Glacier National Park is a picturesque wilderness region in the northern Rocky Mountains of northwestern Montana, next to Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park and the Canadian border. Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was established in 1932 by combining the two parks. Glacier National Park is located on the Continental Divide, a long ridge in the Rocky Mountains that separates the drainage systems that flow westward (to the Pacific Ocean) and eastward (to Hudson Bay and the Mississippi River). In 1976, it was declared as a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve, and in 1995, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Glacier National Park, which was founded in 1910, covers 1,583 square miles (4,101 square kilometers), with a third of it above the timberline. The Flathead River and Flathead National Forest border it on the west and southwest, the Lewis and Clark National Forest on the southeast, and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation on the east. The park’s current boundaries were formerly home to Salish and, subsequently, Blackfoot Indians. Although new settlers in the 1800s and early 1900s were mainly concerned with earning a livelihood from the land, they also developed an appreciation for its natural beauty. Tourist amenities started to emerge shortly after the beginning of the twentieth century. The Great Northern Railway (whose train route ran along the park’s southern boundary) erected several hotels and small lodges (known as chalets) throughout the park, most of which were only accessible by hiking or horseback; just a few are still in operation.
The impact of the region’s 50 glaciers can be seen in the form of mountains, lakes, and valleys. Waterfalls cascade down from valleys suspended in mid-air. At the same time, the Garden Wall serves as a spectacular example of an arête (a narrow ridge left by glacial erosion on both sides). Cirques (basins in the form of an amphitheater with steep sides) are also widespread. Mount Cleveland, at 10,466 feet (3,190 meters), is the park’s highest peak.
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Dense forests of lodgepole pines, spruces, firs, hemlocks, and cedars cover the steep western slopes, while alpine meadows are home to blooming heathers, bear grasses, and glacier lilies. The drier plains to the east have prairie grasses strewn over them. Mountain goats and bighorn sheep live at the highest altitudes, while black and grizzly bears, as well as deer, moose, and elk, wander the forests. Gray wolves started to reappear in small numbers in the mid-1980s after being eliminated from the area earlier in the century. Bald eagles are the most famous species among the more than 250 species of birds that dwell in or travel through the park. The various lakes and streams are home to trout, turtles, and the odd salmon.
