If you like the outdoors and scenery that is hard to beat anywhere on the planet, Glacier National Park may be the place for you. Located in beautiful northwestern Montana and stretching out into Canada, this National Park is one of the most beautiful in the entire United States. If you enjoy fishing, hiking, animal watching, camping, mountain biking, swimming, or most other outdoor activities, Glacier National Park is the place for you.
Glacier National Park is one of the largest and most intact ecosystems in North America. There are more than fifty glaciers within the park, hence the name. There are also more than 200 lakes and streams in Glacier National Park. The largest lake is Lake Macdonald, and the various streams and rivers are home to good populations of wild trout. There are also more than 730 miles of trails for hikers to enjoy within Glacier National Park. Hiking is probably one of the most popular activities within the park. If you go hiking in this part of the country, taking bear spray with you is always a good idea. Glacier National Park is home to a decent population of wild brown bears.
The Park is divided from east to west by the Going-to-the-Sun highway. It is a spectacular journey, and if you go once, you will realize where the path got its name from. Running through the heart of the park, this fifty-mile-long path hugs the shores of the park’s two largest lakes and then passes just below the bluffs of Continental Divide as it traverses Logan Pass. If you are looking for more information, there are visitor centers that have maps throughout the park to assist you. Glacier Park Inc. operates a daily shuttle service along this highway from July 1 through Labor Day weekend.
The glaciers found today in Glacier National Park are geologically new and formed in the last thousands of years. Currently, all glaciers within Glacier National Park are shrinking. In other words, more snow melts each year than accumulates each winter. As the climate has changed over the past two million years, glaciers have formed and melted many times. So at the end of the day, this process is how it should be.
The park itself is full of wildlife. Although there are many species to list here, some of them would include: mountain goats, mule and white-tailed deer, elk, elk, black bears, brown bears, mountain lions, and various rodents and birds. If you are interested in observing wildlife, Glacier National Park will not disappoint. There are also many species of fish located in the rivers and lakes throughout the Park. Most of the fish belong to the trout family and would include: lake, rainbow, cut throat, brook, and bull trout.
The bottom line is that if it’s outdoor activities and scenery you’re interested in, Glacier National Park is the place for you. Whether your favorite activity is rafting, fishing, hiking, camping, driving, or biking, you will find it within the boundaries of Glacier National Park.