Glacier National Park (Montana)

Glacier National Park (Montana), national park in the United States, established in 1910. Located in northwestern Montana near the Canadian border, the park preserves a spectacular wilderness area of rugged glaciers, picturesque lakes, and lofty mountain peaks. The Lewis Range, a part of the Continental Divide, crosses the park from north to south. The highest peak in the range is Mount Cleveland, which rises to 3,190 m (10,466 ft).

The area of the present-day park was long known to Native Americans. The Blackfeet, Salish, and Kootenai peoples inhabited the area when European fur traders and trappers arrived in the early 1800s. In 1806 the Lewis and Clark Expedition came to within 80 km (50 mi) of the park boundary. American naturalist George Bird Grinnell led a national campaign during the late 1800s to place the area under federal protection, and in 1910 it was established as the country’s tenth national park.

The park was named for its many glaciers, which numbered about 150 in 1910. Since then the size and number of glaciers in the park have diminished dramatically. By 2007 only about 26 glaciers remained, and scientists predicted that all of these would disappear by 2030. Scientists attribute the melting of glaciers in the park—and around the world—to global warming. Glacier National Park is the primary study site for the Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems program involving research scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS is responsible for monitoring the park’s glaciers and has been conducting topographic surveys of them since 1900.

The area’s glaciers had expanded during a period of colder temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere prior to 1850. The movement of glaciers carved the park’s many spectacular landforms, including horns, cirques, arêtes, and moraines. Numerous glacially carved valleys are found in the Many Glacier and Two Medicine Valley regions of the park. The glaciers provide water to more than 250 lakes that resulted from glacial activity. Many of these high mountain lakes are surrounded by sheer cliffs. Lake McDonald, which is 16 km (10 mi) long and 1.6 km (1.0 mi) wide, is the largest lake in the park.

The eastern slopes of the park feature stands of spruce, fir, and lodgepole pine, and the western slopes are forested with ponderosa pine, larch, hemlock, and cedar. During the summer more than 1,000 species of wildflowers bloom throughout the park’s alpine meadows, including heather, gentian, bear grass, glacier lilies, lupines, Indian paintbrushes, asters, and shooting stars. Wildlife includes grizzly and black bears, pumas (cougars), lynx, wapiti (American elk), mountain caribou, Rocky Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, bald and golden eagles, and ospreys.

The eastern and western sides of the park are connected by the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which is 84 km (52 mi) long and was completed in 1932 after 11 years of construction. An engineering feat, the road crosses over the Continental Divide at Logan Pass at an elevation of 2,036 m (6,680 ft). The road connects Saint Mary Lake on the east side of the divide with Lake McDonald on the west side. As one of the most scenic roads in the United States, the road significantly increased tourism to Glacier National Park.

The park’s recreational activities attract many visitors. More than 1,100 km (700 mi) of trails provide hiking and horseback riding opportunities, and boat cruises are offered at many of the park’s lakes. Visitor centers in the park feature exhibits on the park’s geology, history, and ecology.

Glacier National Park borders Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada, and together they form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. It was established in 1932 as the first international peace park. In 1976 the United Nations designated both parks as International Biosphere Reserves, in order to protect and monitor their ecosystems. In 1995 the peace park was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Glacier National Park is administered by the National Park Service, and Waterton Lakes National Park is administered by Parks Canada. Area of Glacier National Park, 410,178 hectares (1,013,572 acres).