Glacier National Park

Year Established: 1910
Annual Visitors: 3.08 Million
Size: 1.01 Million Acres
State: Montana

Best Time to Visit Glacier National Park

July to September

If you are planning to visit more national parks, check out our complete list of all US National Parks.

Best Experiences in Glacier National Park

• Going-to-the-Sun Road Scenic Drive
• Grinnell Glacier Hike
• Highline Trail
• Drive the unpaved Cut Bank Creek Road
• Try to spot the rare mountain lions
• Take a peek inside the historic Glacier Park Lodge

A Brief History

This land, which is on the northern border of the United States and borders Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park, was shaped about 20,000 years ago by the force of melting ice fields, which carved and shaped hundreds of turquoise-colored lakes.

When the park was opened a hundred years ago, there were more than 100 glaciers. Only 25 glaciers are still moving, and climate change will keep making them smaller over the next few years. Aspens, cottonwoods, and conifers now cover a lot of the land. The park also has the most wolverines of any place in the country.

The United States and Canada joined the two parks in 1932 to make the first International Peace Park in the world.

About Glacier National Park

Even though Glacier’s pristine wilderness has few roads, the best way to see its stunning sights is from a car. Going-to-the-Sun Road traverses the park from east to west, passing clear blue glacial lakes and green cedar forests in the lowland valleys and climbing to bitter, white alpine tundra at Logan Pass. The road’s high point marks the Continental Divide, where rain and rivers flow to different oceans.

Viewpoints line the road, allowing drivers to stop and take photos. To see a created land up close, open the car door and lace up your walking boots by the park’s ice rivers.

The 4.5-mile path to Iceberg Lake and the shorter trail to Sperry Glacier are the highlights. Mountain goats live in Glacier, and lower-level trails cross grizzly country.

Lake McDonald and St Mary Lake offer canoe and boating. Although the landscape has changed little since the last ice age, progress is still being made. Most of the 1850s’ 150 glaciers have melted. Scientists predict 25 active glaciers will disappear by mid-century. Glacier National Park may be glacier-free in a few decades. Visit before it becomes a misnomer.

Waterton Glacier International Peace Park

Since the two parks are so close to the international border, the rangers at Waterton Lakes (in Canada) and Glacier National Park decided to work together. The result was the world’s first peace park that crossed national borders, even though the two sides are still run by different governments.

This area, which is 1,766 square miles, has snow-capped mountains, alpine forests, deep valleys, and glacial lakes. It is a big part of an ecosystem with many different kinds of plants and animals. Some animals and plants that live in the wild are bears, wolverines, wolves, and golden eagles.

Most of the park is in Glacier, which is a high-altitude wilderness with narrow roads. However, a car is still the best way to see the amazing views. The 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road goes through the park from east to west. It starts at the park’s sparkling glacial lakes and colorful cedar woods in the lowland valleys and ends at the park’s 6,646-foot-high Logan Pass, which is surrounded by icy alpine tundra. A continental divide can be found at the highest point of the route, where the watersheds of the two sides split, and the rivers go to different seas. Along the road, there are many rest stops and beautiful lookouts.

Chief Mountain is the only place where you can get into both national parks. Keep your passport handy and check the hours. If you arrive after September, you’ll have to wait until May of the next year for it to reopen.

Hikers and walkers have a lot of ways to enjoy the outdoors on both sides of the border. Mountain goats and soaring eagles are fun to hang out with, but you should try to stay away from grizzlies and black bears. People like to hike on the 4.5-mile road to Iceberg Lake and the shorter track to Sperry Glacier in Glacier, both of which are in the United States.

Canada’s Akamina Trail is one of the best. It is more challenging and has more mountains than most of the others. Since Waterton’s Crypt Lake Trail comes close to the international border but only goes into the U.S. for about 160 feet, hikers cross the border illegally. Luckily, there are no negative effects besides the fun of being on the run; this is a beautiful remnant of the first people to cross the border.

Glacier RV Camping

If you are looking for nearby RV camping options for Glacier National Park or in Montana, consider checking out our other post:

• Best RV Parks in Montana
• Best RV Resorts in Montana

Visitor Information

Fees

Individuals 15 years old and younger are admitted free of charge.

Weekly Park Passes

$20.00 per person/cyclist

• Winter Rate – $15.00, November 1 to April 30

$35.00 per vehicle

• Winter Rate – $25.00, November 1 to April 30

$30.00 per motorcycle

• Winter Rate – $20.00, November 1 to April 30

Valid for up tot 7 days

Annual Park Pass

Glacier National Park Annual Pass – $70

Contacting Glacier National Park

Phone Number

(406) 888-7800

Visitor Centers

Apgar Visitor Center

This LEED–certified center is 1.5 miles north of West Glacier at the west end of Going-to-the-Sun Rd. It has a large parking lot and free Wi-Fi. Here is where you can get the free park shuttle to go anywhere along Going-to-the-Sun Rd to Logan Pass, where you can change shuttles to go to St. Mary Visitor Center. Rangers show people how to use bear spray from time to time. In the winter, snowshoe trips leave from here on Saturday mornings.

St. Mary Visitor Center

The St. Mary Visitor Center is near the town of St. Mary, Montana, just inside the east entrance to the park. Inside, there are rangers who can help you plan your trip. All day long, a park movie is shown. Glacier National Park has a lot of Native American history, which is shown in exhibits.

Logan Pass Visitor Center

At the top of the summit, at an elevation of 6,700 feet, is the Logan Pass Visitor Information Center. It is right on the Continental Divide. The Visitor Center is open from the middle of June to the middle of September. It has displays of plants and animals that live in the alpine zone. Rangers are on hand to help plan trips and answer questions. Behind the visitor’s center is the start of a nature trail that leads to the Hidden Lake Overlook. The first part of the trail is a boardwalk that keeps people’s feet off the tundra.