Going To The Sun Road: What Not To Miss

The Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park is one incredible drive! It connects West Glacier with St. Mary and It’s 50 miles of epic scenery! I’m going to list places that you do not want to miss.

The road is only open a few months out of the year due to snow. They start plowing the road in April and it doesn’t open till late June or early July. That’s a lot of snow!! I lucked out that it happened to open for the season on my last day in Montana!  The Going to the Sun road itself is a masterpiece. Opened in 1933, it was an incredible undertaking. They designed it to blend in with the scenery.

Word of warning, the Going to the Sun road is not for the faint of heart! It’s a narrow two-lane road with sharp drop offs. It takes about two hours to travel the 50 miles each way. Of course, it could take longer depending on weather, traffic and how many stops you make for pictures or hikes.

The weather can be unpredictable. When we started out by Lake McDonald it was bright and sunny and on the way to Logan’s Pass we started driving through clouds. Thick Clouds!! Not only were we driving a few inches away from hundred-foot drop offs, but now add in the factor that you can’t see but a couple feet in front of you! Obviously, we survived, and I’m still telling you to go, but it was nerve racking! All that said, I would still do it again in a heartbeat! Let’s get started…

Lake McDonald

When you first drive into Glacier National Park from the west entrance, you will drive by Lake McDonald. This is the largest lake in Glacier National Park.  If you have time, I recommend renting a boat or kayak for an hour and getting out on that water!!!

The views from the middle of the lake are incredible! They offer one hour guided boat tours as well if you’d rather have someone else captain the ship.

Lake McDonald Lodge is worth a stop. It has a cozy, rustic atmosphere. There is a restaurant, lounge, gift shop and restrooms. Access to McDonald lake is behind the hotel.

McDonald Creek Overlook

Beautiful stop for view of the creek. FYI, stay on the trails. The leading cause of death in the park is from drowning.

Avalanche Creek

At Avalanche Creek, take the short 1-mile Trail of Cedars hike. Unfortunately, when we tried to do this trail it was a complete down pour, but I’ve heard wonderful things. If you continue on to Avalanche lake it will be a beautiful 4.5-mile roundtrip hike. This is an extremely popular hike, so get here early to find parking.

Weeping Wall

There are a ton of small waterfalls coming down the mountain right by the road. I kept wondering if maybe they were the Weeping Wall, but nope. You’ll definitely know the Weeping Wall when you pass it! Like if your windows are down, you’ll get splashed.

Logan’s Pass

Logan’s Pass is the highest point on the road. It has bathrooms, a visitor center, gift shop and a couple of trailheads. If the weather was better and not cloudy, I would have loved to hike the 5.4-mile roundtrip Hidden Lake Overlook Trail. The pictures look gorgeous! It’s supposed to be a great place to see bighorn sheep.

FYI, it was cold!! Like you need a coat, beanie and gloves cold! And there was a ton of SNOW!

Jackson Glacier View

The weather seemed to clear up the more we started heading east. Jackson Glacier is a great photo worthy stop and to read about the receding glaciers. Back in the year 1850, there were 150 glaciers in Glacier National Park. Now there are only 25! They estimate that at this rate all the glaciers will be gone in less than 20 years which will effect the park’s ecosystem.

Wild Goose Island Lookout

Wild Goose Island Lookout is another Instagram worthy iconic photo of the park.

Wildlife

WE SAW BEARS!!! Two bears to be exact! They were playing with each other in a field a little way from the road towards the east entrance. A park ranger was there to make sure everyone kept their distance. I wasn’t prepared so I didn’t get a good photo or video. Wildlife is prevalant here, you don’t want to miss anything so pay attention! Hiking will give you better odds at seeing more animals.

Many Glacier

We made our way out of the park and towards the Many Glacier Hotel for lunch. This was a beautiful area and such a charming hotel. I would love to wake up to these views on vacation! Many Glacier is not on the Going to the Sun road, so feel free to leave it off if you are short on time.

After lunch we decided to go back through the park via the Going to the Sun road again to get different views and hopefully better weather.

Apgar Village

We stopped at the Apgar Village on the way out. This area has a visitor center, gift shops, food, lodging and a bathroom. There is also an area to rent boats for the lake or go horseback riding.

The Glacier National Park website has free audio downloads to listen to while driving the Going to the Sun road.

Even though the weather wasn’t great for our drive, it was still beautiful and worth it.

Top Tips:

1. Be prepared for any and all-weather conditions! Have warm clothes in the car for higher elevations and ponchos for rain.
2. The bathrooms are spread out in the park. Use when available!
3. Bring snacks and/or a lunch. There are very few food options once on the road and you don’t want to leave this beautiful area to find food when you could be having a picnic with incredible views.
4. Watch out for wildlife. When cars are pulled over or going very slow, there’s something out there that you don’t want to miss! Be camera ready!!!
5. Make sure you have a full tank of gas before you enter the park.
6. For the popular hikes, get there early to secure parking.
7. Be bear aware! It’s recommended not to hike alone. Carry bear spray and make noise while on the trails so you won’t startle them.

I plan on coming back and staying longer to accomplish all the hikes I missed out on!

The Going to the Sun Road is a must see when visiting Glacier National Park!

What’s your favorite thing about the Going to the Sun road?