Glacier National Park

Article & Images by Lonnie Brock

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(Reprinted from the Sept/Oct 2000 issue with new images added)

It is the name given to this part of our northern lands by the Native American Blackfeet. As we approach the park, we are inspired by the masses of giant rock looming on the horizon, clearly jutting high into the distant sky. Thus, most photographers are compelled to tell the “big picture” story of Glacier, and some even miss seeing the greatest show the park has to offer. The extensive trail system holds the secrets of life in this part of the world.

This is the only place in the continental U.S. that still has all of the predators that were present when the Europeans first arrived in North America. Grizzly bears, black bears, mountain lions, wolves, wolverines and coyotes all interact and hunt their native prey here. The grizzlies and black bears are more visible than in most other locations. In 1999, we actually saw fifteen bears in a four–day period in late August.

The trail system moseys (I was once asked in a workshop if I knew the difference between the words meander and mosey—the hard questions never stop coming) along cliff walls, alongside deep waters, past cascading waterfalls of varying heights, through hillsides filled with aspen, larch and pine, beside rushing creeks, across alpine meadows and around the remaining glaciers. In all of those journeys, both the teeming life and geology are evident.

Besides the predators, the wildlife consists of moose, deer, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pikas, lemmings and a broad assortment of birds, including some of the most magnificent species, like numerous raptors, the ptarmigan, pileated woodpeckers and harlequin ducks. Almost any of these animals can be seen while hiking in the park, if the hiker pays a little bit of attention.

Over a thousand plant species live in Glacier. The mix is incredible—many of the species are common in the mountains, but some have migrated from faraway places and some only exist in the park. Such exotics as carnivorous plants and an assortment of orchids live in the varying confines. Wildflowers seem to bloom throughout the majority of the tourist season (late May to early October). The stately beargrass blooms along the high meadows in summer and makes for awe–inspiring photography.

Last, but absolutely not least, is the ancient geology found here. There are remnants of rainstorms from one–and–a–half billion years ago. Geologists actually believe that rock of the park may have been formed by sediment that eroded from another continent, possibly Australia. The majority of the terrain was then sculpted in the last ice age by towering glaciers, with only their small ancestors remaining today. Evidence of ancient volcanoes and early multi–celled plant life can be found in the lava and fossils.

So, with such a cornucopia of alternatives, where do we start? When confronted with such a famous, target–rich environment, it is often a good choice to begin with some of the more cliche areas and get them out of the way. Sometimes these often–photographed sites will be just what we need to get the creative juices flowing. Of course, the light and conditions are different every day, and it is always fun to see if we can make the routine even better than normal.

Most visitors to Glacier spend the bulk of their stay on the Going–to–the–Sun Road, which leads from St. Mary on the east side of the park, over Logan’s Pass, on to West Glacier at the west entry station. Not only does St. Mary Lake appear almost immediately at the east entrance, but it runs for miles to the left as the road rises into the mountains. Shortly past the Rising Sun Lodge, there is a sign next to the road with a picture of a camera on it. Such places should always be checked out.

Most of the images we see of Wild Goose Island were taken from someplace in this vicinity. Beautiful predawns and sunrises are standard here, with some leaning toward exceptional. When trying to capture the pinks of early morning, before the sun rises, care must be taken not to overexpose the sky—it would just wash out the pinks and likely leave them closer to white, not exactly the sought–after results. Metering the pink and bracketing toward the underexposed (darker) side will retain more exciting colors.

A split neutral density filter will also allow the photographer to hold the detail in the darker areas at the bottom of the image. The difference in the light between the sky and the lower land can be significant and beyond the capabilities of slide film. Our slide film generally has the ability to reproduce only about four to five stops of light, or about two or two–and–a–half stops on each side of the exposed mid tones. Print film can reproduce about nine stops, while the human eye can see closer to forty stops of light, a stop being the amount of light needed to either double or half the current amount of light. Thus, it is helpful to realize that no films “see” as much variations of light as our eyes do, and, as such, we must work hard to expose the detail in the shadows of our images. Split neutral density filters are one of our best aids in this battle.

On up the Going–to–the–Sun Road, just past Baring Creek, is the St. Mary and Virginia Falls Trail. The 2.4 mile round–trip to St. Mary Falls is no more than a stroll through the cool woods in a very pleasant valley. At times the forest opens for views of the surrounding mountains on the trail’s way to the rushing waters of St. Mary Falls or on to the stair–stepping flow of Virginia Falls. St. Mary Falls can be utilized for image making from either side of the falls, from under the bridge or from above the falls. The water has the brilliant turquoise tint of most glacier–fed streams.

