Winterlude

Glacier Park moves slowly when snow flies

The Big Mountain and Whitefish have plenty of diversions to fill up a snow sports trip, but the best-known attraction in this remote corner of Montana remains Glacier National Park.

One of the wildest American parks and a hug magnet for summer hikers, Glacier slows down in the winter but it doesn’t stop.

Glacier entrance

It is a great place for cross-country skiing and snowshoe hikes. Its main artery, the gamous Going to the Sun Road, closes to traffic because of heavy snow and sometimes violent storms, but it then cbecomes a ready-made cross-country route along McDonald Creek, which empties into idyllic Lake McDonald.

The scenery is magnificent, with jagged peaks towering above snow-draped stands of Western red cedar, larch and Western hemlocks.

Glacier Park’s mountains form the last rampart to wring precipitation from the moisture-laden weather fronts constantly blowing in from the Pacific and across Washington. The park has a split personality as a result. The western side gets up to 150 inches of rain and snow a year and is covered with lush vegetation. The eastern side is nearly a desert, its higher elevations exhibiting arctic tundra conditions.

Such schizophrenic conditions also make for dramatic weather. Storms roll into and out of the park with amazing, sometimes frightening, speed, the locals love tell visitors.

A world-record temperature plunge – from 44 to –56 degrees Fahrenheit – was recorded in the town of Browning immediately east of the park on Jan. 23, 1916. The temperature in nearby Great Falls plunged from 20 above zero to 20 below in 20 minutes about a decade ago.

A popular way to sample this winter wonderland is to stay at the Iaaak Walton Inn and the southern tip of the park. Built in 1939 by the Great Northern Railroad for its employees, the hotel is accessible by train and has 31 rooms and four cabooses.

That’s right, cabooses. They’re fully fitted out as living quarters and are available as surprisingly affordable lodging. The inn is adjacent to 15 miles of trails, rents cross-country ski equipment and conducts guided tours.

Cross-country skiingAnother, perhaps more intriguing, option is Glacier Park Ski Tours, which offers guided cross-country and snowshoe tours of the park’s back-country, including overnight trips.

The experienced guides can custom-tailor outing based on participants’ abilities, taking groups of up to 14 on day trips and overnight excursions lasting up to two weeks.

What is novel about these trips is the accommodations – snow caves and igloos.

“It’s the only lodging open in the park in the winter,” Dave Streeter, long-time guide, chuckled. “It’s pretty quiet when the tourists are gone and the bears are asleep.”

In addition to an off-the-beaten-track tour of the park, participants learn the secrets of the Eskimos, including how to dig a cozy cave or turn snow blocks into a seamless dome.

“The nice thing about them is no matter what the temperature is, they’re nice and warm,” Streeter explained. “Snow has great insulating capabilities. It can start blizzarding outside, and you wouldn’t even know it.”

They are relatively easy and quick to build, Streeter, a 30-year veteran, said, “and they’re very safe. Most kids who live in snow country have built snow caves at one time or another. Igloos are a little more sophisticated. Inuit Indians can put one up in a half-hour.”

It takes longer for novices, needless to say, but the learning process is part of the adventure.

Glacier sceneryBack-country tours usually follow McDonald Creek, a rich wildlife habitat year round, and may venture into an area called Avalanche Creek. Snowpack in the park can reach 8 to 9 feet by later winter.

Prices for these outings can vary considerably but average price per person is about $50 per day.

Animal sightings are likely in this untamed land. “This is one of the last real strongholds of the grizzly bears in the lower 48 states,” the guide said, estimating there are hundreds of the fearsome creatures in the park.

Although they snooze through the cold months, “they do occasionally come out in the winter and wander around.”

Other inhabitants of the park in abundance include mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, moose, deer, mountain lions and wolves.

Copyright Gary Olson 2010 First published in The Minneapolis Star-Tribune