:: Glacier National Park

Natural splendour at its best; wild life loafing around as if they owned it all, which they do; and peace and quiet as it was truly expected to mean when they were coined. Glacier National Park could be defined thus or why don't you go see and come up with one of your own? About 50 glaciers in their pristine purity and over 200 lakes and streams that gleam like strategically placed jewels, present what would have to be one of the most spectacular spots on earth.

You would have to take the aptly named Going-to-the-Sun Road for a drive you'll never forget. This takes you right across the area and through the most scenic spots along lakes and cliff-hugging routes that enchant and thrill in turns. This road is considered a marvel in terms of engineering, especially considering it was built without the aid of modern technology, and has easily made its way into the National Historic Landmark list. And so it remains a beautiful means to an incredible end.

It's of course, your love of the outdoors that has brought you this far, and here at Glacier you have every reason not to go back. If you like terra firma, go cross country skiing, hiking, horse riding, trekking, or just lying about feeling totally useless and happy. Glacier is a hiker's paradise and a trekker's dream-come-true, but watch out for those bears. You need to know backwards what to do or not do, if it's not your luckiest day and you come across one. Camping guides with detailed instructions are available that you should thoroughly acquaint yourself with before you embark on your trips. If you like aqua infirma, there's fishing, boating, boat tours, and plain staring at the blue waters till you attain your moment of Zen.

You might be surprised to know that Glacier National Park has open borders with the Canadian Waterton Lakes National Park, and is together known as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. During summer there's a free guided trip on Saturdays that lasts a whole day and includes miles of hiking that takes you to Waterton. You can return via a little less strenuous boat cruise that brings you back to where you set off.

This land of gurgling streams, gorgeous wild flowers, and blue lakes also holds remnants of 10,000 year old history in the form of Native Indian spiritual sites and abandoned mines. This used to be the favourite hunting grounds of native Indian tribes such as the Blackfeet Indians, the Salish and Kootenai Indians till they were forced into reservations. Later on, miners who dreamt big came looking for gold, or at least copper for their pains, but had to abandon hopes of any huge cache after a few years of furious digging.