Glacier National Park preserves over one million acres of forests, alpine meadows and lakes. Its diverse habitats are home to over 70 species of mammals and over 260 species of birds. The spectacular glaciated landscape is a hikers paradise containing 700 miles of maintained trails that lead deep into one of the largest intact ecosystems in the lower 48 states. In 1932 Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park, in Canada, were designated Wateron-Glacier International Peace Park. This designation celebrates the longstanding peace and friendship between our two nations. Glacier and Waterton Lakes have both been designated as Biosphere Reserves and together were recognized, in 1995, as a World Heritage Site.
Introduction
Created in 1910, Glacier National Park provides over one million acres of habitat and protection for a wonderful variety of wildlife and wildflowers. Historic lodges preserve the ambience of nineteenth century travel for twentieth century visitors.
The park contains an unusual diversity of terrain: windswept peaks, rolling grasslands, forests and alpine tundra. Wildlife ranges from marmots to mountain lions, bald eagles to grizzly bears, all living in the unique landscape carved out by millions of years of glacial activity.
In 1932, Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park were joined and designated Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. In 1995, the Peace Park became a World Heritage Site.
History & Culture
Before the Park
Recent archaeological surveys have found evidence of human use dating back over 10,000 years. These people may have been the ancestors of tribes that live in the area today. By the time the first European explorers came to this region, several different tribes inhabited the area. The Blackfeet Indians controlled the vast prairies east of the mountains. The Salish and Kootenai Indians lived and hunted in the western valleys. They also traveled east of the mountains to hunt buffalo. In the early 1800’s, French, English and Spanish trappers came in search of beaver. In 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition came within 50 miles of the area that is now the park.
As the number of people moving west steadily increased, the Blackfeet, Salish and Kootenai were forced onto reservations. The Blackfeet Reservation adjoins the east side of the park. The Salish and Kootenai reservation is southwest of Glacier. This entire area holds great spiritual importance to the Blackfeet, Salish and Kootenai people.
The railroad over Marias Pass was completed in 1891. The completion of the Great Northern Railway allowed more people to enter the area. Homesteaders settled in the valleys west of Marias Pass and soon small towns developed.
Under pressure from miners, the mountains east of the Continental Divide were acquired in 1895 from the Blackfeet. Miners came searching for copper and gold. They hoped to strike it rich, but no large copper or gold deposits were ever located. Although the mining boom lasted only a few years, abandoned mine shafts are still found in several places in the park.
Establishing the Park
Around the turn of the century, people started to look at the land differently. Rather than just seeing the minerals they could mine or land to settle on, they started to recognize the value of its spectacular scenic beauty. Facilities for tourists started to spring up. In the late 1890’s, visitors arriving at Belton (now called West Glacier) could get off the train, take a stagecoach ride a few miles to Lake McDonald and then board a boat for an eight mile trip to the Snyder Hotel. No roads existed in the mountains, but the lakes allowed boat travel into the wilderness.
Soon people, like George Bird Grinnell, pushed for the creation of a national park. Grinnell was an early explorer to this part of Montana and spent many years working to get the park established. The area was made a Forest Preserve in 1900, but was open to mining and homesteading. Grinnell and others sought the added protection a national park would provide. Grinnell saw his efforts rewarded in 1910 when President Taft signed the bill establishing Glacier as the country’s 10th national park.
after the creation of the park, the growing staff of park rangers needed housing and offices to help protect the new park. The increasing number of park visitors made the need for roads, trails and hotels urgent. The Great Northern Railway built a series of hotels and small backcountry lodges, called chalets, throughout the park. A typical visit to Glacier involved a train ride to the park, followed by a multi-day journey on horseback. Each day after a long ride in the mountains, guests would stay at a different hotel or chalet. The lack of roads meant that, to see the interior of the park, visitors had to hike or ride a horse. Eventually, the demand for a road across the mountains led to the building of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
A Heritage for the Future
The construction of the Going-to-the-Sun Road was a huge undertaking. Even today, visitors to the park marvel at how such a road could have been built. The final section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, over Logan Pass, was completed in 1932 after 11 years of work. The road is considered an engineering feat and is a National Historic Landmark. It is one of the most scenic roads in North America. The construction of the road forever changed the way visitors would experience Glacier National Park. Future visitors would drive over sections of the park that previously had taken days of horseback riding to see.
Just across the border, in Canada, is Waterton Lakes National Park. In 1931, members of the Rotary Clubs of Alberta and Montana suggested joining the two parks as a symbol of the peace and friendship between our two countries. In 1932, the United States and Canadian governments voted to designate the parks as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the world’s first. More recently the parks have received two other international honors. The parks are both Biosphere Reserves and were named as a World Heritage Site in 1995. This international recognition highlights the importance of this area, not just to the United States and Canada, but to the entire world.
While much has changed since the first visitors came to Glacier, it is possible to relive some of Glacier’s early history. You can take a horseback ride like an early visitor. Miles of hiking trails follow routes first used by trappers in the early 1800’s. Several hotels and chalets, built by the Great Northern Railway in the early 1900’s, house summer guests to the park. A visit to Glacier National Park is still a great adventure!
