only 600 meters (1,970 feet) above sea level to 1,327-meter (4,350-foot) Rogers
Pass in under 15 kilometers (9.3 miles). The pass is not particularly high, but it's impress-
ive. Surrounding peaks, many topping 3,050 meters (10,000 feet), rise dramatically from
the pass and draw massive amounts of precipitation from eastward-moving clouds. The res-
ulting heavy snows feed more than 400 glaciers and permanently cloak some 14 percent
of the park's landscape in snow and ice. Most of the glaciers lie in the park's southern
half. Notable among them are Deville Icefield, which surrounds 3,393-meter (11,130-foot)
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