Hello again, and welcome to summer! I’m going to talk a little about this park today and show you a video of what you might expect at this place. It’s a big place, so give yourself plenty of time to hike, camp, fish, golf, explore, and enjoy.
Glacier was established as a national park in 1910. It actually exists in two countries, the United States of America and Canada, (it being the first international “peace” park.) If you use the USA entrance, it is only about forty miles to the Canadian border, but you will have to use a roundabout trip; no direct route through the park is open yet. (The border crossing at Chief Mountain is closed until further notice.) That’s okay, because there is plenty to see on the USA side of the border.
As an admirer of beautiful architecture and landscape architecture, some of the best things in Glacier are the historical lodging sites. Amongst the lakes, trees, and mountains, lie some of the best examples of “park-itecture” of all of the National Parks. Many Glacier, Lake McDonald, Glacier Park, and Belmont Chalet lodges easily are accessible by car and train (Amtrak.) If you choose, you can even backpack and stay in a historic overnight lodge up on the trail!
The park is open year-round from the main highway — Route 2, another fantastic road trip across America, but that’s another story. As a caution, access to higher points in the park may be limited from early fall through early summer due to snow, avalanche dangers, etc. I was there this time on the Summer Solstice, and the Road to the Sun was still closed because of the snowpack! Now I understand how this park got the name of “Glacier.” Enjoy the pictures!