NATURAL WONDERS HIGHLIGHT NORTHWEST PASSAGES

           Far from the glazed urban canyons of Liberty Place, the Cira Centre and the Comcast building in Philadelphia, the basalt, limestone and granite chasms of Idaho's Hells Canyon epitomize the natural magnificence of the United States' Northwest ----- reason enough to undertake a summertime Journey of Discovery to Lewis and Clark's turnaround point.
           While President Thomas Jefferson charged the intrepid duo to find the northwest passage, study the indigent flora and fauna, and ultimately lay claim to what would become Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon, today's exploring tourist can leisurely enjoy those natural splendors near the Oregon Trail.
Montana
            Glacier National Park's aggregate of serrated ridges, jutting peaks, dramactic hanging valleys, 50 glaciers, more than 200 lakes, waterfalls and thick forests encompasses nearly 1.2-million ice-carved, spectacular acres where northwestern Montana meets Candana.  Considered the centerpiece of the "Crown of the Continent Ecosystem," the park is home to six mountains with elevations eclipsing 10,000 feet.  Mount Cleveland, at 10,466 feet, is the tallest.  Throughout the park the the 52-mile long Going-to-the-Sun Road climbs 3,000 feet and provides inspiring views across the Continental Divide at Logan's Pass from June through September, weather permitting.
            Yellowstone National Park is a geologic and geographic  junction of four national forests, three states, several tectonic plates and the Continental Divide.  Larger than the combined area of Delaware and Rhode Island, America's oldest national park is located in a volcanic caldera where vistors can futher marvel at rainbow colored thermal pools, mudspots, geysers and steam vents.
            Flathead Lake anchors the Flathead Valley in northwest Montana.  The largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States, its depth surpasses 300 feet and length exceeds 28 miles.  Ice-age glaciers gouged the lake's basin, which is now fed by the Swan and Flathead Rivers.
           Located in Moiese in western Montana, the National Bison Range is 18,500 acres of open grassland preserved for the ungulate herds.  Nearly 500 bison share the refuge with multitudes of wildlife including elk, deer pronghorn, black bear, coyote, ground squirrels, eagles, hawks and meadowlarks.
Idaho
           Hells Canyon National Recreation Area emphatically asserts Idaho as a pristine, geologic marvel.  Enccccccompassing more than 600,000 acres that include the deepest river chasm on the continent and three of North America's Wild and Scenic rivers, Hells Canyon remains true to its unspoiled origins.  Hells Canyon itself, courses through the Idaho-Oregon perimeter for 120 miles with granite walls surpassing breath-taking heights of more than a mile.  Snake River, the largest tributary of the Columbia River, is renowned for its pure beauty as well as its white water rafting opportunities.
           Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, 618 square miles of "barren" volcanic cones, tubes and lakes in the Snake River Plain, is situated within Idaho's Great Rift Zone, a vast plain of volcanic anomalies.  Contrary to its stark appearance, the site provides a rich habitat for various wildlife.
Washington 
           Mount Rainier, a Northwest icon standing at 14,410 feet, is Washington's highest peak and one of the region's most active volcanoes.  Surrounded by old-growth forests and laced with numerous waterfalls, the mountain and national park are etched with 300 miles of trails.
           Olympic National Park covers nearly a million acres scored by over 500 miles of trails that meander through its rain forest ecosystem and four other diverse land settings, the most prominent of which is Mount Olympus, 7,965 feet high. 
           Once part of a mountain range that connected Washington's mainland to Vancouver Island, the San Juan Islands sit between the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  With 83 of the islands designated as a wildlife refuge, seabirds, seals and sea lions abound.  Also, 90 Orca whales live in the waters year round, captivating vistors.
Oregon
           Granite walls tower 2,000 feet above the surface waters of Crater Lake whose depth, 1,943 feet, nearly matches the height.  The deepest lake in the United States was formed eight millennia ago by the eruption and collapse of Mount Mazama.  Volcanic Wizard Island, with a crater of its own, juts out of the lake's famously blue and clear water.
           Mount Hood, Oregon's highest peak at 11, 245 feet and the fourth highest peak in the Cascades, sits a mere 47 miles southeast of Portland.  Seismologists consider it a live volcano, even though its last eruption greeted Lewis and Clark in 1805.  Annually, about 10,000 mountain climbers ascend to its summit.  A similar amount of summertime hikers and backpackers populate the trail that rings the mountain.
           For today's traveler, Northwest Passage describes a modern Journey of Discovery through the natural wonders of Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.