Glacier National Park - Montana

Established June 18, 1932

1,013,572 acres

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park World Heritage site contains 2,000 square miles of what naturalist John Muir called "the best care-killing scenery on the continent." Many-hued summits—whittled by ancient glaciers into walls and horns—rise abruptly from gently rolling plains. Some 650 lakes, dozens of glaciers, and uncounted waterfalls glisten in forested valleys. A scenic highway crosses the paik, making much of its beauty accessible to the casual visitor. More than 700 miles of trails await hikers and horseback riders.

In 1932 Canada and the United States declared Waterton Lakes National Park (founded in 1895) and neighboring Glacier National Park (founded in 1910) the world's first International Peace Park. While administered separately, the park's two sections cooperate in wildlife management, scientific research, and some visitor services.

The tremendous range of topography in Waterton-Glacier supports a rich variety of plants and wildlife. More than 1,800 plant species provide food and haven for 63 native species of mammals and more than 270 species of birds. In the 1980s the gray wolf settled into Glacier for the first time since the 1950s.

But now strip-mining and oil, gas, housing, and logging projects proposed or underway near the park's borders threaten the habitats of both water and land animals, including elk, bighorn sheep, and the threatened grizzly. Park officials and conservation groups are working with the US Forest Service, the Canadian government, the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and private companies to try to protect critical habitats.

Sheltered valleys and bountiful food have lured people here for more than 8,000 years. Ancient cultures tracked bison across the plains, fished the lakes, and traversed the mountain passes. The Blackfeet controlled this land during the 18th and much of the 19th century.