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Glacier National Park and the Sprague Fire

  |   Exercise, Life, Nature, Photography   |   No comment

 

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This was my first visit to Glacier NP and it was during the Sprague Fire.

The Sprague Fire was reported the evening of August 10th and was located southeast of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. By August 15, 2017, the fire was estimated to be 100 acres (40 ha) in size and situated in steep terrain. Burning along the Gunsight Trail, the primary trail access to the Sperry Chalet. The fire encompassed 16,982 acres and nearly destroyed the historic Sperry Chalet.

By September 23rd, officials lifted the mandatory evacuation order for the Lake McDonald region but the Going-to-the-Sun Road remained closed to tourism due to ongoing fire activity. The fire was creeping and smoldering but no increase in burned acreage had been noticed during the third week in September. On September 28 the fire was determined by infrared flight to encompass 16,926 acres (6,850 ha).

With the arrival of October and a combination of factors such as cooler temps, light snow and shorter days led to a vastly reduced fire threat and the Sprague Fire was 75 percent contained by the beginning of the month.

 

About Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is a wilderness area in Montana’s Rocky Mountains, with glacier-carved peaks and valleys running to the Canadian border, adjacent to the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. The park encompasses over 1 million acres (4,000 km2) and includes parts of two mountain ranges (sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains), over 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 different species of plants, and hundreds of species of animals.

It’s crossed by the mountainous Going-to-the-Sun Road with a route to photogenic Hidden Lake accessed from Logan Pass. Other activities include backpacking, cycling and camping. Diverse wildlife ranges from mountain goats, big horn sheep, black bears, grizzly bears, moose, cougars, lynxes, elk, mule and white tailed deer, coyotes, wolves and many varities of birds.

This vast pristine ecosystem is the centerpiece of what has been referred to as the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem,” a region of protected land encompassing 16,000 square miles (41,000 km2).

Please find links to some websites about Glacier National Park.

 

National Park Site

Visit Montana – Glacier NP

Glacier Park Collection

Glacier NP Lodges

10 ADVENTURES

 

 

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