Glacier National Park, Montana Family Vacation

If this isn't the most beautiful national park in the country, it is certainly a contender. Here you'll discover jagged peaks, deep-blue glacier lakes, evergreen forests, knife-edged ridges, and one of the most outstanding populations of wildlife in the U.S. -- grizzly and black bear, mountain lions, wolves, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, elk, deer, and moose all roam this park. If you want your kids to share your love of the outdoors, share this national treasure with them.

Glacier is glorious in every season, but getting around it without snowshoes can be very difficult in the winter. The single road spanning the park, the Going-to-the-Sun Road, is open only from late May or early June until mid-October, depending upon the weather. Going-to-the-Sun Road is crowded in the summer -- especially in July and August -- but if you want to avoid the crowds in Glacier you can head to areas like Many Glacier.

The weather can be unpredictable even in summer's moderate 78-degree averages. Pack accordingly, dress in layers, and bring raingear. Get more weather info.

The nearest airports are Glacier Park International Airport (FCA),29 miles southwest of the park, and Great Falls International Airport (GTF), 143 miles southeast of the park. Rental cars are available at both airports. If you're driving, you can reach the park from U.S. Highways 2 and 89. Amtrak serves West Glacier and Essex are also served year-round and East Glacier in the summer.

Car travel is the most common way to get around Glacier in summer, but in 2007 the park launched a free shuttle service between many of the campgrounds, trailheads, attractions, and visitors center.

• North American Indian Days (July)

Learn just about everything you want to know from the park's official website. Get information for all of Glacier County on GlacierMt.com.

National Parks Passes are valid at Glacier National Park. Find out more on NPS.gov.

• Glacier National Park adjoins Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada. Together they create Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park World Heritage Site.
• When the park was founded in 1910, it had 150 glaciers. Today, it has 27, and those are shrinking fast. When the ice melts, new rocks are exposed which hold the sun's heat and help melt the glaciers faster. It has been estimated that in less than 25 years, there will be no glaciers left in Glacier National Park.
• 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust fault began forming the Rocky Mountains, thrusting old rock on top of new ones, and exposing some of the oldest rocks found on earth. As a result, rocks 3 to 4 billion years old are found in the park.
• There are more than 700 miles of hiking trails in Glacier, but less than 100 miles of paved roads.