At 6,680 feet, Logan Pass is an alpine–arctic tundra environment. Just uphill from the visitors center, tiny wildflowers poke up through the July snow, the native grasses are stunningly green, and the glacier-cut mountains are close at hand. In a landscape so big, it’s a surprise when your eye is drawn to tiny wildflowers, but they’re captivating for their toughness. The nodding yellow glacier lily, which often pokes up through the snow, is emblematic of Logan Pass.

Even though the landscape here is shaped by a harsh climate, it’s not able to withstand flower-picking or trampling by hordes of hikers. To learn more about alpine ecology, stop in for a naturalist’s talk at the Logan Pass visitors center. Talks occur throughout the day from early June through Labor Day. The visitors center stays open as long as the road is passable, usually from June through September.

Glaciers started on either side of the Continental Divide at Logan Pass and eventually ran backward into each other. Rather than leaving a spiky arête (sharp ridge) like the Garden Wall (chiseled away on both sides), the wall was entirely eroded.