Triple Divide Peak, which can be seen across St. Mary Lake from Going-to-the-Sun Road, is one of the few places in the world where streams feeding three major watersheds originate. Glacier National Park’s waters flow across the continent to very different places: the Pacific Ocean, Hudson Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Melting snow and ice provide a critical source of water, sustaining habitats for countless plants and animals, here and downstream. Protecting these pristine waters also supports agriculture, recreation, and industry across the continent. As the climate warms and glaciers recede, the store of water that nourishes the continent will diminish.
Triple Divide Peak is an extremely remote mountain—this distant view of the peak is the only one most visitors get. Though Triple Divide Peak may seem small from this vantage point, what happens here has big effects across the continent.
