Wildlife Around Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park borders on the Canadian province of Alberta and gives access to scenery at Banff, Jasper and beyond.  In 1932 Glacier International Peace park was formed by joining Glacier National Park with Canada's Waterton Lakes celebrating the connection between the two countries.  This area has since been dedicated as an International Biosphere Reserve and, in 1995 became a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Home to over 70 species of mammals, including grizzly bear, wolverine, gray wolf and lynx and 270 species of bird including the Golden Eagle Glacier National Park has played host to human visitors for more than 10,000 years.  The Native American Blackfeet occupied the plains to the east of the area whilst Salish and Kootenai inhabited the west traveling over the mountains to hunt in the east.

With one million acres of forest, alpine meadows and mountain elevations up to the 10466 foot peak of Mount Cleveland it is no wonder that tribes ventured from near and far to vision quest in the area.

European explorers arrived initially in pursuit of pelts, then later for mining and settlement.  The arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1891 boosted both the local population and the number of visitors to the area and led to the area becoming designated a National Park in 1910.

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