HEAD NORTH FOR THE PLEASURE OF SLOWING YOUR BODY CLOCK TO A... GLACIAL PACE.

Byline: MARLENE GREER Staff Writer

WATERTON PARK, Alberta -- Driving into Waterton/Glacier International Peace Park from the east on Highway 17, the first thing you notice are the wildflowers.

From late spring until mid summer, blooms in every shape and size blanket the roadsides, hillsides and valleys in brilliant blues, vivid reds, sunny yellows, delicate pinks, willowy whites and show-stopping purples. The display is Mother Nature at her best, and it takes little prompting for visitors to stop and smell the flowers -- and get out their cameras.

Then the enormous, sharp-edged peaks of the park's north-south mountain range begin to show above the treetops. The deeply scarred snow-capped mountains soar above 9,000 feet and present a skyline of spires, towers and razor-thin slabs of rock. The high mountains, carved by wind, water and glaciers, are less dramatic and abundant, with pine and fir trees on the west side of the park, but here on the east, they are sharp-edged and nearly barren, making for spectacular scenic diversity.

There are five main entrance points for Waterton/Glacier (four from the east and one from the west), and it's on the east side that visitors instantly grasp the park's rugged beauty and the wondrous effects of glacial activity. Here, high hanging valleys and glacial lakes lie in stark contrast to the rocky, tundra-covered slopes.

National parks from two countries make up Waterton/Glacier -- Waterton Lakes National Park in southwestern Alberta, Canada, and Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana. Waterton was established in 1895 and Glacier became a national park in 1910. The two parks joined in 1932 in recognition of the friendly relationship between the two nations, and in 1995 the area was proclaimed a World Heritage Site, an honor given to parks with outstanding natural and cultural values. The two parks, however, are managed separately and entrance fees are charged separately.

Mid-June to early September is peak tourist season for Waterton/Glacier. Though some areas of Glacier National Park are open year-round, tourists begin to arrive in early summer when the Going-to-the-Sun Road opens (early to mid-June).

This engineering marvel was completed in 1932 and winds 50 miles across the Continental Divide (6,646 feet), from Lake McDonald on the west to St. Mary on the east. (Vehicles longer than 21 feet are not allowed on this road.)

It was late July when my husband, daughter and I arrived in Waterton Lakes, our first stop of a six-day trip through Waterton/Glacier. A 90-plus-degree heat wave sent most visitors in search of shade and a late-afternoon ice cream cone.

Waterton Lakes is much smaller than Glacier -- 203 square miles compared to Glacier's 1,600 -- and there is only one road, Highway 5 (reached via U.S. 17), that takes visitors into the park.

The road leads to Waterton Park township on the shores of Upper Waterton Lake, where deer can be seen at dusk roaming among the old-fashioned homes.

There are several hotels in town. We selected the Bayshore Inn because of its lakeside location at the edge of town, near all the shopping and restaurants. The rooms are standard hotel fare but do have air-conditioning.

There is an office of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, where, on one Saturday afternoon, a Mountie, despite the near-triple-digit heat, donned his red winter woolens so tourists could take pictures. You had to admire this dedication to tourism even if you wanted to dump a bucket of ice water over his head to cool him off.

In town, a 3.2-mile loop trail winds along the shoreline and circles back to the village. Several benches along the route offer resting spots.

Many visitors just head to the lake in the evening and watch the sunset. What's nice about summertime this far north, it's still light at 10 p.m. You can take a late-evening stroll after dinner and watch night descend over the lake -- quite beautiful.

The two main activities in the park are hiking and boating. Trails in Waterton range from easy half-mile loops to strenuous, all-day altitude hikes that lead to hidden valleys, lakes and waterfalls. There are hikes for all ability levels, but before setting off on any trail, it's wise to stop in at the visitors center and check with the rangers on the latest grizzly bear activity and tips for hiking in grizzly country.

Rangers suggest making noise when hiking by singing or ringing a bell so as not to surprise an unsuspecting grizzly, which could be deadly. If a grizzly has been sighted in the area, a warning will be posted at the trailhead.

We selected several easy two- to three-mile hikes that we could enjoy over the next two days. Our first venture was to Cameron Lake, a small lake surrounded by towering mountains with patches of snow even in late July.

