Glacier National Park Family Vacations

Glacier National Park is the ideal destination for family vacations. It is a land of high-mountain adventure; a land that sets the senses soaring and the spirits winging. Here you'll find lofty mountain ranges with sculptured glacial valleys, ice cold lakes that mirror mountains and sky, wildflowers and wildlife flourishing in alpine meadows and prairie grasslands.

Sights to See
Glacier National Park encompasses approximately 1.4 million acres of wilderness and some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in the western United States. There are over 50 glaciers in the park from which it gets its name. There are also over 200 lakes or streams in Glacier.

A combination of spectacular scenery, diverse flora and fauna, and relative isolation from major population centers have combined to make Glacier National Park the center of one of the largest and most intact ecosystems in North America.

Activities
There are a number of things to do while enjoying Glacier National park. These activities include but are not limited to boating, biking, camping, canoeing, climbing, fishing, hiking, photography, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, swimming, and wildlife watching.

For visitors who wish to drive through the park, the Going-to-the-Sun Road is an experience to remember. Bisecting the heart of Glacier, this 50 mile long road follows the shores of the park's two largest lakes and hugs the cliffs below the Continental Divide as it traverses Logan Pass. Numerous scenic turnouts and wayside exhibits allow travelers to stop and enjoy the park at their own pace.

Wildflower viewing
This landscape is a wilderness full of wildflowers and wildlife with distinct local variations. The alpine areas provide the setting for some of the best wildflower displays in North America. It is a short-lived spectacle made glorious by heather, gentian, beargrass, and glacier lily. East of the divide, where the plains roll up to the mountains, pasque flower, lupine, Indian paintbrush, gaillardia, asters, and shooting stars paint the prairie.

Wildlife viewing
Big horn sheep, mountain goats, wapiti, (elk), black bear, and whitetail and mule deer are frequently seen. Grizzly bear, moose, wolves and mule deer also live here all year. Beaver, hoary marmot, river otter, marten, and pika make Glacier National Park their home. Locally prevalent birds include osprey, ptarmigan, golden eagle, Clark's nutcracker, and Harlequin duck. The endangered bald eagle also nests and fishes here.