Glacier National Park is the crown of the continent

Glacier National Park is filled with magnificent views from the moment you enter.There are hikes for all levels, boat rides on glacial lakes and drives that take your breath away. The Going-To-The- Sun Road is the most famous road in the park. Lucky for us, the entire 50 mile road opened the day before we arrived. This two lane road, which bisects the park east to west, was carved (blasted) into the side of the mountains and completed in 1932. There are many pullover spots for trailheads and amazing views.The road’s halfway point is at Logan Pass along the continental divide. There is an overlook and a lodge with a view of the steep and curvy roadway, the glaciers and the glacier-filled lakes and streams. One section of the mountain wall is named the Weeping Wall.The late spring snow runoff made it more of a full on sobbing wall! The east side of the park has some long and remote trails. There is also the Many Glacier area. We hiked in several areas of the park. Along with the trail signs, including ripped up tree trunks where bears had recently dined on bugs, there were also many signs posted warning that we were in grizzly bear territory. Fortunately, we had no encounters with any large animals. We did see deer and mountain goats from the car.We also took a boat tour on two of the glacier lakes.We learned that the park’s definition of a glacier is different than a text book. Here a glacier is defined by three criteria. It must be a minimum of 70 feet deep, 25 acres in size and have movement. At the park’s entry into the National Park system in 1932, there were 150 glaciers (ice fields); today there are just 25. (Global warming is true). It is thought that the remaining glaciers at the park will be gone by 2030.Montana license plates have the slogan “the treasure state“; Glacier National Park is a treasure and a pleasure.