Gardner Point

Gardner Point is a mountain summit in Flathead County, Montana.

Description

Gardner Point is located in the northwest corner of Glacier [National Park (US)|Glacier National Park]. It is set in the Livingston Range, west of the Continental Divide and 1.5 mile south of the Canada–United States border. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into Kintla Creek which is a tributary of the North Fork Flathead River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over above the eastern end of Upper Kintla Lake in 0.6 mile. Access to the mountain is via the Boulder Pass Trail which traverses the west slope of the peak. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on March 6, 1929, by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Gardner Point is located in a subarctic climate zone characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F.

Geology

Like other mountains in Glacier National Park, Gardner Point is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was initially uplifted beginning 170 million years ago when the Lewis Overthrust fault pushed an enormous slab of precambrian rocks thick, wide and long over younger rock of the Cretaceous period.

Etymology

George Clinton Gardner was a surveyor with the International Boundary Survey Commission which surveyed this area. Other nearby landforms near the border in Glacier Park that are also named after members of this boundary survey crew include Mount Custer, Campbell Mountain, Kinnerly Peak, Parke Peak, Mount Peabody, Herbst Glacier, and Harris Glacier.