Magnificent landscape

The place has 50 active glaciers but most visitors don’t go to Glacier National Park to see them. They go to see what all the glaciers have done – the straight-sided, towering mountains, the U-shaped valleys the saw-toothed and narrow-edged cliff called the Garden Wall. The fall colors add another dimension to this magnificent landscape.

For someone trying to describe the fall colors, Glacier creates a problem. All the descriptive words for the scenery have been used the rest of the year. George Grinnell called the area the “Crown of the Continent.” Famous naturalist John Muir said, “You could spend a month here and not lose a day.” Awesome, fabulous and awe inspiring have been used to describe Glacier National Park. Then comes the month of October when most visitors have long gone home, and it’s hard to put into words the change in the park.

Aspen are the source of most of the problem here. With the exception of white bark, their green leaves blend into the forest of pine, fir and spruce. From a distance, aspens are hardly noticed – except in October. That’s when aspen stands, seemingly arising out of nowhere, turn entire mountainsides yellow. On other mountains, large yellow swatches show up as if someone with a giant paintbrush was at work. Traveling either direction on the Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass provides outstanding views of autumn colors. The entire area around St. Mary seems to glow in the color yellow.

This fall, visitors need to be aware that the Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed from Logan Pass east toward St. Mary because of road construction. However, the detour, along Highway 2 through East Glacier, also offers spectacular views of the fall colors because of all the aspen throughout the park.

Some park activities are still available in autumn, only they are better because there are no crowds. For example, the short hikes along the Trail of the Cedars and to Avalanche Lake. In the summer, Trail of the Cedars is the park’s most popular trail because of its spectacular destination and fairly level walk. The trail, in the McDonald Valley, is handicapped-accessible. The area is also the trailhead to Avalanche Lake which is listed as an easy 2.9-mile (half-day) hike. The lake is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs with several waterfalls spilling over their walls.

The wildlife that may be seen will be in their finest fur coats. Look for deer near the Apgar Campground and, if a pair of binoculars is available, look for mountain goats on Haystack Mountain on the Going-to-the-Sun Road near Logan Pass. At Many Glacier, with a pair of binoculars, scan the north-facing slopes for grizzlies and bighorn sheep. The sheep are going into their rut and gunshotlike sounds may be heard as the rams butt each other.

The road construction near Logan Pass can also be used for wildlife viewing. On weekends, when road work is halted, only walkers and bicycles are allowed to use it. Recently, bighorn sheep rams have been seen butting each other in the construction zone. There have also been fresh sightings of mountain goats and bears on the road.

What a place to visit in the fall. A trip to Glacier National Park in October can provide a visual experience that is, well, indescribable.