Going-to-the-Sun Road - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 291

areafrequentedbymoose.Theycometoprobethepondbottomsforaquaticplants,afavor-
ite summer food. Perhaps surprisingly, the hulking animals—a bull can weigh more than
1,000 pounds—are accomplished swimmers.
Did you know…
Beargrass, Xerophyllum, is abundant in the Rocky Mountain region and looks
likeawildgrassbutisactuallypartofthelilyfamily.Itproducescreamysweet-
smelling flowers that grow up to six feet tall. Native Americans have tradition-
ally woven beautiful baskets from the stems and roots of beargrass, resulting in
its alternate name: Indian basket grass.
2. Trail of the Cedars
Thick stands of moss-draped hemlocks and fragrant cedars cast a cool shade across this
half-mile elevated boardwalk that winds through an ancient forest. Myriad ferns and
mosses, glistening with dew, flourish on the forest floor, and at the eastern end of the trail,
thefaintmurmurofAvalancheCreek,slippingthroughasmallgorge,lendsamusicalnote.
Be on the alert along streams for a glimpse of the water ouzel, or dipper, a small slate-
colored bird that walks underwater in its search for food. Listen, too, for the haunting
calls of the varied thrush, especially in the moist forests along the two-mile trail leading to
Avalanche Lake. At the path's end half a dozen waterfalls, dancing down 2,000-foot cliffs,
drain into the sparkling lake.