On this date 110 years ago, Glacier National Park was created in Montana, becoming the nation’s 10th national park.

Glacier National Park owes its existence to the Great Northern Railway. Railway executives pushed a plan to declare the scenic area as a vacation destination. Congress designated the land as a forest preserve in 1897 and voted to make it a national park in 1910. President William Taft signed the bill into law on May 18, 1910.

The railway went on to build a number of chalets and a lodge in order to house tourists. Several of these are now national historic landmarks. The Going-to-the-Sun Road, which bisects the park, was built in 1932. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built trails, campgrounds and other facilities. In 2018, nearly 3 million people visited Glacier National Park.

Yes, there are still glaciers at Glacier National Park – but certainly not as many as there used to be. There were about 150 glaciers in the park in the mid 1800s. By 2010, that had been reduced to only 37 – but 25 of those were at least 25 acres in size. Experts expect the glaciers to stick around at least another 10 years.

The park contains a dozen large lakes and about 700 smaller ones – most of them in small depressions called cirques that were created by the erosion of glaciers. Some of the streams run a milky white, due to glacial silt suspended in the water. There are about 200 waterfalls throughout the park.

Other national parks and historic sites in the region

Right now, all National Parks properties are closed – much like the rest of the country – due to the coronavirus. But once everything opens back up and sunny skies beckon, you’re going to want fun stuff to do with your family, right?

The Pacific Northwest certainly has no shortage of breathtaking scenery or historically noteworthy places to visit. Here are 10 national parks or other federal sites, all within 300 (or so) miles from downtown Spokane.