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Montana/Alberta

Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks

Program No. 19946RJ

Discover historic national park lodges and magnificent displays of nature as you enjoy an immersive educational experience in two of North America’s most magnificent national parks.

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Program

At a Glance

Duration

8 days

Program Begins

Whitefish, MT

Program Concludes

Whitefish, MT

Meals

18 ( 7B, 5L, 6D )

Activity Level

Explore two jewels of the "Crown of the Continent" — Glacier National Park in Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. These magnificent parks combined in 1932 to create the world's first international peace park, bridging the United States and Canada with the beauty and serenity of the Rocky Mountains.

Best of all, you'll...

Immerse yourself in the history, beauty and untamed wilderness of this soaring wonderland through its historic lodges, amazing geological features and diverse flora and fauna.
Enjoy daily field trips that showcase some of the most intact wildland on the entire continent.
Discover breathtaking views, rugged peaks, vast glacier-carved valleys and thundering cascades as you journey over the historic Going-to-the-Sun Road aboard an iconic Red Bus.

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Featured Expert

All Experts

Ellen Horowitz

Ellen Horowitz is a naturalist, writer, hiking leader, and Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide whose outdoor education career spans 40 years. Ellen teaches botany classes at Flathead Valley Community College, and she is a long-time field instructor for the Glacier Institute and Road Scholar. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors including Montana Audubon’s Educator of the Year Award, and magazine writing awards from the National Wildlife Federation. She is the author of the award-winning children’s book, “What I Saw in Glacier.”

Please Note:

This expert may not be available for every date of the program

Please Note:

These experts may not be available for every date of the program

Ellen Horowitz

Ashley Mason

Ashley Mason has spent over three decades as a naturalist, educator, and guide in Glacier National Park and Northwest Montana. She specializes in distilling the amazing geologic wonders of the area into captivating stories. She is a former ranger naturalist for Glacier National Park and has worked for many organizations, including The Glacier Institute, Swan Ecosystem Center, Flathead Audubon Society, Crown of the Continent Ecosystem Education Consortium, and Flathead Valley Community College. In 2012, she was voted Audubon Educator of the Year.

Leila Robinson

Leila Robinson has developed a great love of the outdoors and especially exploring it in hiking mode. Her love of travel and nature has taken her to every continent, and she is thrilled to see and experience each journey. She has been a high school and college educator in art and interdisciplinary studies and a museum program developer for over a decade. Being able to live in Glacier for over ten summers has given her an appreciation of this incredible and favorite national park.

Denny Olson

Denny Olson is an award-winning naturalist and acclaimed author. He received an M.S. in zoology and geology from the University of Minnesota and has researched beavers, hares, and loons. Using Native American and personal stories as tools, he blends science, humor, and drama. Denny has experience leading hundreds of interpretive hikes, writing the nature and science sections for the park website and an 88-activity International Peace Park K-12 curriculum, leading Road Scholar trips for over a decade, and making presentations in 44 other national parks.

Dave Streeter

Dave Streeter spent seven years traveling the world auditing computer systems, then had a flat tire in Great Falls, MT where he remains four decades later, having taught at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell and exploring Montana at every opportunity. He has been a Road Scholar instructor since 1990. He is experienced with bears, mountain goats, wolves, weather, flowers, glaciation, winter ecology, backcountry skiing, and healthy hiking with his 50 years of experience in the high country of Glacier.

Marilyn Wood

Marilyn Wood is a retired conservation biologist who has had the opportunity to work in two iconic landscapes – the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Continental Divide Ecosystem (the Crown of the Continent). Her career experience includes wildlife projects with state and federal agencies followed by leadership roles with the Nature Conservancy and the Flathead Land Trust; all focused on conservation issues across broad landscapes. She has a decade of experience as a Road Scholar presenter and field instructor.

Jack Gladstone

Jack Gladstone is a storysmith and troubadour from the Blackfeet Nation of Montana. Regarded as a cultural bridge builder, he produces programs on indigenous history and tradition. Jack has released 15 critically-acclaimed CDs, and garnered the prestigious Best Historical Recording award from the Native American Music Association. A former college instructor and Smithsonian scholar, Jack has opened shows for Rita Coolidge, Garrison Keillor, and Bonnie Raitt.

Al Koss

Al Koss has lived and worked in the Glacier Park area for over 30 years. His love for the out-of-doors and passion for hiking was well represented in his career with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service. Al taught environmental education and is a Master Trainer for the Leave No Trace Program. His experience as a Park Naturalist has given him extensive experience and knowledge of the flora and fauna of the park. He enjoys sharing his passion for natural areas with others.

Elise Van Valkenburg

Elise grew up in Spokane, Washington and enjoyed camping and fishing with her family. It was not until college that Elise fell in love with the Rocky Mountains and began hiking and backpacking with her husband and their goldendoodles. She is currently a middle school science teacher in Bigfork, Montana and recently earned an MS in science education. When she is not teaching, you will find her exploring the trails of Glacier National Park, the Flathead National Forest and the Bob Marshall Wilderness!

Lisa Flowers

Lisa Flowers has been at home in the Flathead Valley since the early 1970s – hiking and camping in Glacier NP and the surrounding mountains, paddling the rivers and lakes, and enjoying the communities with her family and friends. Her major areas of study include degrees in botany, geology, forestry, and science education. For over 20 years, her work has focused on K-12 education, wildlife conservation, outdoor education, and collaborative outreach with a variety of education programs and organizations in Montana and beyond.

Susan Atkinson

Susan Atkinson is an award-winning architect and professor of environmental design at Colorado State University. She has traveled the world researching how people design and build in response to culture and climate. Susan grew up in the Flathead Valley, learning about wildflowers and spotting grizzlies in Glacier National Park every summer since 1980. She is an avid trail runner who loves fly fishing, watercolor painting, and reading about wolverines. Susan is certified as a backcountry first responder.

Pat Van Eimeren

Pat Van Eimeren, originally a “cheesehead” from Wisconsin, has been in Montana for more than 30 years. He recently retired as a Fisheries Biologist for the Flathead National Forest. Pat has a passion for wild places and wild creatures. In the winter, he works atop Whitefish Mountain Resort as a Mountain Ambassador, and in the summer he will be deep in the solitude of the Bob Marshall Wilderness with a fly rod in hand. He enjoys all the recreational venues that Montana has to offer.

Deb Burfeind

Deb Burfeind has lived in the Flathead Valley, Montana for over two decades. She recently retired after twenty years as a school counselor. Deb is married with three children and three grandchildren. Deb is known as a “Glacier snob” and gets up into “The Park” any season to hike, backpack, ski, snowshoe, and volunteer. She also enjoys travel, reading, knitting, and quilting.

Lori Ortley

Lori Ortley, an enthusiast of Glacier National Park, was raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where she graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a B.S. in biology and a minor in earth science, certified to teach 7th through 12th grades. She taught at Flathead High School for 18 years before retiring in 2019. Her students participated in Glacier National Park’s Citizens Science program. After retiring from teaching in 2019, Lori transitioned to work as a field instructor with Road Scholar.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Walking up to two miles on maintained natural surface dirt trails in mountainous terrain. The ability to climb stairs and get on and off a motor coach and boat is required. Elevations of 3,000-7,200 feet.