The mountains and lakes of Glacier National Park were carved by glaciers long ago. Most of those glaciers are gone, but thanks to its national park status, Glacier itself remains. The area is as pristine and awe-inspiring as it was in 1901, when George Bird Grinnell named it “the Crown of the Continent.”
Like all national parks, Glacier wasn’t granted that status for the purpose of preservation only – it is there to be seen and experienced. The Going-to-the-Sun Road stands as one of the first National Park Service projects conceived and executed specifically to accommodate visitors in automobiles. It is an impressive feat of civil engineering that stretches from the west side of Glacier National Park to the east side, taking tourists through the heart of the park.
Thanks to the Continental Divide, which splits the park in two, visitors to Glacier have the option to stay in East or West Glacier. Odds are, you will experience a very different Glacier National Park depending on which side you visit. But no matter which side you choose or how long you stay, you will never exhaust all that the park has to offer.
Whether it’s a sudden glimpse of its wildlife (best viewed from a distance), or that much anticipated photo opportunity with a waterfall, or the long hike at high altitude that ends with a view worthy of all that exertion – Glacier National Park will always have something new to show you.
Worth Checking Out
- Going-to-the-Sun Road
- Two Medicine Lake
- Mountain Pine Motel
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