Scenic Point is a mountain summit located in the

Two Medicine Two Medicine is the collective name of a region located in the southeastern section of Glacier National Park (U.S.), Glacier National Park, in the U.S. state of Montana. It has a campground alongside Two Medicine Lake. From the period starting in ...

area of Glacier National Park, in Glacier County,

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, United States. It is situated in the

Lewis Range The Lewis Range is a mountain range located in the Rocky Mountains of northern Montana, United States and extreme southern Alberta, Canada. It was formed as a result of the Lewis Overthrust, a geologic thrust fault involving the overlying of ...

, six miles northwest of East Glacier Park Village, and approximately seven miles east of the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

, with precipitation runoff from the mountain draining into the

Two Medicine River The Two Medicine River is a tributary of the Marias River, approximately 60 mi (97 km) long, in northwestern Montana in the United States. It rises in the Rocky Mountain Front in Glacier National Park at the continental divide and ...

watershed.

Topographic relief Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

is significant as the north aspect rises over above Lower Two Medicine Lake in one mile. Access to the summit is via the

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail, CDT) is a United States National Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of between the U.S. border with Chihuahua, Mexico and ...

which traverses the upper slopes of this mountain. The trail to Scenic Point was constructed by the

Great Northern Railway Great Northern Railway or Great Northern Railroad may refer to: Australia * Great Northern Railway (Queensland) in Australia * Great Northern Rail Services in Victoria, Australia *Central Australia Railway was known as the great Northern Railway ...

, and the summit once hosted a locomotive bell, a Swiss Alps tradition.Aaron Theisen, ''Day Hiking: Glacier National Park & Western Montana'', 2018, Mountaineers Books, The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1929 by the

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a Federal government of the United States, federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geogr ...

Geology

The mountains in Glacier National Park are composed of

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or de ...

laid down during the

Precambrian The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of t ...

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was initially uplifted beginning 170 million years ago when the

Lewis Overthrust The Lewis Overthrust is a geologic thrust fault structure of the Rocky Mountains found within the bordering national parks of Glacier in Montana, United States and Waterton Lakes in Alberta, Canada. The structure was created due to the collision o ...

fault pushed an enormous slab of

precambrian The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of t ...

rocks thick, wide and long over younger rock of the

cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

period.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Scenic Point is located in an alpine

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers. Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F. Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer.

Gallery

Scenic Point, east aspect.jpg, East aspect centered. Rising Wolf Mountain to right. File:LowerTwoMedicineLake-s01 (cropped).jpg, North aspect (centered) above Lower Two Medicine Lake File:Scenic Point, Glacier National Park.jpg, North aspect centered above Lower Two Medicine Lake File:Trail to Scenic Point.jpg, Scenic Point trail File:Two Medicine Lake from trail.jpg, Two Medicine Lake seen from the trail to Scenic Point File:Scenic Point summit view.jpg, Scenic Point summit view looking west, with Rising Wolf Mountain to right. File:Scenic Point, Two Medicine Road - March 31, 2011.jpg, Northwest aspect seen from Two Medicine Road File:Scenic Point seen from Spot Mountain.jpg, Scenic Point (centered) seen from Spot Mountain File:Scenic Point from Highway 49.jpg, Scenic Point from Highway 49 File:Scenic Point, GNP.jpg, Scenic Point rises above Lower Two Medicine Lake

References

External links

* Weather forecast
Scenic Point
* Scenic Point trail

{{Geographic Location 2 , Center = Scenic Point , North = Spot Mountain , Northeast = Lower Two Medicine Lake , East =

Blackfeet Indian Reservation The Blackfeet Nation (, ), 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 Montana. Tribal members primarily belong ...

, Southeast = East Glacier Park Village , South = Mount Henry , Southwest =

Appistoki Peak Appistoki Peak () is located in the Lewis Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. Appistoki Peak, "was named by R. T. Evans, a topographer who worked on the early map of the park. It is reported that he inquired from his Ind ...

, WSW =

Sinopah Mountain Sinopah Mountain () is located in the Lewis Range, Glacier National Park (US), Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. Sinopah Mountain rises prominently to the west of Two Medicine Lake. Sinopah means, ""kit fox" in Blackfeet Confede ...

, West =

Two Medicine Lake Two Medicine Lake is located in Glacier National Park (U.S.), Glacier National Park, in the U. S. state of Montana. It is approximately long and wide. Sinopah Mountain dominates the western terminus of the lake, while immediately to the north, R ...

, WNW =

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 ...

, Northwest = Red Mountain Mountains of Glacier County, Montana Mountains of Glacier National Park (U.S.) Lewis Range Mountains of Montana Two-thousanders of the United States

Geology

Climate

Gallery

See also

References

External links