Region noted for numerous lakes, waterfalls and dense coniferous forests interspersed with alpine meadows

How to Get There

Overview

Many Glacier is an area within Glacier National Park located north of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, on the east side of the park. Lake Sherburne is the large lake in the area and the Many Glacier Hotel, the largest hotel within the park, is along the shore of the adjacent Swiftcurrent Lake. The Many Glacier Hotel and surrounding buildings are a National Historic Landmark, with original construction dating back to 1915. Many Glacier is surrounded by the high peaks of the Lewis Range, and numerous hiking trails can be accessed from the area. The region is noted for numerous lakes, waterfalls and dense coniferous forests interspersed with alpine meadows. Major sites in the immediate vicinity that can be accessed by trails include Lake Josephine, Grinnell Lake, Grinnell Glacier, Cracker Lake, Granite Park Chalet, Iceberg Cirque and the Ptarmigan Tunnel, which is a hiking tunnel carved through the mountainside during the 1930s. Tour boats allow visitors an opportunity to venture onto Swiftcurrent Lake. Other activities in the region include ranger guided nature hikes, horseback riding, fishing and camping.

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Lake Sherburne

Lake Sherburne is located in the Many Glacier region of Glacier National Park. The lake is a reservoir, formed by Lake Sherburne Dam, which impounded Swiftcurrent Creek and was constructed in between 1914 and 1921. The construction of the dam inundated several small lakes and highly productive riparian and wetland areas, and due to its fluctuating water levels, the surrounding area supports little vegetation. However, trumpeter swans are often observed along the lake in the spring and fall. The lake stretches nearly 6 miles (9.7 km) when full.

The name Lake Sherburne is derived from an early settler and businessman in the area, Joseph H. Sherburne. He settled in the area (Browning) in 1896 and was the proprietor of the Sherburne Mercantile Company which had stores in towns in the area Browning, Babb and East Glacier. During this time he had a cabin for summer use by his family on the shore of what became known as Sherburne Lakes (plural). Once the dam was built in 1919 the name was revised to Lake Sherburne.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Many Glacier", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0