Attracting nearly three-million visitors annually, Glacier National Park’s incredible beauty, endless adventure and scenic natural wonder speaks for itself. Glacier National Park is a natural haven for those who love the outdoors, boasting nearly one-million-and-a-half acres of all-natural beauty and adventure.

Living up to it’s name, Glacier Park contains more than four-dozen spectacular glaciers within it’s borders, not to mention over 200 mountain lakes, tarns and swift flowing rivers and more than 730 miles of backcountry hiking and biking trails ranging from expert mountaineering trails to simple beginner trails and even handicap-accessible trails.

However foot-power is not the only way to enjoy the park. Glacier Park is the home to one of the most scenic and breathtaking stretches of roadway in the US. Going-to-the-Sun-Road (which was built in the 1930’s) is mind-boggling to behold. Going-to-the-Sun-Road traverses the park and connects St. Mary village on the eastern perimeter of the park with the town of West Glacier in the south-west corner of the park.

During the 2007 season the national park service introduced a free transit system to Glacier Park. This popular service offers free shuttle rides approximately every half-hour between the Apgar transit center on the west side of the park (located near the southern shores of) and the St. Mary transit center on the east side of the park. Many park visitors have have fallen in love with this new free alternative for exploring the park.

It is not hard to see why Glacier National Park has become such popular vacation destination for so many. No matter what sort of natural adventure you are seeking, you owe it to yourself to spend some time exploring the scenic beauty, flora and fauna that makes up Glaciers spectacular ecosystem. For more details on all that Glacier National Park has to offer, visit NationalParkReservations.com .

I have built a lifestyle that enables me to travel all over the country and around the world at my leisure and actually get paid for doing so, and I can be honest in telling you that Glacier is one of my favorite spots to relax and enjoy. If you would be interested in learning how I travel the world for free and actually get paid to vacation to exotic destinations around the world, check out the resorts 360 site at www.resorts-360.com.

Technorati Tags: glacier national park, glacier park, glacier park montana, glacier park vacation, going to the sun road, hiking, mountain biking, outdoor travel

Tags: glacier national park, glacier park, glacier park montana, glacier park vacation, going to the sun road, hiking, mountain biking, outdoor travel

Birdwatching Still In Vogue and Drawing In a New Generation

The hobby that once was the domain of James Audubon has continued to draw young and old alike into an appreciation of avian species.

By Mark Hoerrner

Birdwatching, once ranked with exciting hobbies like stamp and bug collecting is seeing a new generation of hobbyists take to the activity.

Sixteen year-old Robert Reichfeldt of Oregon is just one of a group of teens getting into birdwatching. Though he and friends Oliver Sanger and James McFlynn used to think that simply peering at wildlife through binoculars was about as unhip as a Lawrence Welk rerun, they’ve found a new respect for the animals they track.

Using field guides and field glasses, the trio peer through the coastal scrub in search of a variety of early morning visitors. Shorebirds, primarily, but you never know what you will find, James says.

"Sometimes, you can catch crabs feeding or you run into animals prowling the beach," McFlynn says.

It’s likely cyclical, but the rebirth among youth in the hobby is likely due to a move toward greater interest in wildlife stewardship motivated by the current presidential administration, some enthusiasts say, but not because the administration is actively promoting the hobby. Recent decimations of environmental laws have led to a renewed movement to protect natural resources.

In fact, birdwatchers have had a significant effect on wildlife on the eastern coast of the U.S. Near Delaware, watchers noticed a decline in shorebirds. Looking into the disappearing numbers, birdwatchers discovered that a decline in the population of horseshoe crabs was affecting the birds’ feeding patterns since many northeastern shorebirds spend seasonal migrations in the extreme north and then fly south.

On their way south, the birds stop and gorge themselves on horseshoe crab eggs. But the eggs were less plentiful because local conch and eel fishermen had started taking the crabs to use as bait. Motivated by care for the birds, local watchers sparked a conservation effort for the crabs that in turn benefited the birds. State legislatures in the area have now passed legislation governing the crab harvest.

Chris Stenson, a birdwatcher in Chicago, Ill., started the hobby when he was 12 by traveling to wild areas with his parents. Now 24 and a recent college graduate, he’s seeking work as a wildlife biologist.

"At first, I thought it was going to be a pretty lame experience," Stenson says. "But my mom kept harping on me to go with them and when I did, I found that I really had a good time. So much so that I started studying about all kinds of animals, not just the birds. Now, I plan to make wildlife conservation my career."

Technorati Tags: bird migration, migration photos, migrations, photo conversion, photo converter

Tags: bird migration, migration photos, migrations, photo conversion, photo converter