Lake Saint Mary

When I saw the name Glacier National Park, my mind was filled with images of glaciers like Alaska. I thought it would be something like that here. But reality is very different. Much of the glaciers here have already retreated. It is said that the remaining glaciers won’t be there for long either because of climate change. Glaciers are powerful agents of erosion and even if they don’t appear to be moving, the power of these glaciers is strong enough to carve mountains. In this case, lakes. The glaciers of this area have carved out numerous basins which eventually filled up with water and became lakes.

One of the first lakes I encountered here in Glacier National Park is Lake Saint Mary. Like a lot of the lakes in the area. Lake Saint Mary is an elongated lake following the contour of the land. It was so long that it was impossible to see either end. However, it is quite narrow but that allows tourists to see the mountains which surround it. Here at Lake Saint Mary, it is possible to spot what is called the Triple Divide Peak. The main claim to fame of this peak is that the water from Triple Divide Peak flows to three different oceans – Pacific, Atlantic and the Arctic (technically, it is Hudson Bay but who cares). This gives you an idea of the significance of this park since it literally does feed three oceans.

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