Huckleberries are here, and they have always been popular!

An estimated 20,000 gallons of huckleberries were picked on the Flathead National Forest in 1932—fueling a debate over whether or not huckleberries would be a more profitable use of forest land than timber. The 20th century huck market supported families throughout Northwest Montana, who commonly took working vacations to pick the berries during the summer, selling as many as they could.

It was a livelihood for many during the Great Depression who found themselves out of work.

What flower would you vote for to be Montana’s state flower?

That’s the question that faced Montanans in 1894 when an election was held to decide the state flower. The winner, in a landslide, was bitterroot (pictured above). A pink-blossoming perennial, the bitterroot is an excellent symbol for the state. More than just eye candy, the bitterroot is an important spring food source for many of Montana’s indigenous people.

Are you visiting Glacier this summer? Then you might want to watch this.

Video: A time-lapse of traffic backing up at the West Entrance of Glacier National Park.

Music: Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions Accessing Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTTSR) between 6:00 am and 5:00 pm each day requires an Entry Reservation Ticket. But even if you couldn't secure an Entry Ticket, you can still access GTTSR before 6:00 am and after 5:00 pm!

Plowing crews continue to make progress towards Logan Pass, battling deep snow and inclement weather to prepare Going-to-the-Sun Road for summer.

Image: A bulldozer excavating a snow-covered mountain road, on a snowy day. But did you know that snow on the road—as imposing as it may be—is just one of the hazards plow crews face? Snow ABOVE the road, and the threat of avalanches, is a tremendous concern.

Happy Birthday, Glacier! 🎉🎂 On May 11, 1910, President William Taft signed the bill establishing Glacier National Park; a year that shared headlines with Halley's Comet, the first public radio broadcast, and the first-ever flight over Australia (flown by Harry Houdini).

Why do some trees drop their leaves every fall (deciduous), while others hold onto their leaves year-round (evergreen)?

(thread) There are tradeoffs between the two strategies. In the winter, leaves are a liability because they vastly increase the surface area of a tree, leading to increased water loss from evaporation and providing more places for snow to accumulate.

When you think of ice, what do you picture? ❄️ Some ice is obvious—maybe you picture a glacier or a frozen lake—but other ice is much harder to find.

How do animals know when to start preparing for winter?

NPS / Jacob W. Frank It’s not just from memory of years past—even young born that spring, who have never seen a winter, know to start readying. For many animals the answer lies in a part of the brain known as the pineal gland.

Leave No Trace Principle #3: Dispose of Waste Properly♻️

Pack it in, pack it out! This saying is common among backcountry hikers, but is good advice for everyone. Whether you’re hiking or relaxing, be sure to properly dispose of all trash and food scraps. (1/4) While it may be tempting to toss apple cores, banana peels, and orange peels on the ground, they do not decompose well in many places.

They may get eaten by wildlife, and potentially cause harm to the animal or contribute to habituation. (2/4)

If you've spent time in freezing temperatures, you've probably seen an icicle before—a hanging spear of ice that forms as dripping water freezes. ❄️ But have you ever seen columns of ice that start in the ground and grow upwards? You can see an example of that in the second photo!

Called "needle ice" or "frost pillars," these structures are commonly found in the soil during the early days of winter.

NPS/Diane Renkin

What runs but never walks, murmurs, but never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, and has a mouth but never eats?

... a river! 💧 When you watch the crystal-clear rivers and creeks of Glacier, they seem to have a life of their own.

Can you describe what you see in this picture?

At first glance, it may look like trees lined up against a vibrant sky. But hold on, is that a reflection?

This photo shows off a delightful phenomenon—rock flour—responsible for the color of many of Glacier's lakes and streams. What is rock flour?
To answer that, you have to start with Glaciers. Glaciers are distinguished from other bodies of ice by the fact that they move. As they move, they grind and scrape the ground beneath them, pulverizing rock into particles so small they resemble flour.