One excellent way to gain an understanding of such a large and inaccessible park is to do a helicopter flight over it. In Glacier that is particularly rewarding because the pilot on a clear day can take you over remote lakes and soaring, glacier-covered mountain peaks in the 10,000 foot range.

The incredible color in some of the lakes is caused by particles of mineral scraped from the mountain stone by glaciers. The particles are so fine that they do not sink to the bottom, but remain in suspension—tiny prisms reflecting the sunlight in their own brilliant way.