Blasted out of the steep mountainsides, this 50 miles of twists, turns and hairpin curves runs from West Glacier
(southern end of Lake McDonald) to St. Mary (northern end of St. Mary Lake. One noteworthy spot is Logan Pass where the road magically hangs on to the near-vertical mountain side as it crosses the Western Continental Divide at 6,664ft above sea level.
Going-to-the-Sun Road closes due to heavy snowfalls during the winter season. Usually opening sometime during the first two weeks in June, the earliest opening has been mid-May and the latest opening late June. The Going-to-the-Sun Road usually is officially closed to vehicular traffic on the Monday following the third Sunday in October. Of course, major snowfalls earlier will cause the road to be closed then.
IMPORTANT
NOTE: Vehicles longer than 21
feet (including
bumpers) - or - wider than 8
feet (including
mirrors) are prohibited between Avalanche Creek (just east of Lake McDonald)
and Sun Point (just west of Saint Mary Lake) - which is most of the route!
Tours are available. Check with the entrance station personnel or the
Visitors' Centers for details - or
contact
the Glacier National Park
by e-mail or
telephone.
Important Mile Points
- West (West Glacier) to East (St. Mary):
00.0 West Glacier - Last chance for fuel until Saint Mary (50.1 miles from here).
02.6 Apgar - Visitors' Center; many services available but no fuel.
10.8 Lake McDonald Historic District - The lodge on the shore of Lake McDonald here is a replica of a Swiss Chalet. Gifts and eats available.
12.8 John's Lake Pullout - Easy, 0.5 mile trail through hemlocks and red cedars. Also view McDonald Falls and Sacred Dancing Cascades - a series of rapids and small waterfalls.
16.2 Trail of the Cedars Nature Trail (easy, 0.3 mile, wheelchair navigable). More red cedars and hemlocks.
24.6 The Loop - Scenic view of the 8,987 foot Heaven's Peak (to the west). For the more ambitious, the strenuous, 4.0
mile trail to the Granite Park Chalet begins here.
26.8 Bird Woman Falls Overlook - Across the valley Bird Woman Falls tumbles 450 feet from a hanging
valley on the slope of Mount Oberlin. Just ahead, Going-to-the-Sun Road passes over Haystack Creek.
28.7 Weeping Wall - If you need a car wash, you're about to get one. In June and July, the best time to view the Weeping Wall, hundreds of springs unite to give folks on the road, below, a cold bath. The water seeps out of little cracks all over the almost sheer rock wall. Weeping Wall is one of Glacier National Park's favorite sights.
32.0 Logan Pass - You are now 6,680 feet above sea level and at the Western Continental Divide. Awesome Alpine meadows can be found in this area full of wildflowers that grow at limited times due to the high elevation (6,680ft.). The water flowing in the rivers and creeks you have been viewing eventually makes it way to the Pacific Ocean. East of Logan Pass, the water flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Warning! Because of the limited parking space at Logan Pass we recommend you schedule your arrival time for early in the morning, or late in the afternoon.
36.1 Jackson Glacier Overlook - Best view of Jackson Glacier from Going-to-the-Sun Road. Mostly buried under the winter's snow, Jackson Glacier helps feed Saint Mary River and Saint Mary Lake. The Trailhead for Florence Falls, Gunsight Lake and Gunsight Pass is here as well as the trailhead (on the other side of the road) for the Grinnell Glacier and Grinnell Lake.
39.4 Sunrift Gorge Pullout - A very easy, very short (about 75 feet) path takes you to a pretty, water-carved gorge.
40.0 Sun Point Pullout - Trailhead of the 1.2 mile Sun Point Nature Trail from which you can view Baring Falls and Saint Mary Lake. Head west on the trail along Saint Mary River and you van view Virginia Falls and Saint Mary Falls.
43.8 Rising Sun Campground - Campgrounds are available by reservation. Boat cruises are also available, here. Saint Mary Lake is nearly
ten miles long. From the lake you can enjoy a more relaxed look of these beautiful, fjord-like vistas.
48.0 Two Dog Flats - An excellent place to observe the interactions of birds, mammals and flora native in this Alpine grassland. Hawks and and occasional Elk frequent this area.
49.3 St. Mary Visitors' Center - Exhibits displaying the geology as well as the flora and fauna of Glacier National Park are housed in the Visitors' Center. Also, literature and park maps are available. Do you have questions (most people do)? We're here to answer them.
50.1 St. Mary - Here the prairie of America's Great Plains bumps up against the mighty Rocky Mountains.
According to the Park Service, more species are found here than Yellowstone or the parks further north in the Canadian Rockies. All services, including fuel, are available in the Saint Mary community.
For more information about Glacier National Park, its topography as well as its inhabitants:
Glacier National Park
P.O.Box 128
West Glacier, MT 59936
406-888-7800
Or you may email them at:
glac_information@nps.gov
Official NPS Glacier National Park web site:
www.nps.gov/glac/home.htm
