![]() ![]() Mile 10.9: Historic Lake McDonald Lodge.Mile 3.0: Fabulous Lake McDonald, a 10-mile long glacial lake.START OF ROUTE: Apgar Visitor Center at west entrance to the park.A short list of things to experience and enjoy, traveling west to east, over the distance of 53 miles, includes: The wonders along Going-to-the-Sun Road are almost endless. No personal injuries in this one, but traffic from the West Entrance was stopped from entering the Park, and traffic that had reached Logan Pass in the east was turned back. In July 2018, a two-vehicle collision snarled traffic for hours west of Logan Pass, near Triple Arches. Photo courtesy Sandy ArchivesĪccidents occasionally happen on the road. Tunnel cut through side of a mountain on Going-to-the-Sun Road. Arrow points to traffic moving on the road. Going-to-the-Sun Road follows along the face of the mountains more the 1,000 feet above the valley below. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park. #GOING TO THE SUN ROAD OPENING DATE 2019 DRIVERS#Regardless, drivers must be extremely careful and keep eyes on the road ahead. #GOING TO THE SUN ROAD OPENING DATE 2019 DRIVER#If this is the case, the face of the mountains is on the passenger side of the car and the steep cliff side (the drop-off) is one traffic lane over from the driver and thus seems less worrisome. Some have suggested that Going-to-the-Sun Road is less scary if driven from east to west. Near Red Lodge in south-central Montana, the Beartooth Highway starts from Red Lodge at 5,568 feet in elevation and ascends into the mountains until the highway reaches Beartooth Pass at an elevation of 10,947 feet. Logan Pass is not unusually high in elevation by Montana standards. The road runs along the north shore of Saint Mary Lake for about 9.9 miles before ending near the Park’s Saint Mary Visitor Center at an elevation of 4,495 feet. Passengers can enjoy the awesome scenery.Īt Logan Pass, Going-to-the-Sun Road starts a gradual descent to Saint Mary Lake at about 4,718 feet in elevation. However, as if anyone needs a reminder, drivers must keep eyes centered on the road. Drivers need not worry as a low speed limit and guardrails protect vehicles from going off the road. On the driver’s side is the rock face of the mountains. Along the shoulder of the road (passenger side of car), a steep cliff goes down slope, several hundred feet in many areas. Along a path of several miles, Going-to-the-Sun Road increases in elevation, as it hugs to the side of the mountains, until it reaches Logan Pass at 6,646 feet elevation.įrom the head of the Loop, going in a southeasterly direction, Going-to-the-Sun Road starts to get scary for some drivers. Here the road runs northwest for a short distance before it abruptly turns back to the southeast and continues in a southeasterly direction toward Logan Pass.Īt the beginning of the Loop (elevation 3,572), the road starts its ascent up the side of the mountains. ![]() Many scenic outlooks along the road allow motorists to stop, take pictures, and simply enjoy.įrom the Park’s entrance near the town of West Glacier (3,198 feet in elevation), Going-to-the-Sun Road follows McDonald Valley for several miles in a northeasterly direction, gradually gaining in elevation until the road reaches about 3,572 feet in elevation.Īt this point, the road veers sharply to the northwest toward an area called the Loop. Historic lodges and engineering marvels, such as tunnels and bridges, add to the wonder of it all. Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, bald eagles, grizzly bears, and other wildlife live here and can often be seen not far from the road. Going-to-the-Sun Road features spectacular scenery in every direction, mountains, forests, waterfalls, alpine lakes, rock walls, and alpine valleys. Mountain goats welcome visitors to Glacier National Park. This is a two-lane and paved road, an engineering masterpiece. Drivers will experience a narrow, winding road, with some hairpin curves along the way. After eleven years of construction, 1921-1932, the road was completed. Going-to-the-Sun Road was constructed in the early part of the 20 th century, and it opened for the public in 1933. That gorgeous mountains, pristine alpine lakes, and alpine valleys and meadows are all bundled together is a huge part of the allure of Glacier National Park. Pushing up toward the clouds, mountain peaks near Going-to-the-Sun Road reach elevations as high as 10,014 feet (Mount Siyeh) and are often in view. The road passes through America’s most spectacular wilderness country. Going-to-the-Sun Road runs west to east from the town of West Glacier to Saint Mary, Montana, over a distance of about 53 miles. ![]() Your journey will take you through the center of the park on Going-to-the-Sun Road, an iconic mountain highway. Okay, so you are going to Glacier National Park. ![]()
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