Park rafter rescued, then cited

A Whitefish man was rescued from the raging waters of Upper McDonald Creek  in Glacier National Park on Thursday after he apparently had been illegally rafting on the creek.

At about 4:30 p.m., park dispatch received a report that a rafter had fallen in the water and was stranded on a rock in the middle of the creek near Red Rock Point. Rangers responded and at about 6:15 p.m., the 23-year-old man was rescued.

Also responding was the Flathead County Swift Water Rescue Team, which retrieved the man’s belongings that were downstream.

The man was cited for boating in a closed area.

Upper McDonald Creek, from the motor vehicle bridge near the head of Lake McDonald upstream to the Mineral Creek confluence, is closed to all boating and floating to protect nesting harlequin ducks.

Park visitors are urged to use caution around water. Spring conditions in the park include high flows in creeks and frigid waters in lakes and streams.

Drowning is the leading cause of death in the park.