https://mediafeed.org/photos-glacier-national-park/

Gorgeous photos of one of America’s most popular national parks

FeaturedTravel

Written by:

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.

International boundary marker, Glacier National Park
Alisha Bube / iStock

1. It’s in Montana and Canada

The park is actually international, with the border between the United States and Canada running through it.

Logan Pass Glacier National Park
kellyvandellen / iStock

2. Glacier National Park is 1,583 square miles in size

Grant Bowling / iStock

A shallow depth of field picture of 2 pink wild flowers known as bitterroot taken in Washington State.

Glacier National Park
TheBigMK / iStock

4. It has 700 miles of hiking trails

Visitors relish the park’s 700 miles of hiking trails.

Sunbeams over Avalanche Creek
Jeffrey Ross / iStock

5. You can see sunbeams here

If you’re lucky, you may spot sunbeams over Avalanche Creek, as pictured here.

Glacier National Park
Different_Brian / iStock

6. It also has glaciers

On the Canadian side, you can see glacier-carved peaks and valleys.

Lake of Fire-Glacier National Park
Jon Farmer / iStock

7. It has 700 lakes

You can find more than 700 lakes across the park.

Glacier National Park stream
Greg Meland / iStock

8. It’s popular with kayakers and backpackers

The park is a sought-after destination for kayakers and backpackers.

St. Mary falls in Glacier National Park
Willard / iStock

9. The park has more than 200 waterfalls

Those waterfalls nclude St. Mary Falls, pictured here.

Logan Creek Falls
kellyvandellen / iStock

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.

Mt. Wilbur at Many Glacier
len3c / iStock

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.

Hidden Lake and Bearhat Mountain in Glacier National Park
JPDworld / iStock

12. It’s also home to Hidden Lake

Hidden Lake, pictured below from Bearhat Mountain, is another popular scenic stop for park visitors.

Swiss Chalet in Glacier National Park
Bentleyphotos / iStock

13. It has a Swiss Chalet

Like other popular hiking destinations, the park has a Swiss Chalet that visotirs can enjoy.

Kayaking in Kintla Lake
mlharing / iStock

14. You can kayak in Kintla Lake

 Kintla Lake is one of the park’s most visited stops for kayakers.

Biking near Glacier National Park
benkrut / iStock

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.

Sun Road in Glacier National Park
TwistedProductions / iStock

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.

Many Glacier
NASAPhotog / iStock

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.

Glacier National Park
Jeffrey Ross / iStock

18. More than 3 million visitors per year

In 2019, the park welcomed more than 3.05 million visitors.

Hidden Lake Trail at Glacier National Park
Jeffrey Ross / iStock

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.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Ram overlooks Pine Forest
Dan Martin / iStock

20. It has rams. Lots and lots of rams

You can find many Rocky Mountain Bighorn Ram in the park’s forests.

Grizzly Bear walking by in Glacier National Park
Gus Noah / iStock

21. There are also grizzly bears

Grizzly bears also forage through the forests.

Sun Road in Glacier National Park
Teacherdad48 / iStock

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.”

Hidden Lake Overlook in Glacier National Park
bennymarty /iStock

23. The Hidden Lake Overlook is a popular stop

You can see the park from the air from The Hidden Lake Overlook.

Glacier National Park
Yobro10 / iStock

24. It’s the world’s first international peace park

The park was created to celebrate peace between the United States and Canada.

Glacier National Park in Montana
Alisha Bube / iStock

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.

Pika in Logan Pass in Glacier Park
mlharing / iStock

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.

Red Jammers Bus at Glacier National Park
RhondaSuka / iStock

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.

Wildflower Field in Montana Wilderness
kellyvandellen / iStock

28. It has beautiful wildflowers

The park is also home to many different wildflower varieties.

Mountain Goat in Glacier National Park
Bkamprath / iStock

29. Many mountain goats call the park home

You’ll see them everywhere.

Glacier National Park, Swiftcurrent Lake
IMNATURE / iStock
Logan Pass Sunburst
Jon Farmer / iStock

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.

Logan's Pass in Glacier National Park
Brian Miller / iStock

32. It’s near the “Continental Divide”

The Continental Divide runs through the close-by Rocky Mountains.

Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park
Ershov_Maks / iStock

33. Because of that, it has extreme weather

 Pacific and Arctic air meet at the Divide, which can create extreme weather conditions.

St Mary Lake, Glacier National Park
Greg Meland / iStock

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.

Buffalo in Glacier National Park
scgerding / iStock

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.

Glacier National Park in Montana
Bkamprath / iStock

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.

Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park
Dean_Fikar /iStock

37. The road also crosses the Continental Divide

You can cross the Continental Divide through Logan Pass.

Glacier National Park
Jon Farmer / iStock

38. Going-to-the-Sun Road is 50 miles long

You can see about 50 miles of the park’s beauty on this road.

Mountain Goat in Glacier National Park
Bkamprath / iStock

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.

Glacier National Park
Jon Farmer / iStock

40. Blackfoot Glacier is the largest glacier in the park

It covers a total of roughly 441 acres or nearly 35 football fields.

Related:

 

 

 

This article originally appeared on and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

AlertMe

Kaitlyn Farley

Kaitlyn is MediaFeed’s senior editor. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, specializing in social justice and investigative reporting. She has worked at various radio stations and newsrooms, covering higher-education, local politics, natural disasters and investigative and watchdog stories related to Title IX and transparency issues.