You can’t describe Glacier National Park without using words like ‘spectacular’ and ‘awe-inspiring.’ Known as the “Crown of the Continent” and home to the magnificent Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier offers world-class hiking, kayaking and wildlife viewing.
The “Crown of the Continent”, Glacier National Park is the meeting point of various ecosystems, from northwest rain forests and inland prairies to tundra and mountains.
The park is famous for many things, but perhaps its most iconic feature is the Going-to-the-Sun Road. This magnificent mountain road was completed in 1932 and, since then, has allowed many tens of millions of visitors to explore the heart of Glacier National Park.
An engineering masterpiece and one of America’s greatest drives, the 50-mile-long Going-to-the-Sun Road takes you through pristine pine forests and past huge lakes to stunning Logan Pass, the highest point accessible by car in the park.
On the way, you can enjoy epic panoramic views of glacier-carved valleys, see beautiful roadside waterfalls and spot wildlife such as bighorn sheep and mountain goats, the park’s official mascot.
Numerous hiking trails lead to shimmering turquoise lakes, gorgeous wildflower-filled meadows and jaw-dropping mountain passes.
Elsewhere in the park, you can immerse yourself in beautiful scenery at places like Many Glacier and Two Medicine, both of which are a hiker’s paradise and wildlife haven, from black and grizzly bears to moose. Popular activities, besides scenic drives, include backpacking, camping, wildlife viewing, boating, cycling and fishing.
Additionally, Glacier National Park is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve and International Dark Sky Park.
Spend a few nights in or near the park and enjoy some world-class stargazing. With some luck, you might even see the elusive northern lights here, too—the best period for that is fall.
Together with its Canadian neighbor to the north, Waterton Lakes National Park, Glacier National Park makes up the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the first of its kind in the world. You can take a boat ride across the border between the two parks, the only U.S.-Canada border crossing where clearing customs is not required.
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Highlights of Glacier National Park
There’s a plethora of things to see and do in Glacier National Park. Whether you’re looking to enjoy the scenery from your car and the myriad overlooks or planning a life-changing backpacking trip, or anything in between, Glacier has you covered. Everyone will find enough to do here to fill several days.
Whatever you’re into or what your idea of the perfect national parks experience is, I strongly suggest checking off the following places in the park. They’re the absolute, not-to-be-missed highlights.
- Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road
- Kayak or canoe Lake McDonald
- Watch the sunset at Lake McDonald
- Hike (a part of) the Highline Trail and Hidden Lake Overlook Trail at Logan Pass
- Look for bighorn sheep and mountain goats at Logan Pass
- See St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls on one of the East Side’s best trails
- Admire the (sunrise) view from Wild Goose Island Overlook
- Take a boat tour of St. Mary Lake
- Hike the Grinnell Glacier Trail and/or Iceberg Lake Trail
- Kayak Swiftcurrent Lake
- Spot black and grizzly bears in the Swiftcurrent Valley along the Many Glacier Road
- …
Accommodation Near Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park has more than ten frontcountry campgrounds, offering campers the opportunity to explore many corners of the park in-depth. For a more comfortable stay, you can also choose from several different lodges, cabins and motels in and near Glacier.
There are a couple of iconic national park lodges within Glacier National Park—Lake McDonald Lodge and Many Glacier Hotel—while places like Apgar Village and Rising Sun offer motel-style accommodation and cabin stays.
In villages just outside the park boundaries, you’ll find many more accommodation options, from West Glacier to East Glacier and St. Mary. I highly recommend the tiny homes at St. Mary Village!
Recommended Glacier National Park Books
- Glacier National Park: Hiking, Camping, Lakes & Peaks (Travel Guide) – Moon
- Hiking Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks: A Guide to the Parks’ Greatest Hiking Adventures – Falcon Guides
- Best Easy Day Hikes in Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks – Falcon Guides
- Death in Glacier National Park: Stories of Accidents and Foolhardiness in the Crown of the Continent – Randi Minetor
- Rangers, Trappers and Trailblazers: Early Adventures in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier National Park – John Fraley
Useful Info
Location: Northern Montana
Nearest Towns: Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Kalispell
Area: 1,583 square miles (1,012,837 acres)
Annual Visitors (2022): 2,908,458
Features: Spectacular glacier-carved mountains and valleys, several (shrinking) glaciers, pristine forests, shimmering lakes, waterfalls, and abundant wildlife such as grizzly bears, moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goats
Top Attractions: Going-to-the-Sun Road, Continental Divide at Logan Pass, Lake McDonald, St. Mary Lake, St. Mary and Virginia Falls, Highline Trail, Many Glacier Hotel, Iceberg Lake and Grinnell Glacier
Popular Activities: Scenic drives, hiking and backpacking, road cycling, kayaking and canoeing, fishing, wildlife viewing, horseback riding
Suggested Stay: 4-5 days
Campgrounds:
- Apgar Campground (194 sites)
- Fish Creek Campground (178 sites)
- Sprague Creek Campground (25 sites)
- Avalanche Campground (87 sites)
- Rising Sun Campground (84 sites)
- St. Mary Campground (148 sites)
- Two Medicine Campground (100 sites)
- Cut Bank Campground (14 sites)
- Many Glacier Campground (109 sites)
- Bowman Lake Campground (46 sites)
- Kintla Lake Campground (13 sites)
More Information: National Park Service
Nearby National Parks:
- Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana & Idaho
- Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
- North Cascades National Park, Washington
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