Logan Pass offers mountains, wildflowers, and mountain goats for Glacier National Park visitors/Kurt Repanshek

Amid a field of wildflowers and a backdrop of peaks framing the Continental Divide, the goateed mountain goats were the center of attention. While a handful of bighorns dealt with the June day's heat by relaxing in a waning snowfield, and grizzlies were deep in the backcountry, the iconic ambassadors of Glacier National Park were true posers for those following the trail to Hidden Lake.

Some were so close to the trail enjoying a wildflower brunch that those visitors wielding cameras with long lenses struggled to get a goat with a backdrop. But closeups are just one angle for exploring and photographing Glacier. There are panoramic vistas from atop Logan Pass, feathery shots of bear grass when the botanical gods allow it to bloom, shimmering lakes, cascading waterfalls, and peaceful backcountry trails. The park also contains rich cultural history, be it of Native Americans, early settlers, railroaders, or vacationing bluebloods. 

While Glacier's name evokes images of rivers of ice, spend time in this park in northern Montana and you'll also find jagged rock bands that help define the Continental Divide, aspen glades, stands of an unusual evergreen -- larch -- that loses its needles in winter, temperate rainforest, and even gorges carved by snowmelt. Avalanche Creek cuts one such gorge, throttling snowmelt spilled from the glaciers that pour their icy waters into Avalanche Lake which in turn sends it down the creek.

This park "plays" much larger than its 1 million acres. That's because just one road, the Going-to-the-Sun Road, crosses it. As a result, you need to travel feeder roads to reach the Many Glacier, Two Medicine, Bowman Lake, and Kintla Lake areas, and a boat to reach Goat Haunt if you're not up to, or don't have the time, to take a long hike. It also means that Glacier holds for you one of the largest wilderness experiences in the National Park System in the Lower 48. There are hundreds of miles of footpaths here, along with dozens of backcountry lakes, streams, and campsites to end the day at.

While they say Glacier's namesake glaciers are on the wane and could be gone by 2030, maybe sooner, even without its rivers of ice this park tucked up along the Montana-Canada border is a masterpiece that begs exploration. True, you might be intimidated by the grizzlies and wolves that roam the backcountry, or its challenging and demanding nature. After all, this is definitely not the place for neophytes.

Yet there are plenty of front-country vistas and day hikes to entice the novice. You can walk through a dense forest along a crashing creek, make your way across an alpine meadow flecked with lupines, asters and bear grass, paddle across one of the park's 131 named lakes, or count mountain goats back on Logan Pass.

While winter access in Glacier National Park is limited, it's not without its spectacular views of Lake McDonald and alpenglow on the mountains/Rebecca Latson

For those without weeks on end to explore Glacier, there are a few key areas to focus a trip to. Use the West Glacier/Apgar area as a base camp and you have easy access to Lake McDonald and its lodge, a nice hike up to Avalanche Lake (just to name one hike), and good road to Logan Pass with its vistas, hikes, and wildlife.

On the other end of the 50-some-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road lies St. Mary, where you can either end each day at a lodge just outside the park, stay in the St. Mary Campground, or reserve a room at the Rising Sun Motor Inn. A little more than 20 miles north of St. Mary is the Many Glacier area, where its namesake hotel rises along the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake, a campground, and the Swift Current Motor Inn.

Each of these three areas claims its own lake, a park lodge, and plenty of miles of hiking trails practically out the front door. But as contributing photographer Rebecca Latson says, "If you don’t feel up for a long hike, then consider something shorter, such as the Avalanche Lake Trail (4.5 miles), the Hidden Lake Nature Trail to the observation platform (3 miles and the most popular hike in the park), the trail to St. Mary Falls (1.7 miles), the Swiftcurrent Lake Nature Trail (2.9 miles), or the Red Rock Falls Trail (4.2 miles). You’ll hike through deep, cool forests and sunlit fields of wildflowers and alongside rushing glacier-fed creeks and waterfalls and possibly spot some wildlife. All of these hikes include magnificent mountain views."

Upper Grinnell Glacier can be reached with a hike/NPS

Of course, those three areas attract the bulk of the park's crowds. To escape, visit one of the lesser-known areas, such as Two Medicine with its lake and trails network; Bowman Lake just 6 miles east of Polebridge and where you can pitch your tent there and pull your meals from the lake; or Kintla Lake, which also boasts an Upper Kintla Lake and a trail that will lead you all the way to Goat Haunt. 

Now, until 2017 there were two backcountry "chalets" where one could hike to and have a bed and a dining hall waiting for them. Unfortunately, the Sperry Chalet above Lake McDonald last fall burned down from flames from the Sprague Wildfire and is not expected to be rebuilt before 2020.

The Granite Park Chalet that is tucked beneath the Garden Wall and reached by either the Highline, Loop, Swiftcurrent, or Fifty Mountain/Waterton Lake trails is open during summer months. The chalet, a National Historic Landmark, is rustic in its accommodations. You should plan to preorder your meals and your linens if you don't pack your sleeping bag. Unfortunately, you likely won't find any beds left for the 2018 season. Reservations for the 2019 season open in January.

This park is a favorite, and has seen robust visitation in recent years, and so you need to plan carefully to avoid crowds. But if you do, and don't rush your visit, you'll understand why it's such a popular national park.

Traveler's choice for: Hiking, photography, fishing, backcountry travel.