Glacier National Park's Going-To-The-Sun Road is a 50-mile route that passes through a vast variety of habitats and ecosystems through the "Crown of the Continent." The tour includes this road and others you are likely to travel while visiting the national park. You will hear about views, stops, services, food, trailheads, and even bathrooms!
You will be encouraged to get out of your car and interact with the park to see the animals, rivers, lakes, mountains, and, of course, glaciers.
There are still glaciers in
Glacier National Park, but every year they get smaller. This tour is the opportunity to see and learn the science behind glaciers while you can still experience them in person. Jackson Glacier Overlook affords the best chance to see a glacier from the road. The tour stops here on the east side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road between Logan Pass and St. Mary.
Glacier National Park is wild country, and wildlife may be present anywhere along Going-to-the-Sun Road. Mountain goats and bighorn sheep are consistently seen near Logan Pass.
In the park, the geology, plants, and animals are packed together in a short distance as altitudes, and with them, weather patterns change.
If you are taking this driving tour, please be aware that
Going-To-The-Sun Road is not always open to drive from one side to the other. This is because it has a massive accumulation of snow in the winter that must be plowed before it is entirely open. But, portions of Going-to-the-Sun Road remain open all year and provide access to many locations and activities. The opening of the alpine portion varies based on snowfall and plowing progress.
Typically, the road has been fully open in late June or early July. Closing portions of Going-to-the-Sun Road is also weather-dependent. Typically, the road is fully open until the third Monday of October, but that can change due to weather conditions at any point.
You will learn on this tour about the history of the park. For example, the Going-to-the-Sun Road was originally built for smaller cars. Therefore, vehicles, and vehicle combinations (i.e., including trailers) longer than 21 feet (including bumpers) or wider than 8 feet (including mirrors), are prohibited between Avalanche Campground and the Rising Sun picnic area parking. Likewise, vehicle and vehicle combinations over 10 feet in height may have difficulty driving west from Logan Pass to the Loop due to rock overhangs.
Along the tour, you will hear stories and be informed of stops and hikes at Rising Sun, Lake McDonald Lodge, Avalanche Creek, Sprague Creek, and Apgar. In addition, you will find camping at
campgrounds along the road and located in other areas of the park.
In addition to this tour, you can learn more at the three
visitor centers located along Going-to-the-Sun Road: Apgar Visitor Center, Logan Pass Visitor Center, and St. Mary Visitor Center. All have restroom facilities, trip-planning information, bookstores, drinking water, and exhibits.
Tour Sponsors This tour is presented in partnership with
Gaper Guides. If you are interested in more audio tours in the region or wherever else your adventures take you, visit
TravelStorys.com.
Find More Tours Near You If your travels continue through other parts of the region, check out
Cody to Yellowstone and many other tours on
TravelStorys.com. Every place has a story.
Location: Montana
Travel Type: Driving
Trip Time: 6 hours
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