Today is Canada Day, a day that Canadians celebrate, well...themselves. Canada of course has given the world many gifts over the years. Several talented singers, actors, and let's be honest, who doesn't love their bacon?

While I'm as American as can be, I did live in Canada for a couple of years in my early 20s. I spent most of my time in Calgary, Alberta and I loved my time there. The beauty of the scenery was breathtaking, in fact, it had such an impact on me that I knew that I wanted to live in the mountains which ultimately resulted in my moving here to Montana (so if you want to blame someone, blame Canada).

We all know that Montana and Canada share a border, but that's not all. We also share something else that is quite popular. Of course, on the Montana side we call it Glacier and on the Canada side, it's Waterton.

The two national parks form the world's first international peace park. In fact, all of that happened 90 years ago back in 1932.  It all started with the Rotary Clubs of Montana and Canada and according to the National Park Service the purpose was:

"to foster the long relationship of peace and goodwill between Canada and the United States"

So which side is more beautiful? Well, that depends on who you ask.  Americans are more likely to say the Glacier side, while Canadians will most certainly go with Waterton. However, it's not a competition. What it is, is an international treasure that brings in millions of folks from around the world to come and enjoy.

Last year, Glacier saw 3 million people visit while Waterton has an average of around 500 thousand. Waterton National Park's claim to fame is the Prince of Wales Hotel, which is really rather magnificent. The hotel itself looks like something out of Europe and is surrounded by majestic mountains and sits on the water's edge.

So how much will a stay at the Prince of Wales set you back?

If you book ahead, you can expect to spend around 300 dollars a night. While a little pricey, there are certainly plenty of hotels here in Montana that will cost you more, especially in the summer.

How great would it be to spend some time in both Glacier and Waterton?  For those interested in such a get-a-way, you should know that there are some hoops to jump to get into Canada, especially since Covid.  You just make sure that you have all of the boxes checked, and an easy way to do that is by visiting the Canadian website.

So let's wish all of our friends north of Montana a very Happy Canada Day.  Here's to a long-lasting friendship.