If you’re stuck at home but are yearning for adventure, look no further than Glacier National Park. You don’t need to visit this park in person to appreciate it.
Keep scrolling to see more of this park’s natural beauty and learn about its history.
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1. It’s in Montana and Canada
The park is actually international, with the border between the United States and Canada running through it.
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2. Glacier National Park is 1,583 square miles in size
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3. It’s home to Montana’s state flower
You can find lovely fields of bitterroot in Glacier National Park during wildflower season.
Image Credit: Grant Bowling / istockphoto.
4. It has 700 miles of hiking trails
Visitors relish the park’s 700 miles of hiking trails.
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5. You can see sunbeams here
If you’re lucky, you may spot sunbeams over Avalanche Creek, as pictured here.
Image Credit: Jeffrey Ross / istockphoto.
6. It also has glaciers
On the Canadian side, you can see glacier-carved peaks and valleys.
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7. It has 700 lakes
You can find more than 700 lakes across the park.
Image Credit: Jon Farmer / istockphoto.
8. It’s popular with kayakers and backpackers
The park is a sought-after destination for kayakers and backpackers.
Image Credit: Greg Meland / istockphoto.
9. The park has more than 200 waterfalls
Those waterfalls nclude St. Mary Falls, pictured here.
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10. Not all the falls have names
While St. Marys and other popular destinations are named, there are two unnamed falls on the way to St. Marys alone.
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11. It’s home to Grinnell Point, Many Glacier Hotel and Swiftcurrent Lake
Grinnell Point looms over Swiftcurrent Lake behind Many Glacier Hotel, another popular destination inside the park.
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12. It’s also home to Hidden Lake
Hidden Lake, pictured below from Bearhat Mountain, is another popular scenic stop for park visitors.
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13. It has a Swiss Chalet
Like other popular hiking destinations, the park has a Swiss Chalet that visotirs can enjoy.
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14. You can kayak in Kintla Lake
Kintla Lake is one of the park’s most visited stops for kayakers.
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15. There’s a lot of wide-open spaces
Glacier County, where the park is located, is more than 3,000 square miles in size, but just 13,732 people call Glacier County their full-time home.
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16. Going-to-the-Sun Road is one road people don’t avoid
That’s because it’s absolutely beautiful and was designed to blend into its mountain setting.
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17. Many Glacier is on the park’s east side
On the east side of the park, Many Glacier sees many visitors for its own scenic views.
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18. More than 3 million visitors per year
In 2019, the park welcomed more than 3.05 million visitors.
Image Credit: Jeffrey Ross / istockphoto.
19. It only had about 1.7 million in 2020
Because of the pandemic, only 1,698,864 were able to visit the park in 2020.
Image Credit: Jeffrey Ross / istockphoto.
20. It has rams. Lots and lots of rams
You can find many Rocky Mountain Bighorn Ram in the park’s forests.
Image Credit: Dan Martin / istockphoto.
21. There are also grizzly bears
Grizzly bears also forage through the forests.
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22. Glacier County is also known as “Backbone of the World”
Glacier County has two well-known nicknames: Blackfeet and the “Backbone of the World.”
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23. The Hidden Lake Overlook is a popular stop
You can see the park from the air from The Hidden Lake Overlook.
Image Credit: bennymarty /istockphoto.
24. It’s the world’s first international peace park
The park was created to celebrate peace between the United States and Canada.
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25. It’s the country’s 10th national park
Glacier National Park became a national park in 1910 when President Taft declared it a national park on May 11.
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26. You’ll likely spot a pika when you visit IRL
This close relative of the rabbit is plentiful in the park, with an estimated 1,800 to 3,600 living there.
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27. It’s bigger than Rhode Island
The park has over a million acres of “glacier-carved peaks and valleys, pristine turquoise lakes and streams, and dense ancient forests,” according to the Department of the Interior. Poor Rhode Island has just 988,832.
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28. It has beautiful wildflowers
The park is also home to many different wildflower varieties.
Image Credit: kellyvandellen / istockphoto.
29. Many mountain goats call the park home
You’ll see them everywhere.
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30. The Canadian side is called Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park came into existence in 1932.
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31. The two parks work together in emergencies
Both the Canadian and American sides of the park have agreed to work together to preserve wildlife and respond to emergency situations, such as fires or flooding.
Image Credit: Jon Farmer / istockphoto.
32. It’s near the “Continental Divide”
The Continental Divide runs through the close-by Rocky Mountains.
Image Credit: Brian Miller / istockphoto.
33. Because of that, it has extreme weather
Pacific and Arctic air meet at the Divide, which can create extreme weather conditions.
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34. Nearby Browning, Montana, saw a one-day temp drop of 100 degrees
In just 24 hours back in January, 1916, the temperature in this small town dropped
from 44 °F to -56 °F. This is not only the U.S. record for the greatest temperature drop in 24 hours, it’s also the world record.
Image Credit: Greg Meland / istockphoto.
35. Buffalo roam many parts of the park
Both sides of the park have recently undergone collaborative efforts to bring bufallo to both the Candian and American sides of the park.
Image Credit: scgerding / istockphoto.
36. Going-to-the-Sun Road splits the park in half
Going-to-the-Sun Road separates the eastern and western halves of the park.
Image Credit: Bkamprath / istockphoto.
37. The road also crosses the Continental Divide
You can cross the Continental Divide through Logan Pass.
Image Credit: Dean_Fikar /istockphoto.
38. Going-to-the-Sun Road is 50 miles long
You can see about 50 miles of the park’s beauty on this road.
Image Credit: Jon Farmer / istockphoto.
39. Humans have lived in the park area for 12,000 years
The mountains still hold spiritual significance for the local Blackfeet, Salish, and Kootenai Tribes.
This article originally appeared on and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: Bkamprath / istockphoto.
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