Beginning Sunday, park rangers are inviting the public to join them for two-hour educational walks every weekend, learning the tricks critters use to survive and thrive in the snowy season.
Some hibernate, some have built-in antifreeze, some grow long legs or thick fur or strong claws for digging deep. Others live in that warm subnivian zone, above the ground but beneath the snow, insulated from the world for months on end.
Just meet at 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday, at the Apgar Visitor Center near West Glacier, right on into March.
Snowshoe rentals are available there for $2, or you can bring your own.
And if you've brought your skis, keep in mind that Glacier Park's summertime roadways become wintertime ski courses, with nordic tracks heading cross-country into a million acres of mountainous silence.
This year, the park's Web page - nps.gov/glac - provides a link to a new cross-country skiing resource, complete with firsthand ski reports from recent visitors. You can check conditions beforehand, and even submit a report of your own once you're back in from the out.
There's the official park staff reports: “New snow; 6-10 (inches) total. Bike trail and horse trails should be in good shape.”
Then there's the far more interesting visitor reports: “January 2, snowshoeing and ski trails in use. Nicely packed. Snow is 6-10 (inches) of powder. Mountain lion tracks seen in the snowshoe trails.”
The site offers directions and suggestions, as well as snow and ski conditions for West Glacier, Lake McDonald, the North Fork Flathead River, St. Mary, Two Medicine and Marias Pass areas.
As of Friday, the park's west side was covered deep in winter white, while the more exposed east side was somewhat hit-and-miss, mostly due to high winds scouring snow from some areas only to dump it in others.
Going-to-the-Sun Road skiing is reported “great,” however, with big views all the way from Apgar to Avalanche Lake.
Wolves, coyotes and sheep all have been spotted by skiers on the Autumn Creek trail near Marias Pass, but you'll need two cars for that route, unless you plan on retracing the six-mile route.
Deer and elk have tracked up the North Fork, as have lions and wolves, visitors report, but still not many skiers despite fine snow conditions.
St. Mary and Two Medicine are likewise lonely skis so far this year, and if the wind hasn't swept out the cover, the views should be tremendous.
For a peek at those views before heading out, check the park's winter Web cams (again, at nps.gov/glac). They're located at Apgar Mountain, St. Mary, Two Medicine, Lake McDonald, and park headquarters.
If the ski reports aren't current, the images always are, and provide a good idea of what sort of skiing and seeing you can expect.
For more information about where to go and what to do and how to get it done, call the Apgar Visitor Center at (406) 888-7939.
As always, rangers are collecting winter entrance fees, $15 for a carload for a week.
Reporter Michael Jamison can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or at mjamison@missoulian.com
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