Glacier National Park United States

Legendary

The park was formed by massive glaciers millions of years ago.

Photo by NPS Natural Resources

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The rock at the top of these mountains is older than the rock underneath it. That shouldn't be possible.

Normally the oldest layers sit at the bottom, like the bottom of a stack of paper. Here, the peaks are made of rock about 1.4 billion years old, sitting on top of much younger rock.

It happened because the ground pushed sideways. Starting around 170 million years ago, enormous forces shoved a huge slab of ancient rock eastward, sliding it up and over the newer layers below.

Geologists call it the Lewis Overthrust. In places the old rock traveled as far as 50 miles.

You can see the result at Chief Mountain, which stands alone on the park's eastern edge. It rises 2,500 feet straight out of the flat plains.

Glaciers finished the job much later. They carved the valleys, lakes, and sharp ridges the park is known for.

People have lived here for thousands of years. The Blackfeet dominated the eastern side of the mountains, while the Flathead and Kootenai lived to the west.

The Blackfeet called this region the Land of Shining Mountains. They considered Chief Mountain sacred, believing it was where the Great Spirit lived while making the world.

Under government pressure, the Blackfeet gave up their mountain lands in 1895. Glacier became a national park on May 11, 1910.

Early visitors arrived by train and explored on horseback. Reaching the middle of the park could take days.

Then cars changed everything. Crews spent 11 years blasting a road across the mountains, and the 53-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road was completed in 1932.

It climbs over the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. People still marvel that anyone managed to build it.

Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road for waterfalls, cliffs, and valleys visible right from the car. Hike the Highline Trail from Logan Pass, which runs along a ledge with enormous views. Watch for mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and grizzly bears, and stop at Lake McDonald to see the colorful stones under the clear water.