Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is Montana's slice of the Rockies, pressed against the Canadian border just south of Banff and Jasper. It is a landscape of jagged, glacier carved peaks and turquoise alpine lakes, and serious grizzly country. Lake McDonald is famous for its "rainbow rocks," red, green, and blue pebbles glowing through crystal clear shallow water. Best season is summer: the high country only opens from about early July to mid October, with July and August bringing peak wildflowers and full access; September is quieter.

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Why this one matters

The park is named for its glaciers, and they are vanishing: roughly 150 existed in the 1850s, and only 26 still meet the scientific definition of a glacier today. Scientists expect most could disappear within decades, which makes this a see it while you can landscape. The wildlife is the other draw: one of the Lower 48's last strong grizzly populations roams here, and mountain goats and bighorn sheep frequent the high passes around Logan Pass.

Glacier National Park

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