Page 14 - AAA Central Penn – AAA Now! – March/April 2017

AAA
Exploring Magnificent Glacier National Park
TM
on a Northwest Adventure
by Judie Karhan
The magnificence of Montana’s Glacier National Park cannot be overstated. This is a land of towering mountain ranges, alpine meadows,
deep forests, waterfalls, and nearly 50 glistening glaciers and 200 sparkling lakes. Sprawling more than one million acres, the park is home to 1,000 different species of plants and hundreds of species of animals. Virtually all the plants and animals that existed at the time European explorers first entered the region are present in the park today. It is a vast, pristine ecosystem with icy river-carved mountains that began forming 170 million years ago. It can be said that a journey through Glacier National Park is similar to taking a trip back in time.
Glacier National Park – nature’s masterpiece – is one of the many highlights to be enjoyed on a AAA Central Penn Discoveries Silver Anniversary Tour August 24-30, 2017.
the base and offer firsthand accounts of firefighting and smokejumping.
Departing Missoula and entering the Flathead Indian Reservation, there will be a stop at the
St. Ignatius Mission – a National Historic Site that was built in 1891 by American Indians and Jesuit missionaries. Then continue northward to Big Fork, the “Village by the Bay,” for a first look at Glacier Country as you enjoy a scenic float trip on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. Starting from West Glacier, you’ll pass through a steep, walled canyon and see where the Middle and North
Forks of the Flathead come together to form the southern tip of Glacier National Park. The night’s accommodations will be at the historic Glacier Park Lodge, a one-of-a-kind National Park lodging experience.
Glacier National Park, established in 1910, is part of a large preserved ecosystem
riding, fishing, jeep tours and canoeing. The overnight stay is at the beautiful Swiss-style Many Glacier Hotel. Constructed in 1915, it is now a National Historic Landmark.
Visitors also experience Glacier National Park via the world famous “Going to the Sun Road” amid magnificent snowcapped peaks, gleaming lakes and the virgin forests of the McDonald Valley, where boat cruises are available. In St. Mary Valley, board vintage Red Jammer Touring Cars, which take visitors on a 52-mile drive that crests the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, famous for its majestic mountains and deep valley floors.
Departing Glacier National Park, the journey continues to Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, Idaho, where there is the opportunity to enjoy a scenic gondola ride to the top of Silver Mountain on North America’s longest gondola. Along the scenic drive back to Spokane, take in views of “the most picturesque lake of them all,” Lake Coeur D’Alene.
The tour, which begins in Spokane, Washington, takes travelers eastward to the historic mining town of Wallace, Idaho. Known as the
“Silver Capital of the World,” every building in Wallace is listed in the U.S. National Historic Register. A Sierra Silver Mine tour, the only tour of its kind in the Northwest, offers a rare and exciting opportunity to experience the underground world of mining in the richest silver district on earth.
It can be said that a journey through Glacier National Park is similar to taking a trip back in time.
collectively known as the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem,” all of which
is primarily untouched wilderness
of pristine quality. It has almost all of its original native plant and
animal species. Large mammals such as grizzly bears, moose and mountain goats, as well as rare or endangered species, including wolverines and Canadian lynxes,
inhabit the park. Hundreds of species of birds, more than one
dozen fish species, and a few reptile and amphibian species have been
documented.
An introduction to the park is given on
14
MARCH/APRIL 2017 – DISCOVERIES EDITION
The journey continues into the
Missoula area of Montana, where a
tour of the Smokejumpers Base Aerial
Fire Depot includes displays of dioramas, historical photographs and artifacts relating
to the history of firefighting in the Forest Service. Forest Service Smokejumpers give guided tours of
a scenic cruise aboard the sightseeing boat Chief Two Guns on the Swiftcurrent Lake. Optional afternoon activities include hiking, horseback
Now!