Glacier-Waterton National Park

Glacier National Park, Montana (Robert Glusic/Photodisc/Getty)

Glacier-Waterton National Park

Established: 1910
Acreage: 1,013,572
Average Yearly Visitors: 1,865,000
Location: Northwest Montana, 35 miles east of Kalispell

Contact Details
Glacier National Park Headquarters
P.O. Box 128
West Glacier, MT 59936
Phone: 406-888-7800

If unparalleled scenery and the opportunity to see the full lineup of wildlife that greeted Lewis and Clark when they swung through Montana is your notion of a great vacation spot, then Glacier is your kind of park.
Going-to-the-Sun Road is the marquee drive in Glacier and perhaps the most scenic stretch of tarmac in all of North America. It has been described as a "don't look down" road. It bisects the northern and southern halves of the park, crosses the Continental Divide, and is designated a National Historic Landmark.
Fly fishing in the park is rated as world-class, with cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden trout, eastern brook trout, arctic grayling, and kokanee salmon on the menu. Another plus: Out-of-staters don't need a license to fish at Glacier.
For those on horseback, the 13-mile Quartz Lake Loop begins at Bowman Campground in the park's northwest corner. Ride the trail clockwise to minimize the incline along the way, and enjoy views of the Livingston Range along with good trout fishing in Middle and Lower Quartz.

By Travel Expert: Brian Kevin

The new Glacier Park shuttle system makes for convenient trailhead access along Going-to-the-Sun Road.
The nearly 25-mile Ptarmigan-Redgap loop shows off the spectacular peaks of the Many Glacier area, as well as the Old Sun Glacier and the Ptarmigan Tunnel, a triumph of dynamite over mountain.
The opaque emerald waters of the North Fork and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River entice hundreds of courageous paddlers every spring, when the melting snowpack and glacial runoff swell this river into a raging monster.
Park roads—including Going-to-the-Sun, Camas, and the Inside North Fork—are open to snowshoeing when snow prevents traffic closures.

By Travel Expert: Brian Kevin

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