Glacier National Park

Bear grass on Logan Pass, photo copyright Tony Bynum, Tony Bynum Photography

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Featured Photographer

Tony Bynum

Tony is a Montana-based wildlife, nature, outdoor commercial photographer based in East Glacier, Montana, whose backyard is Glacier National Park.

He spends his days photographing landscapes and wild, free-ranging animals in their natural habitat; there are no captive animal photographs in his archives. Tony's images are published each year on covers of the nation's top outdoor and hunting magazines, in advertisements, and on tourism planners and brochures sent around the world.

In 2010 Tony was the Guest Photographer for the Montana Office of Tourism. He has a seasonal art gallery in East Glacier.

Sweeping, grandiose landscapes are a staple of many of the West's iconic national parks, and among those Glacier easily stands out when you look from horizon to horizon atop Logan Pass.

While Glacier's name evokes images of rivers of ice, spend time in this park in northern Montana and you'll find jagged rock bands that help define the Continental Divide, aspen glades, stands of an unusual evergreen -- larch -- that loses its needles in winter, temperate rainforest, and even gorges carved by snowmelt. Avalanche Creek cuts one such gorge, throttling snowmelt spilled from the glaciers that pour their icy waters into Avalanche Lake down two miles to McDonald Creek.

While they say Glacier's namesake glaciers are on the wane and could be gone by 2030, maybe sooner, even without its rivers of ice this park tucked up along the Montana-Canada border is a rugged masterpiece that begs exploration. This rugged, out-of-the-way slice of Rocky Mountain West is part of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem, and standing atop Logan Pass you can understand why. In all directions are jagged peaks, glacially sculpted basins, fields of snow, and mountain goats.

True, its backcountry is roamed by grizzlies and wolves, challenging and demanding in its ruggedness, and definitely not the place for neophytes. Yet there are plenty of front-country vistas and day hikes to entice the novice. You can walk through a dense forest along a crashing creek, make your way across an alpine meadow flecked with lupines, asters and bear grass, paddle across one of the park's 131 named lakes, or count mountain goats back on Logan Pass.

Spend any time in this breathtaking park and you won't be disappointed, whether you're hiking off into the backcountry, spending a night in one of its historic high-country lodges, or simply enjoying a boat ride across Lake McDonald.

Traveler's Choice For: Backpacking, hiking, paddling, wildlife viewing

Park History: Glacier National Park

Known as the Backbone of the World to the Blackfeet Nation, the rugged landscape of Glacier attracted the attention of the Great Northern Railway in the early 1890s. Though the railroad was simply seeking a route to the West Coast, its president saw in the rugged, alp-like landscape the potential for tourism.

Lodging in Glacier

Glacier has a wealth of lodging choices inside its borders, from old log cabins you'll find at Apgar Village to the laid-back Lake McDonald Lodge and stately Many Glacier Hotel.

Camping in Glacier

With 13 front-country campgrounds, Glacier National Park offers more than 1,000 campsites for you to choose from -- or compete for, depending on the season.

Hiking in Glacier

Often described as a hiker's paradise, Glacier has more than 700 miles of trails, ranging from challenging backcountry treks to wheelchair accessible, self-guiding walks.

Wildlife in Glacier

An argument can be made that no national park in the conterminous 48 states has as robust a wildlife menangerie as does Glacier National Park.

Traveler's Checklist for Glacier

The native Blackfeet people called this area the "Shining Mountains" and the "Backbone of the World," fitting descriptions for the dramatic landscape you'll find in Glacier National Park. These tips from the Traveler will help you make the most of your visit.

Glacier's Geology

Glacier, like so many of the Western parks, is an open-air showcase of geology. Scan the horizon and you can see the effects of long-ago glaciers, glaciers still at work, and landscapes in various stages of healing in the wake of the scraping and freeze-thaw cycling of glaciers.

Resources For Visiting Glacier

This is where you can find websites, helpful phone numbers, friends groups and cooperating associations, and, sometimes, books related to the park.

Before They're Gone, A Family's Year-Long Quest To Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 21, 2012 - 1:47am

In approaching Before They're Gone, A Family's Year-Long Quest to Explore America's Most Endangered National Parks, Michael Lanza desires to take his young son and daughter to places that most amazed him -- national parks -- before climate change alters their appearance too greatly.

The Complete Guide To The National Park Lodges

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 4, 2012 - 1:10am

Just in time for Mother's Day, as well as Father's Day, is the 7th edition of The Complete Guide To The National Park Lodges. Along with updates in the rundown on park lodges is the insertion of full-color images from lodges and settings in the national parks.

Mark Your Calendars: Spring For Glacier Fundraiser Set For May 18

Submitted by NPT Staff on May 3, 2012 - 1:01am

Trains once were the primary mode of transportation for visiting national parks in the West. The folks at the Glacier National Park Fund are paying homage to the railroads during their Spring For Glacier fundraiser later this month.