Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

In 1932 they became the first International Peace Park anywhere in the world. The United Nations later added two more honors, naming the parks Biosphere Reserves in 1976 and World Heritage sites in 1995.

Waterton Lakes is the Canadian sister park to Glacier National Park, and it tends to feel calmer and more relaxed than Glacier itself. The small town of Waterton has boutique shops to browse and plenty of restaurants to choose from. For something you might not expect in a national park, you can sit down to high tea at the Prince of Wales Hotel.

A guided boat tour on Waterton Lake is one of the best ways to spend time here. The cruise carries you across the international border and back into the United States, reaching remote Goat Haunt. Watch the shoreline along the way, since looking for wildlife is part of the trip.

On land, hiking and biking are favorite ways to explore Waterton Lakes, and several scenic drives lead out from around the town. On the Montana side, Glacier National Park still holds almost all of its original native plants and animals, from grizzly bears and moose to mountain goats, wolverines and Canadian lynx. Its ecosystems range from open prairie to high tundra.