Nature & Science
oday’s towering mountains, exquisite wildflowers and diverse wildlife are three different aspects of Glacier National Park. The mountains began as sediments deposited in an ancient sea and slowly hardened into thick layers of limestone, mudstone and sandstone. About 60 million years ago, tensions building within the Earth’s crust could no longer be contained and the rock layers began to warp, fold and finally break. A huge slab of rock moved from the west and began to slide up and over the softer rock of eastern ranges. Eventually a 300 mile portion of the crust had been thrust more than 50 miles to the east. Throughout the world similar processes created other mountain systems, but few can rival the Lewis Overthrust of Waterton/Glacier.
The Lewis Overthrust of Waterton/Glacier provides scientists with insight about the massive dynamics of geologic processes that are going on today in other parts of the world, such as the Andes and the Himalaya Mountains. Because of the high degree of preservation of the original rock characteristics, the recent glacial sculpturing of the rocks and the access by roads and trails, this major geologic structure in Waterton/Glacier Park is available for study by scientists from around the world.
The Lewis Overthrust began 170 million years ago, when a collision of the Earth s crustal plates elevated numerous mountain chains and formed the ancestral Rocky Mountains. Ever-increasing stresses near the end of this great event shoved a huge rock wedge, several miles thick and several hundred miles wide, eastward more than 50 miles. Large masses of relatively stronger rocks were shoved over softer and more easily deformed rocks. Erosion stripped away the upper part of the original rock wedge and exposed the rocks and structures visible in the park today. Rarely have rocks of such ancient age been thrust over rocks that are so much younger.
The overlying Proterozoic rocks are over 1,500 million years older than the underlying Cretaceous age rocks. Thus, the Lewis Overthrust is significant as a structural feature, for the extent of lateral displacement (more than 50 miles) and because it has functioned to expose ancient sediments possessing an unparalleled degree of preservation. Of particular scenic and geologic note is Chief Mountain, a spectacular monolith towering above the prairie along the eastern margin of Glacier. Chief Mountain is an erosionally isolated remnant of the eastern edge of the upper plate of the Lewis Overthrust - a feature known as a Klippen ranking with the Matterhorn as an example of this structural and erosional phenomenon.
Recreation
Hiking
Over half of the visitors to Glacier National Park report taking a hike. That’s a lot of hikers, but over 700 miles of trail provide many outstanding opportunities for both short hikes and extended backpacking trips. Hikers need to assume individual responsibility for planning their trips and hiking safely. Before setting out on your hike, stop by a park visitor center to obtain needed warnings and recommondations. You will increase your odds of a safe hike, decrease your disturbance to park wildlife and lessen cumulative damage to resources.
Visitor center bookstores carry a complete line of trail guides, topographic maps and field guides to aid the hiker. Publications are also available by mail. Call the Glacier Natural History Association at (406) 888-5756, to request a catalog.
Five self-guided walks interpret trailside features with brochures and signs. The Trail of the Cedars, Huckleberry Mountain, Hidden Lake, Sun Point and Swiftcurrent Nature Trails encourage hikers to experience Glacier National Park at their own pace. The Trail of the Cedars is wheelchair accessible.
Good day hikes are plentiful. Visitor center staff will be happy to assist you with your choices and provide free maps of popular trails in park. Maps to four of the more popular hiking areas are available online as well at the links above.
Overnight Trips
Hikers planning to camp overnight in Glacier’s backcountry must stop at a visitor center or ranger station and obtain a backcountry permit.
Biking
In Glacier National Park, bicycles are restricted to roadways, bike routes, or parking areas and are not allowed on trails.
Waterton Lakes National Park allows bicycling on some trails.
Traveler Facts
Contact Information
Glacier National Park
PO Box 128
West Glacier, MT 59936
Phone: 406-888-7800
Fax: 406-888-7808
Operating Hours & Seasons
Most visitor facilites at Glacier National Park are open from late May to mid-September. During the winter in-park services are not available
Visitors Centers
Apgar Visitor Center
Apgar Visitor Center is open year-round and is located in Apgar, at the foot of Lake McDonald, 2 miles north of West Glacier. Apgar Visitor Center is open year-round but open on weekends only November through March.
Logan Pass Visitor Center
Logan Pass is in the center of Glacier National Park, 18 miles west of St. Mary, MT. The vistor center is open early June through mid-October.
Weather/Climate
Glacier National Park’s western valleys generally receive the most rainfall. Daytime temperatures can exceed 90 degrees F. It is frequently 10 to 15 degrees cooler at higher elevations. Strong winds and sunny days predominate on the east side of the park. Overnight lows throughout the park can drop to near 20 degrees F and snow can fall anytime. In August of 1992, a foot of snow fell on the northeastern corner of Glacier. Prepare for a variety of conditions and pack accordingly. You may start the day in a T-shirt and shorts and need a parka by evening. Dress in layers. Always bring raingear.
