Issued in 1914 by the U.S. Geological Survey, this Panoramic View of the Glacier National Park captures the “Crown of the Continent” at a formative moment in American conservation history. Executed in rich, full-color shaded relief, the artwork dispenses with contour lines in favor of painterly modeling that renders the park’s mountains, valleys, and waterways with striking three-dimensional immediacy. Light and shadow sweep across serrated ridgelines, while the luminous blues of glacial lakes anchor the scene. Created just four years after the park’s designation, the view reflects an early 20th-century movement to reveal—and thereby preserve—the grandeur of the nation’s wild places, pairing scientific observation with an evocative aesthetic intended to stir public imagination.

The rendering invites a visual traverse from the deep forests ringing Lake McDonald and the Trail of the Cedars to the high divide of Logan Pass, where sheer walls descend toward St. Mary Lake and the storied Rising Sun shoreline. In the Many Glacier Valley, Swiftcurrent Lake gathers the gleam of Grinnell Glacier, overlooked by Mt. Wilbur’s buttresses, while farther north Kintla Lake rests in the shadow of Mt. Cleveland, the park’s highest summit. Eastward, the singular profile of Chief Mountain stands sentinel along the boundary, with Apikuni Falls and Old Man Lake punctuating the sculpted eastern front. Goat Haunt gestures to the international reach of the watershed, and Two Medicine Lake completes the sweep—an atlas of alpine drama arranged in living color.

Historically, this view embodies a pivotal moment in public lands history: produced in the interlude between Glacier’s creation in 1910 and the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916. The USGS, long the nation’s empirical eye, here adopts an inspirational voice, using accessible panoramic imagery to translate complex topography for travelers, educators, and policy makers alike. Trails and named waypoints—Granite Park among them—hint at the era’s burgeoning recreational networks, many supported by the Great Northern Railway’s vision of alpine tourism. By foregrounding the park’s navigable corridors and scenic focal points, the map helped shape early visitation patterns and fortified the case for preserving America’s high-country cathedrals.

Cartographically, the piece is a masterclass in shaded relief—subtle tonal gradations stand in for numerically dense contours, allowing landforms to “rise” from the sheet with sculptural credibility. The palette articulates elevation and aspect with naturalistic restraint: cool shadows in north-facing cirques; warm sunlit slopes on southern exposures; deep, glassy blues for the major lakes. Peaks and passes are crisply lettered, guiding the eye through the orographic logic of the park, while rivers braid through valley bottoms to stitch the composition together. A refined cartouche seals the work with title and provenance, underscoring its official stature and early 20th-century design ethos.

For collectors, this map offers both beauty and benchmark. It preserves the visage of Glacier’s storied features—Grinnell Glacier, Logan Pass, Many Glacier—near the dawn of the park era, decades before subsequent ecological change. It also situates the park within its broader geography, noting Flathead Lake beyond the southwestern rim and the cross-border headwaters suggested at Goat Haunt. More than a view, it is a cultural document: a luminous artifact of Progressive Era optimism, when science, artistry, and a rising environmental consciousness converged to define America’s national parks. It invites the viewer to trace classic treks and to contemplate the enduring legacy of protected mountain landscapes.

Places on this map

• Glacier National Park
• Lake McDonald
• St. Mary Lake
• Many Glacier Valley
• Flathead Lake
• Swiftcurrent Lake
• Grinnell Glacier
• Logan Pass
• Goat Haunt
• Kintla Lake
• Mt. Wilbur
• Mt. Jackson
• Mt. Cleveland
• Granite Park
• Rising Sun
• Apikuni Falls
• Two Medicine Lake
• Chief Mountain
• Old Man Lake
• Trail of the Cedars

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Shaded relief techniques that depict topography.
• Various lakes and rivers illustrated within the park.
• Major mountain ranges, including peaks and valleys.
• Notable trails or paths shown for recreational navigation.
• Design details indicating significant elevations and landforms.
• A cartouche indicating the map title and information about its publication.

Historical and design context

• Created by: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
• Date of Creation: 1914
• Map Characteristics: Full-color artistic rendering using shaded relief to create a three-dimensional effect, emphasizing terrain without contours.
• Themes and Topics: Highlights natural beauty and topographical features—mountains, valleys, lakes, and recreational areas.
• Regions Depicted: Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
• Design Style: Intricate coloration and shading reflecting early 20th-century approaches to depicting natural landscapes.
• Historical Significance: Part of a series celebrating national parks, contributing to recognition and preservation amid growing environmental awareness.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 70in (180cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x16in (40x40cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.