Glacier Park Wildlife Pictorial – 2010

I am blessed to live in the same neighborhood as America’s “Crown of the Continent.” Glacier National Park is a stunningly glorious sight—or more accurately, a never-ending series of stunningly glorious sights.  Glacier National Park is 100 years old this year. This centennial summer’s visits have provided some of the most remarkable views and exhilarating moments I’ve experienced here yet.  This compilation captures some of the best wildlife sightings I’ve seen while exploring the Park.  Enjoy!

In my four years of living in Northwest Montana, I try to make it up to the Park as often as possible, while invariably not getting up there as often as I’d like.  All told, I’ve been up maybe a dozen times.   Of those, I’ve been up to the Continental Divide at Logan Pass three times.  But each time I go, I see Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, and Mule Deer at very close range.

The mule deer at Logan Pass show a conditioned tolerance to humans that we don’t often see on Big Mountain in the adjacent Whitefish Mountain Range.  These Glacier mulies aren’t the least bit daunted by the hundreds of visitors to the Logan Pass visitor center less than 30 yards away (behind and next to your photographer).

The splendor of deer notwithstanding, its a battle between the Sheep and the Goats for ownership of Logan Pass’s top photogenic honors.  And they rarely fail to steal the show.

And just when you thought the Bighorns in the Meadow were as photogenic as they could get, you come around a corner and see this Bighorn Ram in profile below.

Not to be outdone by the Bighorn Sheep, the Mountain Goats are also at home around Logan Pass.  This family below was moving alongside the Trail to Hidden Lake.  Notice the exuberant kid leading the family down the hill.

These goats below were resting along the Going to the Sun road as we made our way back down toward West Glacier.

Likewise, this big goat below was seen just below Logan Pass.  

As we made our way back westward down the Going to the Sun road, shortly after passing the switchback, we saw this bear cub below.   Admittedly, he was rooting in the grass and his head wasn’t visible in the pic, though he did draw quite a crowd of spectators.  Mama was nowhere to be seen–though all observing the little guy were vigilant in looking for the emergence of one, pissed-off mama.

And living further back toward West Glacier, near Apgar Village and the Apgar Transit Center, this little cinnamon-colored black bear below has been seen on a frequently recurring basis this summer.

He was a photogenic fellow—striking the pose below.

And, even the ground squirrels in the Park are photogenic.

Glacier National Park never fails to deliver grand splendor, from spectacular vistas, to majestic waterfalls, to roaring whitewater.  But the Park’s inherent beauty, for me, is best manifest in the up-close and personal views of it’s resident wildlife.  Hope you enjoyed the pics! JDPF