The snow is melting in Glacier country and Montana bound anglers have been dutifully tying flies as they waited for spring’s return.  There are few places in the world more suited for the annual spring outing than the babbling brooks of one of America’s favorite landmarks.  Indeed, the thought of glacial peaks peering majestically over still waters has been running through the minds of fisherman huddled over small ice-holes for months.

The panoramic views and abundant wildlife are largely responsible for the park drawing thousands of fisherman to the shores of its waterways each year.  You may spot water ouzels, harlequin ducks, beavers, otters, and kingfishers enjoying the waters.  After all,  Glacier be considered the headwaters of the entire continent since a single droplet from Triple Divide peak can make it to the Pacific, Atlantic, and Hudson Bay watersheds. But, glacier’s appeal goes beyond the talked about to something simpler: it’s the lost sense of natural tranquility, I think, that draws people. The quiet is pervasive and still retains a long-lost sense of simplicity and stillness from yesteryear.  It feels untouched, from the architecture and campground facilities to the attitude adopted and respected by those who visit. Fishing in such a place, is an experience as much as it is an outing and it’s one that you’ll want to schedule during your summers, if possible.

Within its ample grounds, Glacier houses 653 lakes totaling 27,000 acres and 392 miles of shoreline, as well as 653 streams totaling over 1,600 miles.  The North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead bound the park on the west and south, forming its boundary.

The glacier-fed waters are home to bull trout, otherwise known as mackinaw, Yellowstone cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, kokanee, lake whitefish, grayling. Northern pikeminnow,  peamouth, and several species of sculpins round out the parks’ fishery.  Of those, It is the rainbows and cutthroats that have become the coveted catch of anglers since bulltrout are now banned.

If you do make it to the Park this spring or summer, there are several lakes to frequent that combine great fishing with even better views.

Lake McDonald holds good populations of lake trout, as well as smaller populations of cutthroat. In spring and early summer they can be caught with spinners in shallow waters, but as the water warms they head for the depths.

Swiftcurrent Lake is an ample source of brook trout that rise to dry flies in the evenings and mornings, but for daytime fishing go with streamers near rock pies or silver spinners.

Two Medicine Lake holds both rainbows and brook trout that like dry flies in the mornings and evening on calm waters.  Large stimulator and hopper patterns work great as long as the waters not too warm. The rainbows can be caught with spinners deep in the day time and the outlet from Two Medicine into Pray Lake can be rewarding, though crowded at times.  Upper Two Medicine lake is just a short hike uptrail from it’s namesake and is another good resource for brook trout.

St. Mary’s Lake is spectacular in nearly every way, and fishing is not exception. It houses cutthroats, rainbows, lake trout, whitefish, and bull trout, but it’s a deep lake and fishing is difficult to access. It’s also often windy and unsuitable for float tubes on rough days.

The Flathead river system that forms the boundary lines of the park is also an exceptional resource for fly fishing. The Middle Fork of the Flathead River begins just outside the Great Bear wilderness south of the park and is Montana’s premier wilderness river. It begins a beautiful and wild ride through the heart of the wilderness area and then parallels MT Highway 2 down to Glacier Park, though it is often well back and hundreds of feet below the road.  The towering mountains of Glacier National Park and the Great Bear Wilderness create the backdrop as the river approaches West Glacier, where it gains numerous rapids and becomes a popular place for individual and guided float trips. Spring run-off can continue into July some years and anglers with a pension for whitewater love the challenges afforded by the Middle Fork.

The Middle Fork, along with the North Fork and South Fork, contains a healthy amount of decent sized cutthroats up to 16 inches.  For fly fisherman, bushy and dry flies floated around likely locations will yield good results.  Another technique to try is to use a weighted sink tip line and drag wet streamers or flies through deep pools along the river. Both the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Flathead River system are prime waters for bull trout, though it is illegal to intentionally fish or harvest these ravenous river dwellers. 

The waters of the Park are renowned for a reason, and for those lucky enough to tempt it’s inhabitants this year, a beautiful experience is almost surely in store.  Plus, a fishing permit is not required to fish Glacier National Park, nor is a Montana fishing license, making it easy for one-time visitors to enjoy one of the great outdoor pastimes.

