On the other hand, if unparalleled scenery and the opportunity to see the full lineup of wildlife that greeted Lewis and Clark when they swung through Montana way back when is your notion of a great vacation spot, then Glacier is your kind of park. Crowning the Rocky Mountains, Waterton, in Canada, and Glacier, in the U.S., are national parks that allow nature's continuities to override national borders. Named for the rivers of ice that continue to carve its spectacular alpine landscape here, Glacier continually ranks as the most pristine of America's national parks and the one people would most like to revisit.
Glacier also is home to wolves, mountain lions, and mountain goats.
But it won't take long for you to discover that this is one of the park system's true gems. It bisects the northern and southern halves of the park, crosses the Continental Divide, and is designated a National Historic Landmark. The screaming descent is worth the uphill toil. Whatever the size of your vehicle, be sure to detour into the numerous turnoffs for awesome views of mountainsides and wildflowers. The eastern slope of the Divide tends to be drier and it has more dramatic alpine scenery.