Page 200 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

NORTHWEST USA

Montana, Washingon, Oregon, Idaho, Grizzly & Black Bear

photos by Deby Dixon

Montana/ Glacier National Park like a solid crust you can walk on actually grizzlies, mountain beavers and snowshoe
“Crown of the Continent,” “Backbone of the disguises a dangerous hot spring that will hares. The summer months of June through
World” and “Shining Mountains” are some of kill you instantly if you fall in. Also beware of September are the busiest times of the year
the names used to describe this national park young animals such as bison or bears. Often and wilderness campgrounds fill up fast.
that encompasses more than a million acres. the mother is nearby foraging for food and you
The park has held a cultural and spiritual do the animal a great disservice by thinking it Oregon
significance for many tribes and is a place is abandoned and hauling it to a ranger station. There are no brown bears in Oregon so if
of unimaginable beauty and ruggedness. Appreciate the animals from a distance, look you see a bear it is a black bear no matter the
The terrain was carved by mother nature’s with your eyes not with your hands and keep color. The black bear species is quite healthy
hand during the force of the Ice Age and Yellowstone pristine for many generations. and numbers between 25,000-30,000 in the
today more than 25 active glaciers remain state. They mainly make their home in forested
in the park, as well as breathtaking 400-foot Washington areas and wetlands, and open forest areas
waterfalls, stunning rock cliffs and sweeping North Cascade National Park provide the bears with their main food source.
vistas that are every photographer’s dream. Two hours from Seattle beckons an alpine Valley of the Rogue River State Park is in the
Black bears as well as brown bears (called landscaped forest carpeted with over 300 southwest corner of the state and is famous
grizzlies) call this place home, and while they lakes and ponds. Thousands of miles of rivers for its raging rapids and stunning scenery.
do not congregate in one particular area they and streams contribute to the biodiversity of
can still be found on hikes and trails much to this area. Idaho
the consternation of the park service. Grizzlies The vast landscape of Boise National
are of a special concern, as they could be Olympic National Park Forest spans over 2.5 million acres of forest
called “grumpy”. Never does a summer go At over a million acres, this park has several and grassland. Located northeast of Idaho’s
by that someone doesn’t have a run in with different ecosystems, including old-growth capitol of Boise, outdoor enthusiasts can
one of them that is occasionally tragic for the temperate rainforests and over 70 miles of explore everything from canyon floors to the
tourist. Unlike the coast of Alaska, where the untamed coastline. Between the extremes of 10,000-foot peak of Trinity Mountain.
food source for bears is abundant with salmon the ecosystems lie cougars, black bears and
and berries, the grizzlies of Montana have it
rougher and a hungry bear is a stressed bear.
Go to Glacier Park for the beauty of seeing
mountains and glaciers in all their ordained
glory and if you happen to see a bear in
the wild, then that would be the icing on a
memorable vacation.
Yellowstone National Park
There aren’t too many places where you
can view a volcano’s hidden power rising
up in awe-inspiring geysers, psychedelic TM
hot springs or geologic wonders. Watch the
drama unfold as Mother Nature puts on a
show and the supporting actors are bears,
wolves, elk, bison and bighorn sheep. Visit
Yellowstone National Park and be safe by
adhering to the park service’s signs that say
stay on the trail. They are there for your safety
as this is an active thermal site and what looks

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