GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

[Music] [Music] nearly a century and a half later an adventurous american naturalist called it the crown of the continent to the primitive indians this awesome country was the home of the gods you will call italy wonderful suddenly you are here suddenly almost before you know it the endless grassy prairie changes into a fabulous new world your discovery [Music] for a thousand miles or more you have traveled in luxury across rolling farmlands and broad prairie but now you're only moments away from the mighty montana rockies take a deep breath for just ahead of you is glacier national park nowhere in all the world has nature laid such a feast of mountain beauty but as you glide into this exciting land your thoughts are more personal what will you do first explore on a hike or on horseback fish for trout in a secluded pool or just relax and let the mountain air bathe your soul the gateway from the east is glacier park station on the main line of the great northern railway this is in fact the only american national park that is reached by a mainline train no other park can be visited so conveniently saving precious vacation time great northern skirts the southern boundary of glacier park for 57 miles you're trained the streamlined western star arrives here from chicago on route to seattle and portland everyone seems to share a feeling of excitement of exhilaration nearby is the blackfoot indian reservation and these first citizens of this western vacation land are on your welcoming committee for small boys this trip already has paid for itself you'll be staying tonight at glacier park lodge a modern hotel of rustic architecture inside the lobby columns are giant fir trees the pathway to the lodge is bordered with delphinium iceland poppies violas mountain golf the crisp dry air tends to sharpen your game hay fever sufferers are delighted to learn that glacier has one of the lowest pollen counts anywhere elevation at glacier park lodge is 4821 feet and the mountains tower to over 10 000 feet the blackfoot braves like to tell of the great spirits who dwell in the mountains the indians happy hunting grounds the blackfeet love dancing the sundance still echoes in their valleys [Music] these are the descendants of the most powerful tribe of the northwest plains where great herds of buffalo once stretched for miles in every direction but few now living remember the buffalo by which their forefathers lived constant slaughter wiped out the buffalo and the blackfeet faced starvation until the government established their protected reservation [Music] inside the lodge medicine lounge offers refreshment in a casual atmosphere this spacious hotel is a popular rendezvous for convention groups as well as vacationists mountain air wets the appetite and here is real western food to satisfy the inner man buffalo steak may have vanished but you'll never miss it after lunch buses leave the lodge for a 12-mile excursion into the mountains with a skillful driver and guide at the wheel you sit back utterly carefree while glacier's magic a waterfall has carved a name for itself trick falls so-called because the turbulent waters tunnel through the limestone to form an alternate spillway below [Music] there are frequent pauses along the highway for lingering enjoyment of breathtaking views to medicine lake a giant mirror framed by vaulting mountains there are 250 of these gem-like lakes awaiting your discovery in glacier national park [Music] although earlier explorers approached this area the first white man did not enter these mountains until 1815. congress established glacier park in 1910 there are over a thousand different flowering plants mountain asters the brilliant fire weed is of the primrose family [Music] the glacier lily bears like to eat the bulbs indian paintbrush is found along every trail from june to september and you're grateful that park regulations forbid the picking of flowers divide mountain was created millions of years ago mighty glaciers sculptured its distinctive profile [Music] and now you look out upon lovely st mary valley and are filled with wonder intensely blue st mary lake cradled by bold mountains has an astonishing depth of 400 feet the lakeshore favors the silky lupine a bean plant midway up the lake is rising sun motel and cabin camp and nearby you board the red eagle for a cruise into the heart of the mountains your guide a national park service ranger naturalist tells you that this lake is 12 miles long and in places a mile wide its icy depths are the layer of the mackinaw trout weighing as much as 40 pounds you will long remember this exciting hour on the red eagle later you view some of the same scenery from another perspective on going to the sun road this unusual name has its origin in an indian legend that is reminiscent of the bible story of genesis the indian god was named nappy after he created the earth and its first people nappy returned to his home in the sun to reach his home he climbed soaring going to the sun mountain for which the highway is named and you too can't help but feel close to the sky [Music] this is the official park flower bear grass of the lily family not found east of the rockies glacier national park has some 60 glaciers a glacier is formed by winter snow building up more than the summer sun can melt through the ages this accumulation compacts into a hard ice mass such as jackson glacier this tremendous mass flows down the mountain imperceptibly a few feet each year by its sheer weight it carries everything with it even grinding huge boulders to dust it is this irresistible force of a glacier that is shaped to a large degree this fantastic land you are in carving its mountains and valleys creating its lakes and waterfalls [Music] to the left is mount plymouth as you enter a tunnel on going to the sun road this highway a spectacular engineering feat had to conquer these mountains [Music] mount clements like switzerland's matterhorn is glacier scoured on all sides it towers over logan pass on the continental divide hundred fifty 6654 feet above sea level on the crown of the continent and this is logan pass melting snow and rain on the west slope of the divide eventually reach the pacific drainage on the east slope is to the gulf of mexico high on logan pass there are often distractions from the view this is the whistling moment and it does loud and clear a type of ground squirrel the marmot likes high mountains altogether there are 57 species of wild animals native to glacier park and nearby is the ptarmigan protected not