A short drive up a winding mountain road ends at the lake. The 2-mile round-trip hike follows the lakeshore past rocky beaches and wildflower-rich meadows, ending in a pasture of beargrass -- the large white blooms look like bottle brushes sticking up through the grass.

An interpretive sign tells about the valley and surrounding mountains, and warns visitors not to stay too long -- there is a reason it's called beargrass. We were three of perhaps eight people on this trail and felt as if we had the place to ourselves.

On to Glacier

From Waterton heading south to Glacier National Park, the first stop is Many Glacier, 11 miles west of Babb, Montana, on Highway 89. This quiet little gem in the park's northeast corner was practically deserted even in late July.

Here, the park's Many Glacier Lodge (in dire need of renovation) and Swiftcurrent Motor Inn sit at the edge of Swiftcurrent Lake, which is surrounded by barren, jagged peaks, glaciers and grassy slopes. The main attraction at Many Glacier is the incredible vista, but canoe rentals are offered by the hour and several hikes take in glacial lakes and high valleys, and even climb to a glacier.

The most popular hike is to Grinnell Lake. From Many Glacier Lodge, a 7-mile round trip, relatively easy trail winds past Swiftcurrent Lake, on to Lake Josephine then to Grinnell Lake and a spectacular view of Grinnell Glacier. Dedicated hikers can continue to the top of Grinnell Glacier, but that's a strenuous climb of 1,600 feet.

The highlight of a trip to Glacier National Park is a drive on Going-to-the-Sun Road. It's the only way to get from one side of the park to the other without going all the way around.

However, the road is very crowded in summer. Park attendants advise that if visitors intend to stop at the highly popular Logan Pass Visitor Center, where the Going-to-the-Sun Road crosses the Continental Divide at 6,646 feet, and do any hiking or sightseeing, they must get there early -- by 8 a.m.

And indeed, after leaving Many Glacier and spending the night just inside the park at Rising Sun Motor Lodge (a very basic, inexpensive room suitable for one night, but with a nice restaurant), we hit the pass at about noon and it was packed -- not a place to park anywhere. But the incredible views and beautiful mountain scenery are worth every bit of the traffic. From the east, the Going-to-the-Sun Road winds above the elongated Saint Mary Lake, and is surrounded by pine trees. It offers views of snow-capped peaks in the distance. We stopped here for a short hike that skirted the mountainside before coming to a waterfall.

A sign warned of a sighting of a grizzly the evening before. After exchanging should-we-or-shouldn't-we looks, we headed down the trail, my daughter and I speaking at rock- concert level to warn any grizzly of our presence.

Lake McDonald marks the western entrance to Glacier National Park. It's the park's largest and busiest lake (motorboats are allowed), with Lake McDonald Lodge at one end and Apgar Lodge at the other. Visitors who wish to stay at either lodge must make reservations far in advance. Other accommodations, however, are available just outside the park entrance in the town of West Glacier, which has many hotels to choose from.

This is the busiest part of the park, and there are many activities to choose from at the lake. Day hikes range from the level, seven-mile lakeshore path to the two-mile, 500-foot climb to Avalanche Lake.

For families with bikes, a 1.5-mile asphalt path leaves from Apgar Visitor Center and runs along McDonald Creek. Boat cruises of the lake, horseback riding, ranger-guided walks and evening presentations are also available.

IF YOU GO

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK: The park is located in northwestern Montana and can be accessed from Highway 2 on the west and Highway 89 on the east. To book vintage red bus tours, boat cruises, horseback riding and white water rafting, call Glacier Park Inc.: [phone] or www.glacierparkinc.com. National Park information: www.nps.gov/glac; [phone].

WATERTON LAKES: Waterton: The Park is located in southwestern Alberta. From U.S. Highway 89, take the Chief Mountain International Highway (17) to Highway 5 west. Park information: www.parkscanada.gc.ca; [phone] (summer), [phone] (winter).

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Glacial peaks are reflected in the crystalline waters of Lake McDonald above, which marks the western entrance to Glacier National Park. Wildflowers, left, abundant from late spring through midsummer, bloom in profusion throughout the park.

(3 -- color) While at Many Glacier in Glacier National Park, a seven-mile-round-trip hike takes you to the beautiful Grinnell Lake. Those with stronger legs can continue on to Grinnell Glacier.

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IF YOU GO (see text)