Table of Contents
Preface xiii
Glacier National Park Fast Facts 1
Ten Things You May Not Know About Glacier & Waterton 3
An Extremely Brief Geologic History of Glacier-Waterton 4
A Short Cultural History of the Glacier-Waterton Area 5
Best Scenic Drives 8
1 Going-to-the-Sun Road 8
2 Two Medicine Valley 14
3 Many Glacier Road 14
4 Red Rock Parkway - Waterton 15
Best "Leave-the-Driving-to-Us" Options
Glacier's Red Bus Service 16
Glacier National Park's Free Shuttle System 16
Best Roadside Picnic Areas 17
1 Apgar 17
2 Avalanche Creek 18
3 Rising Sun 18
4 Lost Horse Creek - Waterton 18
Best Nature Trails 19
1 Huckleberry Nature Trail 19
2 Trail of the Cedars 20
3 Hidden Lake Overlook 22
4 Baring Falls 23
5 Running Eagle Falls 24
6 Swiftcurrent Nature Trail 25
7 Red Rock Canyon-Waterton 26
Best Day Hikes 27
1 Avalanche Lake 27
2 The Garden Wall 29
3 St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls 30
4 Scenic Point 31
5 Iceberg Lake 32
6 The Bear's Hump - Waterton 34
7 Crypt Lake - Waterton 34
Best Backpack Trips 37
1 Quartz Lake Loop 38
2 Logan Pass to Many Glacier 39
3 Jackson Glacier Overlook to Lake McDonald 40
4 Dawson-Pitamakan Loop 41
Best Bicycle Rides 43
1 Going-to-the-Sun Road 43
2 Snowshoe Trail - Waterton 44
Best Horseback Rides 45
Easy One-to Three-Hour Rides 46
All-Day Rides 46
Best Boat Tours 47
Best Boat Tours in Glacier
1 St. Mary Lake 48
2 Two Medicine Lake 48
Best Boat Tour in Waterton
3 Waterton Lake 49
Best Places to Raft, Kayak, Canoe, and Boat 50
Best Large Lakes, Waterfalls, and Other Features 51
Best Large Lakes
1 Lake McDonald 52
2 St. Mary Lake 52
3 Two Medicine Lake 52
4 Swiftcurrent Lake 53
5 Waterton Lakes 53
Best Waterfalls
1 McDonald Falls 54
2 Bird Woman Falls 55
3 St. Mary Falls 55
4 Virginia Falls 55
5 Baring Falls 56
6 Running Eagle Falls 56
7 Swiftcurrent Falls 57
8 Redrock Falls 57
9 Cameron Falls 58
Best Other Water Features
1 McDonald Creek and Sacred Dancing Cascade 58
2 Weeping Wall 59
3 Sunrift Gorge 59
Best Places to Fish 60
Best Lake Fishing
1 Quartz Lake Chain 61
2 Harrison Lake 62
3 Trout Lake 62
4 Bullhead Lake 62
5 Otokomi Lake 62
6 Two Medicine Lake 62
7 Upper Two Medicine Lake 62
Best Stream Fishing
1 Bowman Creek Below Bowman Lake 63
2 Lower McDonald Creek 63
3 Belly River 63
Best Historic Sites 64
1 Going-to-the-Sun Road 65
2 Lake McDonald Lodge 65
3 Sperry Chalet 65
4 Granite Park Chalet 66
5 Two Medicine Store 66
6 Glacier Park Lodge 66
7 Many Glacier Hotel 67
8 Prince of Wales Hotel 67
Best Wildlife 69
Mammal Checklist 69
Chipmunk 70
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel 70
Red Squirrel 71
Columbian Ground Squirrel 72
Northern Flying Squirrel 72
Hoary Marmot 73
Pika 74
Beaver 74
Mule Deer 75
White-tailed Deer 76
Rocky Mountain Elk 76
Moose 77
Bighorn Sheep 78
Mountain Goat 79
Coyote 80
Gray Wolf 81
Black Bear 81
Grizzly Bear 82
Visiting Bear Country 83
Mountain Lion 85
Best Places to See Wildlife from the Road 86
Best Birds 88
Clark's Nutcracker 88
Gray Jay 88
Steller's Jay 89
Black-capped Chickadee 89
Western Meadowlark 90
American Dipper 90
White-tailed Ptarmigan 91
Harlequin Duck 91
Bald Eagle 91
Osprey 91
Important Insects 94
Best Wildflowers 96
Beargrass 96
Fireweed 97
Glacier Lily 97
Harebell 98
Paintbrush 98
Prickly Rose (aka Wild Rose) 99
Silky Lupine 99
Sticky Geranium 100
Best Places to See Wildflowers 100
Best Huckleberries 103
Best Trees 104
Western Valleys
Western Redcedar 105
Western Hemlock 105
Douglas-fir 106
Eastern Parklands
Quaking Aspen 106
North Fork Valley
Lodgepole Pine 107
Ponderosa Pine 107
Western Larch 108
Subalpine Forests
Subalpine Fir 108
Engelmann Spruce 109
Whitebark Pine 109
Best Names of Natural Features 110
Best Activities for Children 113
Best Places to Watch Sunrise and Sunset 119
Best Honeymoon Suite 120
Best Things to Do on a Rainy (or Snowy) Day 121
Best Places to Photograph 122
Best Places to People-Watch 124
Best Places to Read a Book 125
Best Books about Glacier
Photography Books 125
Good Reads 126
Kids' Books 126
Resources 127
About the Author 130