Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park was established in 1910 on the lands of the Blackfeet Native Americans. The Blackfeet were pressured to cede their land to the federal U.S. government in 1895. As soon as the park was established, several hotels and chalets were constructed there and by 1932 access roads had been built and the park became an important tourist destination.

The park covers 4,100 km² (1 million acres) of mountainous terrain in the north of Montana, straddling the Canadian border. There are some 130 larger lakes in the park, but there are thousands of unnamed smaller ones.

In the 19th century, there used to be some 150 larger glaciers in the region that would later become the Glacier National Park, but nowadays, there are only 20 left. It is estimated that by 1930 they will all have melted.

The park is home to more than 1,000 different plant species and countless animal species, including larger ones such as American black bear, grizzly bear, bighorn sheep, elk, moose, mountain lion, mountain goats, gray wolf, wolverine and Canadian lynx. There are many bird species and insects.

The park frequently suffers from forest fores and the only year without any fire was 1964. Glacier National Park was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995. There are some 1,127 km (700 mi) of walking trails in the park.

Glacier National Park borders Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada. The 2 parks are collectively known as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

Glacier National Park is 200 km northwest of Helena. The closest town to the park is Kalispell. The Amtrak train stops at Essex, which sits a the park's southern fringe.