At the top of Going–to–the–Sun is the Logan’s Pass visitor center. From the visitor center, two relatively easy, but fruitful, trails begin—the Hidden Lake Trail and the Highline Trail (Haystack Butte section). Although this is a very popular area and generally relatively busy, it is also one of the easiest places to find wildlife. The Hidden Lake Trail begins behind the visitor center and follows a boardwalk through fields of alpine flowers. Although the trail descends past the summit to Hidden Lake, many visitors only go as far as the viewing deck at the summit. There are almost always mountain goats next to the viewing deck, and sometimes grizzly bears are active near the summit or can be seen nearer Hidden Lake from the viewing deck. In particularly good times, the bears may be seen fishing side–by–side around Hidden Lake.

The Highline Trail is across the road from the parking lot. This is a trail in the park that has a little something for everyone. The grand vistas to the west are overwhelming. Major blooms of wildflowers, including the much sought–after beargrass, occur along the early parts of the trail and wildlife can be seen nearly anyplace on the route. The limber pine in these environs are battered by the winter weather and transformed into low–growing mutant trees. Near the beginning, the trail is cut along a steep cliffside with a cable attached to the rock face for hikers to use as a hand hold. As the next section of the trail winds through the beargrass and more vividly–colored wildflowers, mountain goats and bighorn sheep may appear along the hillsides. It is also not unusual to have bear sightings in the nearby fields.

For a little less crowded adventure, about ten miles north of the Going–to–the–Sun Road entrance is the Many Glaciers portion of the park. The landscape is less traveled, has numerous trail systems that lead deep into the back country of the park and is rich in wildlife, especially bears.

The animals may have survived in Glacier because it is so easy for them to stay away from man in this place of plentiful wilderness. This is an exceptionally “wild” park and, accordingly, the wildlife is also genuinely wild. All wild animals are dangerous and should be treated with the utmost respect. Additionally, bothering wildlife can be highly stressful to the animal and dangerous to its safety.

As photographers, before we venture into the home of the bear and other wild animals, we need to decide if we are wildlife or landscape photographers, or a combination of both. As nature photographers, we should be emissaries of our community and settle for only the highest ethical behavior. First we should never approach an animal so closely that it becomes interested in us. Second, and towards that goal, if we are serious about wildlife photography, we should invest in the equipment needed to do it properly. At the very least, a 400mm lens should be used for wildlife images so we do not have to approach to distances that can be unsafe for both the animals and ourselves. The “longer” the lens, the better for all. All of the mammals in this park are both delicate and truly dangerous, and, as the supposed superior species, it is our duty to protect them.

Macros of plant life can be made on virtually any of the trail systems originating in the Many Glacier area. A key to making successful macro images is deciding on how much depth of field is wanted and achieving it. A depth–of–field preview is a necessity for macro work and will lead you to prosperity quicker than most other tools. We might even consider “bracketing” our depth of field to see how the different aperture settings impact the image and to decide what kind of look we like best. Bracketing is a concept that not only applies to exposure, but can be used in almost any part of our photography, including compositions.

The road into Many Glacier from Babb is one of the best places to spot grizzlies foraging along the edges of the aspens or in the high meadows on the mountain slopes. Moose are sometimes seen feeding from the water in the lakes along the Swiftcurrent Pass Trail. The trail to Iceberg Lake often produces ptarmigan scurrying along the pathway from bush to bush. High above the trail in the Grinnell system is perfect feeding habitat for bighorn sheep and both grizzly and black bears. The North Fork area on the west side of the park probably offers the highest likelihood of viewing lions, wolves and elk.

If we do encounter wildlife and we are properly equipped with long telephoto equipment, there are a few compositional rules we should keep in mind to improve our images. Since it is likely that animals will be moving, shutter speed now becomes more important than depth of field. When making images of wildlife that are large in our frame, we should be more interested in the sharp focus on the animal than on its surroundings. Within the animal, we are most interested in having the eyes in focus if it is not possible to attain sharp focus on the entire creature. If our subject is moving, it should be entering the image, not leaving, and, if it is standing still, it should be looking into the image instead of looking out of the boundaries of the image.

Dark animals, like moose or black bears, will need slightly more exposure than normal to bring up the detail in their coats. Normally we would slightly decrease exposure to darken these animals, but, if we did that to the darkest of mammals, we would lose all detail in the darkness of the fur. The bright white mountain goats will likely need at least one–third to one–half stop extra exposure (sometimes more, depending on just how white the animal is) to assure the clean white look that they have.

Glacier National Park, part of the Waterton–Glacier International Peace Park, is truly the most elite of wilderness areas. The natural history, both living and geological, speaks to us at every turn in the trail. Each trail system within the park is a separate world in which we could spend nearly an eternity. As we pass through Glacier, we have to slow our pace in order to actually “see” what is around us. Could it be that this is the photographers’ way to “Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel?”

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