Entry

Glacier National Park – beware the grizzlies

May 1st, 2007 10:45
Harish Kohli, http://www.awimaway.com

Glacier in Montana, in the western United States, has been a national 
park since 1910. Before that it was the preserve of the Blackfeet 
people, who sold it to the US government for $1.5 million. The 
Blackfeet still live in the plains to the east of the park itself but 
their hunting and fishing rights have been curtailed as 
being ‘environmentally damaging’. Meanwhile, thousands of tourists 
come here, often travelling by the picturesquely named Going-to-the-
Sun highway, unfortunately often at the same time. But the views of 
jagged peaks, ravines, granites spires and summer flowers are among 
the most dramatic in the entire Rockies, and it takes only a couple of 
minutes to get off the road and have that glorious wilderness to 
yourself. It is, however, bear country and locals and regulars recall 
the attacks by grizzlies that have left people dead and seriously 
mauled. The main danger is in the pine forests of the park, where a 
hiker is more likely to surprise a bear – something that this animal 
doesn’t take lightly. 
There are several hotels in the park and the famous Granite Park 
Chalet, a National Historic Landmark, built in 1914, up on a ridge on 
the Continental Divide. The Chalet, which houses cooking facilities 
and provides bunks and blankets, can be reached only on foot along a 
rugged seven-mile trail. Take your own food – and don’t hike alone.
To get there, fly to Glacier Park airport at Kisipel, which is about 
20 km from the park entrance.
Harish Kohli
http://www.awimaway.com