Glacier National Park's one million acres sparkle like a jewel in the Crown of the Continent, a region that spans parts of Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia. From Glacier's high peaks, waters flow to the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and Hudson's Bay.

People have lived here for more than 10,000 years. The Blackfeet hunted bison, elk, and deer on the east side of the "Backbone of the World." Kootenai, Salish, and Kalispel peoples hunted and fished mostly on the west side of the mountains, occasionally crossing to the plains to hunt bison. All of these tribes continue to live in the region today. In the 1800s, fur trappers came looking for beaver, followed by prospectors who combed the mountains for gold, silver, copper, and oil. But pickings were slim, and conservationists - notably James Willard Schultz and George Bird Grinnell - campaigned to protect Glacier's natural beauty and recreation resources. Their efforts were rewarded on May 11, 1910, when President William Taft signed a bill designating Glacier as our tenth national park.

Glacier National Park is home to spectacular alpine scenery, more than 700 gem-like lakes, 1,557 miles of rushing rivers and streams, and myriad wildlife, including grizzly bears, wolves, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats. Visitors enjoy traversing the jaw-dropping Going-to-the-Sun Road over the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, hiking more than 700 miles of trails, and staying in historic lodges and thirteen drive-in campgrounds.

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