Place to see: Glacier National Park, West Glacier, Montana, United States

About this place:

People rhapsodize about Glacier, but why? The pretty peaks and bright blue lakes? The unspoilt scenery? Or the size of the place? Montana has an effect on all its visitors, perhaps similar to Iceland's impact on its guests. But go in the winter or in the late fall when the tourists are fewer. There are traffic jams in summer, endless conversations about mortgages and coaching soccer, and the natives get a little sour by September. By late October, all is forgiven, and the natives are willing to tell you all their secrets. Maybe that's why Glacier is so beloved? Discovering it is like hearing a secret for the first time.