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Great Places Montana

Full color, glossy paper, 400+ pages, Over 100 color photos (mostly wildlife) jam packed with useful information to suit nearly any outdoor taste. Planning to hunt, fish, bird, view wildlife, camp, hike or just kick back and enjoy Montana's vast, incredible public lands? You need this book! Buy It Now At Amazon.com

Excerpts

From The Introduction

Officially nicknamed the Treasure State; though perhaps better known by handles such as Last Best Place, Big Sky Country, High Plains and Shining Mountains, one thing I think most would agree upon is that Montana is indeed high, wide and handsome. Above all, in this increasingly shrinking modern world of ours, Montana is a mecca for wildlife and wildlife lovers alike.

It seems Montanans as a whole are more likely to rave about our mountain man cum cowboy roots than talk about the ravages that the cut-and-run mining industry wreaked upon the landscape and left behind for future generations, as happens way too often. But as a whole, it seems we are most proud of our incredible wildlife heritage; everything from grizzly bears and bison to tundra swans and relic sage
grouse.

Yes, we Montanans like our wild lands and wildlife. Most of us spend far more time outdoors than indoors and, judging those I know best, dream constantly all that outside stuff we are surely missing, when forced indoors. Something like one in four of us hunt and an even higher percentage are licensed to fish. While I can’t prove it, I’d bet the farm the great majority who don’t do either place watching wildlife (birding)
high on their list of preferred ways to wile away free time.

With that in mind, comes Great Places Montana: A Recreational Guide to the Public Land and a Wealth of Birding and Wildlife Viewing Areas, an in-depth book written solely for wildlife lovers, birders, wildlife watchers, photographers, hunters, fishers, hikers, campers, picnickers, or those who want to kick back relax and take it all in. It is my sincere hope you will find the information not only helpful, but key to opening up a whole new, heretofore largely untapped, world of enjoyment entertainment and adventure.

Glacier National Park

Some call it the Shining Mountains; others refer to it as the Backbone of the World, most of us know it simply as Glacier National Park (officially it is designated Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park). Whatever you call it, the Park encompasses more than a million acres — including glaciers, forests, alpine meadows, lakes, rugged peaks and valleys — of prime wildlife habitat that is home to over 70 species of mammals including the grizzly bear, wolverine, gray wolf, lynx, bobcat, fisher, mountain lion, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, moose, elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer.

To date 272 species of birds have been observed, from harlequin ducks to dippers, awesome eagles to tiny neotropical migrants such as calliope hummingbirds.

Truly a wildlife viewer, birder and hiker’s paradise, GNP is crisscrossed by 151 maintained hiking trails totaling 743 miles. It owes its climate variation to its extreme elevation swing (3,150 feet at the confluence of the Middle and North Forks of the Flathead River, to 10,466 feet atop Mount Cleveland) and the fact that it sits at the headwaters of three oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic). Scenic doesn't begin to describe the Park's incredible, downright awesome vistas.

Among the world’s most diverse habitats, supporting a dizzying array of wildlife, bird and plant species — more than 1800 species actually, including 25 major tree species.

The park is named for its prominent glacier-carved terrain and remnant glaciers (although in recent drastic decline, only about 50 remain active, 37 of which are named) that descended from the ice ages of 10-12,000 years ago. Bedrock and deposited materials exposed by receding glaciers tell a story of ancient seas, geologic uplifting and faults, and the appearance of giant slabs of the earth’s ancient crust overlaying younger strata. The combination of spectacular geology, 762 glacial lakes and 563 streams tumbling for over 1,000 miles results in some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet.

Park lakes and streams contain 23 fish species; in other words for those of you so inclined, be sure to pack along a rod and reel.

Beyond the natural wonders, wildlife and scenery the park is also rich in cultural history, with over 400 archeological sites, including more than 50 vision quest sites, sacred to native peoples for eons.