Cybertrips: Explore the northern Rockies, Glacier National Park

The northwest corner of Montana holds millions of acres of scenic mountains, lakes, rivers and forest to fill your next vacation, and the crown jewel is Glacier National Park.

They claim more than 700 miles of hiking trails in Glacier — www.nps.gov/glac/ — along with the unique Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile excursion through the mountains and across Logan Pass in the heart of the park. If you want to focus on the scenery instead of your driving, try out the park's new shuttle bus system. Get details on the road by clicking on "Plan Your Visit" and then "Things to Do." That's also where you'll find "Outdoor Activities," including hiking and biking (steep mountain roads), fishing and boating on mountain lakes, and a detailed map showing other roads, streams and campgrounds.

Unlike some other national park Web sites, Glacier's has an extensive "Photos & Multimedia" section with a photo gallery, a half-dozen live Webcams, and virtual tours with "eHikes" and "eTours" that you can download. Remember to take jackets or sweaters; the "Climate" section says the average high in July and August is only in the upper 70s, with lows in the 40s. If you're not planning to camp, the park has historic lodges and inns; go back to "Plan Your Visit" and look for "Things to Know ..." for details.

Glacier sits right on the border, adjoining Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park — tinyurl.com/37lsql — whose entrance is about an hour's drive north of the east end of Going-to-the Sun at St. Mary, Mont. You can scuba dive in Upper Waterton Lake to the wreck of a century-old paddle wheeler, hike on 120 miles of trails, and see wildlife including bears, bighorn sheep and bison. Look under "Activities" and then "Sightseeing ..." for Waterton's scenic parkways. Pick up more information from the Waterton Park Chamber of Commerce — www.watertonchamber.com/ — including places to eat and spend your nights. And if you have time to go farther afield, look under "Visitor Information" for a link to "Mountain Guide," covering the other parks in the Canadian Rockies.

Together, two parks are called the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park — glacier.areaparks.com/ — a designation given in 1932. This commercial Web site has additional details on the parks plus links for lodgings. Another commercial site — www.allglacier.com/ — has a directory of links to more accommodations, from cabins and campgrounds to bed and breakfast inns.