Get to know Glacier National Park

ESTABLISHED: Glacier National Park was established in 1910. Waterton Lakes National Park was first called Waterton Lakes Forest Park when it was set aside in 1895. Going-to-the-Sun Road was completed in 1933.

LAND AREA: Glacier is 1,013,594 acres, or 1,583 square miles. Waterton adds 203 more square miles.

WATER AREA: Glacier has 762 lakes; the largest is Lake McDonald, which is 10 miles long, 6,680 feet wide and 440 feet deep. The park also has 563 streams, totaling 1,606 miles in length; the longest is Upper McDonald Creek at 25.8 miles.

VISITORS PER YEAR: 2.3 million people visited Glacier in 2014.

FEES: Summer entrance fees to Glacier National Park are as follows:

•Single Person Entry — $12 for a seven-day pass;

•Single Vehicle Entry — $25 for a seven-day pass;

•Motorcycle passes — $12;

•Hikers, bikers and skiers — $12;

•Glacier National Park Pass — $35 for a one-year pass;

•America the Beautiful — National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. The annual cost is $80. This pass is available to the general public and provides access to, and use of, federal recreation sites that charge an entrance fee for a year, beginning from the date of sale. The America the Beautiful Senior Pass costs $10 and is a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or older.

GLACIERS: There are only 25 glaciers remaining that are large enough to be named, down from an estimated 150 in the mid-1800s. Today the largest is Blackfoot Glacier at 0.7 square miles.

MOUNTAINS: Glacier has 175 mountains, including six with elevations of more than 10,000 feet. The Continental Divide runs through the park for 106 miles.

ELEVATIONS: Glacier has a low of 3,150 feet at the juncture of the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Flathead River; and a high of 10,466 feet atop Mount Cleveland. Waterton has a low of 4,050 feet on the Waterton River and a high of 9,646 feet at Mount Blakiston.

TRAILS: There are 151 hiking trails in Glacier, totaling more than 745.6 miles.

PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES: There are more than 1,800 kinds of plants, 25 major species of trees, 272 species of birds, 63 species of mammals and 23 species of fish.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES: Glacier has 429 documented archaeological sites, including more than 50 vision quest sites.

POPULAR ACTIVITIES: Ranger-led walks and talks; sightseeing by foot, car, horse, boat and scenic coaches; hiking; wildlife watching; fishing; and cross-country skiing.

CAMPING AND LODGING: There are 13 campgrounds in Glacier National Park, with 1,004 sites. There are many lodging accommodations, as well as 177 picnic sites.

Entrance fee-free days for 2015

Below are free days at national parks. No entrance fee will be charged on these days.

••Aug. 25 — National Park Service Birthday

•Sept. 26 — Public Lands Day

•Nov. 11 —Veterans Day