These days, the hotel is buzzing with both lodgers and day-trippers who gather around its massive lobby fireplace to warm their boots and pore over trail maps, or dine on rainbow trout and bison burgers in the lakeside dining room. The Glacier Park Boat Company offers scenic cruises along the valley\u2019s Swiftcurrent and Josephine lakes that leave from the hotel, while other local activities include horseback riding adventures along Many\u2019s dense forest trails and Red Bus tours aboard one of Glacier\u2019s 33 original \u201cjammer\u201d buses. These open-air vehicles have been navigating the park\u2019s roadways\u2014including the legendary 55-mile-long Going-to-the-Sun Road\u2014since 1936.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
Going-to-the-Sun Road crosses the Crown of the Continent, providing access to the awe-inspiring alpine lakes, knife-edged ridgelines and craggy mountaintops that George Bird Grinnell so admired.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Grinnell Glacier<\/h2>\n
There are only about 25 official glaciers remaining today in Glacier National Park\u2014a drastic reduction from the 80 glaciers that existed here in 1850. In fact, all the park\u2019s glaciers are expected to melt within this century, including the valley\u2019s Grinnell Glacier. The glacier is named for George Bird Grinnell, a naturalist, conservationist and explorer who made frequent visits to the region in the late 1800s and staunchly advocated for the area to become a national park (which finally occurred in 1910). It\u2019s one of the park\u2019s most famous glaciers and has become a poster child for climate change.<\/p>\n
Thanks to a series of photographs dating back to the mid-19th century, people can see Grinnell\u2019s recent shrinkage firsthand. In 1850, the glacier measured 710 acres\u2014the size of approximately 538 football fields. This acreage included a nearby glacier called Salamander Glacier, which at the time was attached to Grinnell. However, between 1966 and 2005, Grinnell shrank by nearly 40%. An increase in greenhouse gas emissions has played a huge role in its reduction.<\/p>\n
What remains of the glacier sits above 6,510 feet on the north flank of the park\u2019s Mount Gould, and it\u2019s one of the park\u2019s only glaciers that can be easily reached on foot. The Grinnell Glacier Trail is an 11.2-mile out-and-back route beginning at Swiftcurrent Lake. Although relatively challenging, the hike offers some spectacular scenery, including stunning mountain vistas and a trailside waterfall, as well as a high chance of spotting grizzlies (remember to make noise and let them know you\u2019re coming!).<\/p>\n
On a narrated boat tour across Swiftcurrent Lake, Nat Hab travelers take in the panorama of Mount Grinnell, Angel Wing and surrounding peaks. Learn about the geology and ecology of our environs as we get within view of Grinnell Glacier, an experience future visitors may be less likely to have as climate change hastens the melting of the park’s permanent ice features. Depending on the angle of the sun, the lake may appear opaque turquoise, the result of glacial silt suspended in the water as it flows down the mountain from Grinnell Glacier. Then on a hike to Grinnell Lake, look for grazing elk in the meadows, and mountain goats and bighorn sheep perched on cliffs.<\/p>\n
Iceberg Lake<\/h2>\n
Glacier is home to more than 700 lakes, many of which are unnamed. Iceberg Lake is among its finest. This turquoise body of water gets its name from the many icebergs that often float in it\u2014a result of the lake\u2019s shadowy location among a series of towering peaks. It sits at 6,094 feet in elevation and is reachable via a 9.3-mile out-and-back trail that begins behind the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. While moderately challenging, this half-day hike rewards with alpine meadows blooming with wildflowers like yellow columbine and white mountain death camas, dense pine forest that offers reprieve from the hot sun, and a pristine view of the Ptarmigan Wall, a narrow ridgeline separating the Many Glacier and Belly River valleys. That\u2019s all before reaching the lake itself\u2014an absolute sight to behold and an ideal spot for a picnic.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ptarmigan Tunnel<\/h2>\n
Many Glacier\u2019s Ptarmigan Tunnel was a project of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a part of America\u2019s work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942. Volunteer workers constructed this 240-foot tunnel through Ptarmigan Wall as a way for hikers and horses to avoid an even more strenuous climb when traveling between the Many Glacier and Belly River valleys. The tunnel is accessible via the Ptarmigan Tunnel Trail, which begins in the Many Glacier Valley from the same trailhead as Iceberg Lake.<\/p>\n
This challenging 10.6-mile out-and-back hike provides spectacular views of the nearby peaks, including 8,851-foot Mount Grinnell and 8,436-foot Swiftcurrent Mountain, passes among occasional snowfields, and winds alongside thickets of huckleberries\u2014a grizzly bear favorite. Bighorn sheep and mountain goats are often easy to spot. A series of long switchbacks make up the hike\u2019s final portion, ending at the tunnel itself, which sits at an altitude of 7,200 feet. On its far side, 9,480-foot Natoas Peak and Elizabeth Lake make for picture-perfect vistas.<\/p>\n
Join a National Park Adventure with Nat Hab<\/h2>\n
From early-morning alpenglow to glacier-fed lakes and high-country trails, the Many Glacier Valley<\/a> showcases some of Glacier National Park\u2019s most soul-stirring terrain. Whether you\u2019re hiking past beargrass-lined meadows, paddling across turquoise lakes or exploring storied chalets, this region offers nature travelers a full-spectrum mountain experience. With Nat Hab as your guide, you\u2019ll discover the legacy, wonder and wildness that define the Crown of the Continent.<\/p>\nThe post Discover the Magic of Many Glacier Valley<\/a> first appeared on Good Nature Travel Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s during the early daylight hours when Glacier National Park\u2019s Many Glacier Valley is at its finest. The dramatic peaks of the Lewis Mountain Range […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1165"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1165"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1171,"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1165\/revisions\/1171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.somosbastanteanormales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}