Fire trail and Forest Loop Nature Trail

A paved road between the Camas Creek entrance and the Glacier Park entrance leads to the trailhead and parking area.

We pick up a trail guide as we begin our walk and then follow the trail into the fire area. This walk shows us how a fire in the 1960?s started the beginning of another forest which provided food and shelter for the deer, bear and elk. The fireweed, which always grows after a fire, brings lots of color to the summer landscape and if looked at closely, the buds have delicate shades of pink and purple and are beautiful. The recovering forest area burned again in 2001 by the Moose Fire. This fire burned hotter than the 1960?s fire and destroyed some trees that survived the first fire. The new forest is mostly lodgepole pine. Lodgepole pine needs fire to release its seeds from the cones and grows quickly renewing the forest. Gradually, other trees also renew themselves and the area changes again. All the new growth provides food for the animals and we see and hear woodpeckers working the old burned trees searching for bugs and grubs.

Wild strawberry vines grow in some areas but we didn?t find any of the small-sweet berries. Some wildflowers are in bloom along the trail. A nice-easy walk to enjoy at a leisurely pace, interesting and educational.

The clouds threatened a rain shower but headed another direction and the sun stayed with us, moving in and out of the clouds.

Glacier National Park
PO Box 128
West Glacier,MT,59936
Phone: (406) 888 7800
Email: glac_questions@nps.gov