only by law but by the camouflage of its natural coloration mountain goats like places where only birds should go they are adept at finding food likened in small grasses where at least the competition is negligible the secret of their amazing agility is a spongy suction cup like hook with razor edges the mountain goat is the trademark of the great northern railway perhaps because both love the rocky mountains although the discovery of wildlife does add zest to a stroll on logan pass you soon turn again to the view [Music] from a lofty vantage point on the continental divide you look down the other side to the west that's your highway 2500 feet below there's an interesting difference in the vegetation it's much more luxuriant as you begin your descent into mcdonald valley you begin to wonder if you have enough film to carry you through the day never before have you had so many thrilling scenes to capture with a camera through the trees you catch a glimpse of heaven's peak nine thousand feet covered with snow all year round the larger trees on the western slope of the rockies thrive on warm moist winds from the pacific while those on the east are exposed to colder drier weather it's difficult to grasp the immensity of glacier park a million acres of sublime wilderness and this is only a foretaste of the adventure yet ahead already you know that you want to come back to glacier again and again [Music] at the bottom of the valley mcdonald creek rushing and tumbling through the woods old bruin is deceivingly friendly but you remember a warning sign a few miles back highway bears are often rude they eat fingers as well as food about 500 bears make their home in glacier along with some 5 000 deer elk and moose deer are a common sight at dawn and dusk lake mcdonald formed by melting glaciers is the park's largest lake here's a suggestion for a hot summer day the water temperature is 42 degrees lake mcdonald hotel is remembered for its rustic charm and western hospitality while you're here you won't want to miss the opportunity for a morning's ride to visit a foreign country only a few miles away is canada and just across the border in the province of alberta is a canadian national park waterton lakes nature place no boundary line but there is a sentinel chief mountain geologically interesting in its isolation and its stock upward thrust and here is the international boundary marker welcome to canada the sightseeing launch international makes three round trips daily on waterton lake between the canadian and american national parks the parks are officially linked as the waterton glacier international peace park easily accessible in the canadian park are lovely cameron falls and cameron lake you're not only out of the country the scenery is out of this world [Music] returning from your cruise down waterton lake you are struck with the hansel and gretel appearance of famous prince of wales hotel crowning a high hill at the very end of the lake inside you are even more impressed with the breathtaking panorama of mountain and lake returning from canada heading southeast mount gould looms above swift current falls and the park's oldest rock formations you are headed for many glacier hotel largest of the great northern hotels in the two parks this area this citadel of beauty is in the very heart of the glacier country and the hotel is on the shore of lovely swift current lake nearby is modern swift current motel on an afternoon hike your ranger naturalist guide explains the park does not get its name from present ice fields such as grinnell glacier in the distance but from the ice age glaciers which shape the land at the hotel a prominent local citizen comes out to greet the guests and gets invited to lunch word gets around and he's joined by friends these are colombian ground squirrels [Music] of all the creatures of the park however there is one that holds special interest for this is of course trout country a paradise for the fishermen park fishing is primarily the lake variety but many streams offer excitement too and you don't need a license in glacier over 20 varieties are taken here but perhaps the best game fish is the native cutthroat trout [Music] they rise to dry flies when insects are on the water like this watch [Music] you hooked him is there any thrill to quite match this [Music] a five pound cutthroat is not unusual but most fish caught here are frying pan size a fish you caught yourself cooked over an open fire when you returned to the hotel you wonder if perhaps you found the fountain of youth [Music] next morning you're up bright and early for another adventure a packed trip to lake elizabeth as you move toward the trail someone asks what's this place like in january well everyone is gone but the solitary winter keeper snow drifts 30 feet and the temperature may drop to 50 below [Music] you've climbed nearly 2 000 feet and from the south portal of tarmigan tunnel you gaze in wonderment at the country you've left behind you emerging from the tunnel and looking northward another shangri-la breathtaking beauty this unique trail tunnel was punched 183 feet through the jagged spine of rock called tomigan wall to link two wilderness wonderlands glacier park has a thousand miles of trail and you wonder if a lifetime could encompass all of their surprises after supper when the tent goes up by the shores of tranquil lake elizabeth you pause and are filled with a sense of reverence as if you were in a great cathedral [Music] [Music] dawn of a new day and preparations for breakfast awaken you they also alert a moose in the brush nearby [Music] dawn is the time for nature lovers most big animals hide during the heat of the day you find that the mountain sheep are grayish brown while the mountain goats are white the lambs and ewes pay little attention when the rams disagree [Music] have you ever looked forward to breakfast so much you're a new person your body feels alive muscles tuned with each day's activity a deep sharp cool breath and you're as hungry as one of the park's own bears pull up a soft rock and sit down [Music] my own mind [Music] who thinks of calories and diets anymore [Music] mmm good [Music] you make quick friendships easy conversation but soon all this must end and your new friends will go their separate ways finally the time comes to break camp this was a place of solitude the world and its worries far away [Music] so immense unspoiled you recall each scene emerald lakes glacier tinted alpine fields of flame so many memories you leave humbled and inspired but glacier park remains to welcome you again foreign