Established in 1910, Glacier National Park is situated in northwestern Montana, sharing borders with Canada and the United States, and adjacent to the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.
It covers approximately one million acres of land, encompassing 25 "active" glaciers that are in motion due to melting, more than 130 named lakes, over 1,000 different species of plants, and hundreds of animal species. This vast and pristine ecosystem is a central part of the "Crown of Continental Ecosystems," known as the "Crown of the Continent."
Active glaciers cut through the rocks, forming valleys and filling the rapids. The area is vibrant in spring, with the mountains teeming with flowers in the summer, bursting with color in the fall, and snow-capped in the winter.
During the warmer months, wide meadows and wildflowers fill the gaps between the mountains, while the glittering stars light up the darkness of the night. In this moment of tranquility, alpine glaciers shimmer in crystal-clear lakes.
The Harrison and Pangpuri glaciers cover the southern slopes, which are also renowned for their picturesque peaks. Mount Cleveland, standing over 3,000 meters tall, is the highest peak in the northern part of the park, and there are other peaks over 3,000 meters in the park, such as Kintla, Sierras, and Stinson Peaks.
Glacier National Park is home to a great variety of endemic species in North America, boasting over a thousand species of trees and plants. On the drier eastern slopes, the spruce, subalpine fir, lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and big branch pine stand tall and strong. On the warmer, wetter western slopes, larch, fir, and spruce are dense and lush.
Glacier National Park is also home to a wide variety of animals, including bighorn mountain goats, cougars, mountain dogs, bobcats, moose, American bighorn deer, black bears, grizzly bears, white-tailed deer, and many more.
Glacier National Park has many popular areas, with the 50-mile-long "Glacier Trail" being one of Montana's most breathtaking vistas and the most popular tourist destination in Glacier National Park.
Scattered with old-growth forests, majestic peaks, steep cliffs, gorgeous alpine scenery, and deep valleys, visitors can stroll through mossy cedar forests or traverse alpine meadows filled with wildflowers and boulders, gaze out over beautiful dark alpine lakes hidden by jagged peaks, and explore glacier-carved peaks and valleys.
Glacier National Park is open year-round and offers tours, wildlife viewing, maple viewing, boating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, biking, fine dining, and luxury accommodations. With a total of 1,000 campsites and a variety of campgrounds available, the park is a veritable vacation paradise.
In 1932, Waterton Lakes National Park (Alberta, Canada) merged with Glacier National Park (Montana, USA) to form the world's first international peace park, Waterton Glacier International Peace Park.
In 1995, Waterton Glacier International Peace Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List (No. 354) as one of America's World Heritage Sites, based on natural heritage selection criteria.
The heritage description reads: "Located on the border between Canada and the United States, the park has a stunning landscape, especially rich in plant and mammal species, as well as grasslands, forests, mountains, and glaciers."
