Evening Light On St. Mary Lake

by Robert Bales

Title

Evening Light On St. Mary Lake

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

One evening I stepped out of our motor home and this was the view overlooking St. Mary Lake.

Saint Mary Lake is the second largest lake in Glacier National Park, in the U. S. state of Montana.
Located on the east side of the park, the Going-to-the-Sun Road parallels the lake along its north shore. At an altitude of 4,484 feet (1,367 m), Saint Mary Lake's waters are colder and lie almost 1,500 feet (460 m) higher in altitude than Lake McDonald, the largest lake in the park, which is located on the west side of the Continental Divide. Here, the great plains end and the Rocky Mountains begin in an abrupt 5,000 feet (1,500 m) altitude change, with Little Chief Mountain posing a formidable southern flank above the west end of the lake. St. Mary lake has a surface area of 3,923 acres (15.88 km2).

The lake is 9.9 miles (15.9 km) long and 300 feet (91 m) deep. The waters of the lake rarely rise above 50 F (10 C) and are home to various species of trout. During the winter, the lake often is frozen completely over with ice up to 4 feet (1.2 m) thick.
St. Mary is the eastern gateway to Glacier National Park. Prairies, mountains, and forests all converge here to create a diverse and rich habitat for plants and animals. The open meadows surrounded by dense forests can afford some great opportunities for wildlife viewing.

St. Mary Lake, its surface often riffled by the wind, spans almost 10 miles. A drive along St. Mary Lake provides some of the most incredible vistas available in the park. Bordering the Blackfeet Reservation, Native American history and culture is strong in the St. Mary Valley. Blackfeet, Salish, and Kootenai tribal members participate in the park's Native American Speaks programs. These programs feature award winning performing artists and local drummers and dancers at the St. Mary Visitor Center.

For a live glimpse of a portion of the St. Mary Valley, check out our Webcam page; we have a webcam on the St. Mary Visitor Center with a sweeping view of Red Eagle Mtn. We also have a webcam pointed at an osprey nest.

Uploaded

September 26th, 2014

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