At The Top Of Logan Pass
by Robert Bales
Title
At The Top Of Logan Pass
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
We took a the very nice drive up the Going-to-the-Sun Road and we had beautiful weather. If you ever get to Glacier National Park this is a must.
Logan Pass (elevation 6,646 ft (2,026 m)) is located along the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park, in the U.S. state of Montana. It is the highest point on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.The Logan Pass Visitor Center is open during the summer season just east of the pass. The pass is a popular starting point for hiking and backpacking trips. The most popular trail is the Highline Trail which heads north along the west side of the continental divide, through an area known as the Garden Wall, due to the proliferation of wildflowers which grow there during the summer.
Just east of the pass, an area known as Big Drift often records over 100 feet (30 m) of snowfall, much of which has been pushed over the continental divide by the prevailing westerly winds during the winter. The pass is closed during the winter due to avalanche hazards and the virtual impossibility of keeping the Going-to-the-Sun Road open, yet is generally open from the end of May until mid October.
A record wind gust was recorded at Logan Pass on April 9, 2014, of 139 miles per hour. The pass was closed at that time. "The previous record gust recorded at Logan Pass was 133 mph, on Dec. 13, 2006. The average wind speed during the hour the record gust was recorded was 66 mph."[1]
The pass provides an excellent vantage point to view wildlife. A visitor is almost guaranteed to spot a mountain goat as they have become adjusted to summertime human visitation.
At Logan Pass, Reynolds Mtn and Clements Mountain tower over fields of wildflowers that carpet the ground throughout the summer. Waves of yellow glacier lilies pushing up through the snow are quickly replaced by a variety of alpine plants adapted to this harsh, but spectacularly beautiful, habitat. Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and the occasional grizzly bear lumbering through the meadows offer spectacular wildlife viewing opportunities.
Logan Pass is the highest elevation (6640ft.) reachable by car in the park. It is extremely popular with visitors and the parking lot is generally full between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Consider visiting this destination by using the free shuttles to avoid limited parking, or plan to visit early or late in the day if possible. Early morning light on the mountains provides excellent photographs and the chances to see wildlife are greater before the crowds arrive. Hiking two of the area's most popular trails, the Hidden Lake trail and the Highline trail, is the perfect way to build an appetite for a late supper back at camp or your hotel
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September 26th, 2014
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Comments (27)
Aurelio Zucco
Stunning panorama...love the symmetry in this image...so brilliantly composed! Nice work, Robert! L/F
Dorothy Pugh
Excellent capture of this intriguing place, and great accompanying description! I just had to read it to get some idea of the strange placement of snow in this photo, and I guess it was those high winds. We get information like this from the resident naturalist at Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina; I wonder who got to get the firsthand information on those high winds. l/f
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Dorothy for the wonderful review and the LF!! It sure was windy!! Leaving for Yuma, AZ for the winter on Wednesday!!