Ranger-led activities in Glacier Park scheduled
<p>Glacier National Park visitors take turns staring at the Earth's nearest star — the Sun — last year at Apgar Village. Stargazing at night is also an activity offered for Park visitors.</p>
Glacier National Park recently released the schedule for ranger-led activities through July 31. The activities include hikes, talks, boat tours, demonstrations and evening programs.
Most programs are free of charge. The schedule of activities is available when entering the Park or online at http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/inforequest/inforequest3.cfm.
Hour-long to day-long hikes led by rangers are offered in many areas of the Park, including the Lake McDonald Valley, Two Medicine, Many Glacier and St. Mary areas.
Visitors can learn about the natural history of Glacier Park by joining “Rocky Point Ramble,” a moderate two-hour hike along Lake McDonald from the Rocky Point trailhead north of the Fish Creek Campground.
Wildlife in the Many Glacier Valley can be viewed from a safe distance during “Scope It Out,” starting at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn parking lot between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Visitors can celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act by joining the “Wild About Wilderness Hike” in the St. Mary Valley, a moderate, three-mile hike on the Beaver Pond Loop Trail, ideal habitat for a variety of wildflowers and wildlife.
Evening programs include “Amazing Animals,” a 30-minute dialogue in the Apgar area regarding adaptations of Glacier Park’s most interesting wildlife.
Children can learn about plants, animals, rocks and rivers on the “Junior Ranger Explorers Walk,” an interactive hour-and-a-half walk in the Apgar area.
On the east side, a park ranger will lead “Animal Olympics for Kids,” a fun, interactive program at the 1913 Ranger Station parking lot in St. Mary where children can test their abilities against Glacier Park’s animal athletes.
Visitors can take a self-guided, mile long, historic walking tour of the Park’s Headquarters Area in West Glacier, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, by following a brochure available online at www.nps.gov/glac/historyculture/hq-historic-walking-tour.htm or from Park Headquarters
For more information on ranger-led activities, visit online at www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/ranger-led-activities.htm or call 406-888-7800.