Resting at the top of the country a few miles from Canada, Glacier National Park stands quietly regal - known, but still pristine and largely untouched.  Its tacit splendor has been preserved and draws nearly 2 million visitors each year, though most of those stick close to the roads and hotels and relatively few venture deeper into the heart of the park.

It encompasses more than a million acres, includes two ranges of the Rocky Mountain, and is home to a breathtaking array of plants and animals. An estimated 300 Grizzly bears roam the vast grounds of the park and mountain goats speckle the cliffs white, climbing effortlessly across impossible rock faces.  Wolverines and lynx carefully avoid being seen, bald eagles and peregrine falcons occupy the skies, and more than a dozen fish species inhabit the waterways, tempting anglers with some of the best fly-fishing in the country.

For those who have driven into the sunset across Going-To-The-Sun road or slept at Many Glacier Hotel – majestic proof of a bygone era that rises dramatically from the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake – it is not just the beauty of the land, but the history of the park and it’s construction that is fascinating to discover.  Another explorer by the name of Henry L. Stimson climbed the precipitous east face of Chief Mountain in 1892 along with two companions and also become enamored with the region.

Designation as a Park

Though Lewis and Clark came within 50 miles of the area that is now the park, it was another explorer, James Willard Schultz who was hired in 1885 by George Bird Grinnell to guide him on a hunting expedition into what would later become the park.  Grinnell made several more trips to the region and found it scenery too inspiring to horde. He was the first the champion the cause of establishing a national park and spent nearly two decades doing so, describing the area as the “Crown of the Continent” – a phrase still used today.   

In 1891, the Great Northern Railway laid a track across the Continental Divide at Marias Pass, a mountain pass at the southern boundary of the park.  As with many things, it was the desire for greater profits that likely led to the formation of the park. The Great Northern began advertising the unique splendor of the area to the public and lobbied the United States Congress to allocate the land as a forest preserve, which they did in 1897.  George Bird Grinnell,  Henry L. Stimson, and the railroad presented a bill to Congress that sought to make the preserve into a national park, and the bill was penned as law by President Taft on May 11, 1910.

A Park Is Born

It was the railroad – with an eye for beauty and an industrious ambition for marketing - that built many of the historic buildings enjoyed by guests today for their uniquely Swiss themes and western feel.  The Glacier Park Company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern Railway, constructed several hotels and chalets in the park in the 1910’s under the supervision of Louis W. Hill.  The company built the Belton, St. Mary, Going-to-the-Sun, Many Glacier, Two Medicine, Sperry, Granite Park, Cut Bank, and Gunsight Lake chalets, as well as the Glacier Park Lodge and Many Glacier Hotel, each on a location selected personally by Mr. Hill for its dramatic views and scenic backdrop.   The buildings were all styled in Swiss architecture, hoping to market the areas as “America’s Switzerland”.

However, the rates for the Great Northern railroad and its chalets were prohibitive for most Americans, and the parks first superintendent, William R. Logan, wanted to build a transmountain road across the park that would enable people affordable access to the park. As the park attendance grew and visitors became more relent on automobiles, the Park received appropriations from Congress and began work on the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road, which bisects the park and crosses the Continental Divide at the midway point of logan pass, over 6,500 ft high. After more than two decades of planning and construction battling sheer cliffs, short construction seasons, sixty foot snow-drifts, and numerous tons of solid rock while working along sheer mountain faces, the road was opened on July 15, 1933.

The Civilian Conservation Corps also contributed, helping to clear and build many of the parks trails and campgrounds hiked by and habited by millions of international visitors today.

A Riveting Vacation

Glacier National Park is widely known today, and for good reason –  the natural magnificence witnessed and fought for by a few men over a century ago remains unmistakable today, though somewhat easier to access.

Today, Glacier National Park offers the same timeless beauty, enhanced by the numerous tourism-feeding adventure services that have been established around the Glacier’s continuous popularity. From helicopter rides to guided fishing trips to a world-class whitewater rafting and dinner float along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River via the Great Northern Whitewater (www.glacierparkraft.com), there is no shortage of outdoor entertainment.

Among America’s treasures, Glacier National Park remains one of the vacations you don’t want to miss in America. It is home to some of the most spectacular views in America and is a part of our heritage not soon to be forgotten.