This view from the St. Mary Visitor Center looks out across flower-filled meadows to the majestic peaks surrounding St. Mary Lake. The large central peak in the view is Red Eagle Mountain.

These towering mountains inspired early Glacier advocate George Bird Grinnell in 1895 to dub this region the "Crown of the Continent." More than a decade later, Grinnell helped lead the campaign to designate Glacier National Park, legislation that Congress passed and President Taft signed in 1910.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road winds around the northern shores of St. Mary Lake before climbing the continental divide to Logan Pass. Excellent hiking, boat tours, camping, wildlife viewing can be enjoyed in the St. Mary Valley.

My favorite spot on St. Mary Lake is Sun Point. This picnic area also serves as the trailhead for a short two-tenths of a mile hike to a rocky peninsula that provides a panoramic view of the surrounding cathedrals of nature.