Glacier National Park in Montana should be on your must visit list. The park is full of pristine forests, alpine meadows, rugged mountains, and spectacular lakes. The park touts over 700 miles of trails, a a hiker’s paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness and solitude.
The average visitor spends three to four days in the area, although you easily could fill a week with activities in the park. Listed below are some suggestions based on length of stay.
If you have…
One Day
- Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
- Participate in a ranger-led talk or walk.
- Investigate the Discovery Cabin in Apgar Village, where you can learn about the park’s plants and animals.
Multiple Days
- Take a backpacking trip deep within Glacier’s wild interior.
- Hike through forests and up mountains on over 700 miles of hiking trails.
- Camp (there are 13 front country campgrounds to choose from).
- Take a boat cruise to learn about geology, park history, etc.
- Guided Horseback trips are available inside the park. Ride on a horse and explore historic and contemporary routes.
- Tour the Going-to-the-Sun Road in a Red Bus or learn all about the Blackfeet Indian culture in in a coach or your car.
- Attend ranger-led walks, talks, hikes, and amphitheater programs — they run from early June to early September.
A little history about the park itself:
Evidence of human use in this area dates back to over 10,000 years. By the time the first European explorers came into this region, several different tribes inhabited the area. The Blackfeet Indians controlled the vast prairies east of the mountains, while the Salish and Kootenai Indians lived in the western valleys, traveling over the mountains in search of game and to hunt the great herds of buffalo on the eastern plains.
The majority of early European explorers came to this area in search of beaver and other pelts. They were soon followed by miners and, eventually, settlers looking for land. By 1891, the completion of the Great Northern Railway sealed the area’s fate, allowing a greater number of people to enter into the heart of northwest Montana. Homesteaders settled in the valleys west of Marias Pass and soon small towns developed.
Above Dr. and Mrs. George Bird Grinnell ontop of Grinnell GlacierBy the late 1800s, influential leaders like George Bird Grinnell, pushed for the creation of a national park. In 1910, Grinnell and others saw their efforts rewarded when President Taft signed the bill establishing Glacier as the country’s 10th national parkTop Photo credit: iliketowastemytime. com.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
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