What is the Most Photographed Place in Glacier?
November 6, 2009

What do you think is the most photographed place in Glacier? Is it St. Mary Lake from the Wild Goose Island pullout? Maybe it’s Logan Pass or the view from the foot of Lake McDonald? Perhaps it is the view of Grinnell Lake, Angel Wing, and Grinnell Point from the Grinnell Glacier Trail? All are without question, some of the most stunning views in Glacier National Park. Now I don’t have any solid proof or statistics to back up my guess, but I’m going to go with something not quite as spectacular - the entrance sign.

Entrance signs to national parks are fascinating. Every sign is different and each sign gives a visual flavor of what to expect in the park. Entrance signs are also places where people congregate when they first come to a park. Every time I drive into the west entrance of Glacier, there is always a car or two parked in the large pullout and people standing in front of our entrance sign with someone either taking a picture, or placing the camera on the hood of their vehicle, setting the timer, and dashing back in place next to others before the shutter clicks. Maybe you have done this before? Smiles grace every face of every picture taken in front of an entrance sign. And it’s not just Glacier; every park entrance seems to be a magnet to cameras.

But why?

These pictures are tangible proof of our visit and often prompt memories.

Sure, the scenery, wildlife, and historic buildings can be gorgeous in the parks, but sometimes we tend to forget where the pictures were taken, “Was that in Glacier or the North Cascades?” The entrance signs however, clearly remind us of where we have been. They are tangible ways of saying to others, “I went to Glacier, Crater Lake, Gettysburg, and Little Bighorn.” These pictures may hold significance to us as well. They help us remember sleeping under the stars, seeing a bear for the first time, or learning about an important historical event. They may remind us of the rotten rainy weather that soaked tents and sleeping bags, hot, humid hikes, or relentless mosquitoes.

Whether the memories are good or bad, entrance signs trigger them. We take pictures of these signs to remember our trip. So while there many spectacular places in Glacier where pictures are taken, the entrance sign at the west entrance probably tops the list.