Two Medicine is the collective name of a region located in the southeastern section of Glacier National Park, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. It has a campground alongside Two Medicine Lake. From the period starting in the late 1890s until the completion of the

Going-to-the-Sun Road Going-to-the-Sun Road is a scenic mountain road in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, in Glacier National Park in Montana. The Sun Road, as it is sometimes abbreviated in National Park Service documents, is the only road that trave ...

in 1932, Two Medicine was one of the most visited sections of the park. Once part of a larger chalet complex, the

Two Medicine Store Two Medicine Store, formerly part of Two Medicine Chalets, is a historic building in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The chalet was originally built in 1914 by the Glacier Park Hotel Company, a subsidiary of the Great Northe ...

is located along the shores of Two Medicine Lake and the building is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. The region is a starting point for many trails and tourboats take visitors out on Two Medicine Lake, where the steep south face of

Rising Wolf Mountain Rising Wolf Mountain - Mah-kwi-i-po-ats-ists (Wolf Rising Mountain), () is located in the Lewis Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The peak is in the southeastern section of the park and rises dramatically above the Two M ...

towers above the lake. The region was considered sacred ground by several Native American tribes including the

Blackfeet The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Mon ...

and they performed

Vision quest A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. It is usually only undertaken by young males entering adulthood. Individual Indigenous cultures have their own names for their rites of passage. "Vision quest" is an English ...

s here. Aside from

Chief Mountain Chief Mountain ('' Blackfoot: Ninaistako'') () is located in the U.S. state of Montana on the eastern border of Glacier National Park and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The mountain is one of the most prominent peaks and rock formations alon ...

, the Two Medicine area is the most sacred section of the park to the Blackfeet. From the Two Medicine Store, several hiking trails lead west and north from the area. Three lakes dominate the area, including Lower Two Medicine Lake, which is also on the

Blackfeet Indian Reservation The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Mon ...

, Two Medicine Lake, which is the location of the campstore and the scenic boat rides, and Upper Two Medicine Lake which is a hike from the trailhead. Image:Lower_Two_Medicine_Lake.jpg, Two Medicine Lake

References

External links

* * * {{Glacier National Park Glacier National Park (U.S.) Regions of Montana Religious places of the indigenous peoples of North America