Canyon (Canyoneer) Montana

Glacier National Park

Known as the continent's crown, it's pretty easy to see why. The views are nothing less than spectacular. Craggy peaks, turquoise lakes, massive waterfalls, and towering cedars make this park one of the most sought-after locations on Earth. Additionally, it also just happens to be a fun place to canyon. Well, kind of. Like all things, it depends. There is something for everyone. You will find both fun canyons and not-so-fun canyons with varying degrees of difficulty. However, regardless of what adventure you choose, you best be prepared for an experience unlike any other.

A heads up (read this):

Glacier, unlike many other canyoning regions, has some social and geological complexity to it. We will break it down to the best of our ability, however, keep it in mind. It is up to you to know the local laws, social expectations, and your own skill set.

What we know:

The social part:

Legality of canyoning in Glacier National Park:

Glacier National Park does not have any specific laws, literature, or publications on the sport of canyoning (canyoneering). So technically, canyoning is allowed. Though it is still a gray area regarding resource management. The most applicable document to understand canyoning’s legality is the Superintendent Clause #41 which recognizes climbing as a legitimate recreational sport. By extension, mountaineering and canyoneering fall under climbing as specified by the document. We are NOT lawyers and cannot legally interpret laws, however, applying this document to Glacier National Park does appear to allow the sport of canyoning. Yay.

Legality of anchors in Glacier National Park:

Be careful with this one. Anchors are a national subject of concern across all parks and land managers. Glacier is no different. We contacted the park on May 9th 2024. So far there has been no response, and that is okay! Glacier is a very complex park with lots of moving parts and odd land designations. Do not push them. However, in regards to anchors, we cannot recommend placing any kind. Permanent hardware is certainly not allowed at this time. So leave the drill at home. In relation, mountaineering routes in the park do have slings, so by extension, canyon routes in Glacier currently have slings when necessary for human survival. Lots of Glacier has been ghosted, especially when in sight of public view. So maybe it is time to dust off the fiddle stick and two ring retrievable anchor systems. Okay, so when boiled down, please ghost what you can. If it is dangerous to ghost, one may want to use an alternative method of anchoring and rigging to ensure human safety. Do NOT bolt, and do not leave webbing within public view. Oh! And don’t die. That would not be good either.

Indigenous impacts on canyons in Glacier National Park:

In addition to the United States government laws, let us talk about Indigenous presence within Glacier’s canyons. There are many canyons with indigenous cultural significance. Do not descend them. It is super easy to not descend culturally important drainages. Examples of drainages you should not descend are:

Bird Woman Falls
Appistoki Creek
Running Eagle Falls
Beaver Chief Falls

(There are many more)

I hope you get the picture. If you don’t, go canyon somewhere else. We don’t want you here.

Cool, glad we all agree.

The geological part:

Glacier has a very complex geology. Most of its rock is considered “rotten” or “low quality”. This impacts canyon erosion in an significant way. Due to the rock formation and sedimentation, Glacier's rock is extremely prone to UNDERCUTTING. Especially on the back wall of horizontal recirculating hydraulics. This is very problematic for your survival. Even in lower flows, recirculating currents can push you under these undercuts which have very weak outflows. So once pinned, you get to play dead, but forever. We have found this to be a persistent issue throughout non-vertical drops. If you canyon in Glacier and see a recirculating hydraulic more than likely you are dealing with significant undercuts. Take this seriously. Our beta will indicate undercuts, but if you decide to drop into one. Understand that there are few techniques for these persistent hazards. The best option is to stay out, so you can stay alive.

Persistent undercutting forces diagram (theorized by non-geologists)

Figure 1: Water slams into a rock wall made of Glacier’s Quartz Arntie layer from an opposing angle. The impact slowly chips away at the imperfections within the rock layers just below the surface level on the opposing wall. In secession the forceful flow pushes behind itself in a recirculating fashion. This causes the water to slowly wear away the layers behind the main flow. Outflow may escape at the bottom, however it is likely weak and is pushed out over the next lip.

Figure 2: The force of water begins to leverage and separate the Quartz Arnite layers at an increasing rate once the imperfections are eroded. Additionally the recirculating current continues to do the same process behind the main direction of flow, but at a slower rate.

Figure 3: The undercutting on the opposing wall begins to decrease as the distance from the wall increases. The recirculating force slowly creates undercutting on the back side of the flow. The white bubbles on the surface begin to decrease on the opposing wall due to the large undercut.

Figure 4: Forces on the opposing wall decrease as the area of water increases, stopping or greatly reducing undercutting on both sides of the stream. The resulting undercuts are dangerous for swimmers or canyoneers and the outflow currents may prove to be too weak for reasonable escape. Examples of this hydraulic can be found in Virgina creek, Rose creek and in, In and Out canyon.

Here are some examples found in the park: