Siyeh Mountain. ~ Gordon Sullivan
ntrodu :tion
by Bert Gildart
Glacier National Park can be approached from all
four points of the compass， but of the four the east-
ern approach is particularly inspiring. From this
direction， as one travels Highway 2 through the
flatlands of North Dakota and Montana， there is
little hint of the vast mountainous range that looms
ahead. Not until you are about 50 miles away and
suddenly ascend from the depth of a deep coulee is
there any real assurance that what appeared from
the distance to be high glimmering clouds is in fact
a lofty range of mountains shrouded in snow and
ice.
Some two hundred and thirty years ago，
when this range was first seen， adventurers were
prompted to call this the \"land of shining moun-
tains.\" Today， this area could be called land of glor-
ious adversity， for contemporary scientists tell us
that the park was born of fire， quenched by torren-
tial rains， inundated by vast seas， forced upward by
by internal pressures， and then gouged by great
continental ice sheets that came and went on at
least four occasions. From this heritage， mountains
were molded that reach up to touch the sky and
cradle more than 200 lakes. Such is the legacy the
eons left for some 60 mammals， 200 birds， and
1，200 plants that now inhabit the 1，538 square
miles of Glacier National Park.
Glacier s features can be enjoyed in a number of
ways. They can be enjoyed with drink in hand from a
recliner on the terrace of one of the park s four
magnificent lodges， on the deck of a launch or bus，
by car， or by foot. Personal tastes determine how to
spend available time， and so it is advisable to
become acquainted with the park s generalized fea-
tures as quickly as possible. The Park Service is
prepared to assist in a number of ways.
Near each entrance is located either an informa-
tion center or an elaborate visitor center. Here，
rangers and naturalists are available to acquaint
travelers with the various types of accommodations
and interpretive programs offered by the park. In
addition， displays have been arranged to assist
interpretation and to guide the curious to places of
interest.
At first encounter， the park may appear a forbid-
ding place to explore， but this is not the case. It is
bisected by the famed Going-To-The-Sun Highway，
a road that provides motorists with numerous pull-
overs for an introduction to the park s various fea-
tures. Or guided tour buses， provided by park con-
cessioners， relieve motorists of driving.
After this introductory tour many visitors are
inspired to take to foot. Almost 700 miles of trail
await the hiker from low forested hills up to
boulder-strewn passes. Along several of these trails，
two back-country chalets are located that cater to
hikers who do not want to carry heavy packs. In fact，
it isn t necessary to tote anything more than bear
bells， a toothbrush， camera， a canteen of water and
map， as both Granite and Sperry chalets provide
food and bedding.
There are remote campgrounds that provide hik-
ers with nature s own accommodations. As in many
other parks， these sites now require reservations
made only in person at the park and on a first-come，
first-serve basis.
Glacier is a park of incredible natural diversity.
Five habitat types occur which are largely deter-
mined by weather， which in turn is infuenced by
altitude. In Glacier， then， it is possible to see inhab-
itants of the grassland， deciduous forest， coniferous
forest， alpine tundra， and even the equivalent of
polar ice and snow. To see the same types of zones
elsewhere would require an extensive drive either
north or south across the flatlands of the United
States and Canada.
For those interested in learning about wildlife
and the areas in which it can be found， it is advisa-
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