Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park, the Crown of the Continent, is a wilderness of knife-edged peaks, hanging valleys and turquoise glacial lakes on the Canadian border in Montana. Its heart is the Going-to-the-Sun Road, an engineering marvel that climbs over the mountains past waterfalls and meadows, one of the great drives in America.

History

The Flathead, Kootenai, Shoshone and Cheyenne were among the earliest peoples here with links to today's tribes, and the Blackfeet lived on the eastern slopes, sheltering from the winter winds of the plains and calling the mountains the Backbone of the World; the Lame Bull Treaty of 1855 set their reservation's western edge at the Continental Divide. In 1895 Chief White Calf agreed to sell some 800,000 acres of the mountains to the United States for $1.5 million, on the understanding that the Blackfeet would keep hunting rights while the land remained public, and the national park was established on 11 May 1910, soon followed by hotels. It is the heart of what is called the Crown of the Continent ecosystem (Wikipedia, Glacier National Park (U.S.)).

Highlights

• Going-to-the-Sun Road - the spectacular alpine highway over Logan Pass.
• Lake McDonald and St Mary Lake - the great turquoise glacial lakes.
• Logan Pass and the Highline Trail - the high meadows and cliff-edge hikes.
• Wildlife - grizzly and black bears, mountain goats and bighorn sheep.

When to go

Midsummer to early autumn, the only time the high road is fully open and the trails are clear; snow can block Logan Pass into July. It is a short season, so it is busy, and vehicle reservations may apply.

Things to know

The season is short and the park hugely popular, so the Going-to-the-Sun Road, parking and reservations need planning. The remaining glaciers are small and shrinking fast. It is genuine grizzly country, so carry bear spray and know the safety rules.

Nearby

Waterton Lakes National Park lies across the Canadian border; Whitefish and Kalispell are gateway towns.

Key facts