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The 50 mile Going to the Sun Road first opened to traffic in Glacier National Park in 1933 and remains a key attraction in the park today. On our first trip down Going to the Sun Road, we began at the East entrance in St. Mary (scroll down to the end for the video clip) and took a Red Bus tour of the Eastern side. We toured the road in our rental car a few more times that week and saw something different each time.
Going to the Sun Road is partially closed during the colder months and very difficult to plow due to the twists & turns, sheer cliffs and the fact that they get snow drifts of up to 80 feet in the higher elevations. The plow crews started work at the end of April this year and when we got on a plane bound for Kalispell at the end of June, the road still was not completely open. Late on the night of our arrival, the Park Service tweeted out the happy news that Going to the Sun was open for the summer season!
When the road opened in the 1930s, it was an engineering marvel and was a three-year project that actually took 11 years to build. The design of the road changed over the course of the construction from multiple switchbacks carving up the mountain to Logan Pass to only one long switchback called The Loop, reducing the visual impact, but increasing the cost and time needed for the project.
The road is named for the mountain it cuts through on the East side of the pass. Legend has it that a Native American god came down from the sun to teach the Blackfeet how to hunt and left his image in the mountain upon his return to the Sun. The source of that legend is in dispute…is it a Blackfeet legend, or did a European settler make the whole thing up?
On our trips up and down Going to the Sun, we saw tunnels, glaciers, beautiful mountains and valleys and countless waterfalls crossing the road. We were thrilled to have four bighorn sheep cross the road in front of our car one evening, pose for photos and then clamber up the cliff next to us.
Another time, when all I had handy to take photos was my phone, we saw two black bears (one blonde, one brunette) frolicking by the side of the road. We’d heard a ranger talking about this duo on a hike earlier that day. Apparently the couple had come together to mate and there were multiple visitor sightings of the same bears in the St. Mary area.
To see all of my Going to the Sun Posts, please click the following links:
- Rising Sun
- Wild Goose Island and Jackson Glacier Overlook
- Logan Pass
- Going To The Sun Road
- St. Mary Lake (Coming Soon)
- St. Mary Falls (Coming Soon)
Location: Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier Park, MT 59434, USA
Designation: National Park, NHL
Date designated or established: 5/11/1910, Road added to NHL in 1997
Date of my visit: 6/24/2018
That’s awesome. I could not even see a mountain goat the whole time I was there
It was awesome. These were bighorn sheep. We did see a mountain goat in the Twom medicine area, but it was too far away to get a good pic.
I have never heard of a blonde black bear. You’re so lucky to be able to spot it there. Beautiful pics!
Me neither…I would have mistaken it for a grizzly had the ranger not mentioned it earlier that day.
Great post. Love this drive. Allan
Thanks Allan!
That’s pretty awesome that you got to see some bears. I haven’t seen any majestic wildlife in the parks I have been to so far. And at the rate with which climate change is growing, I am afraid seeing wildlife is going to be even more rare.
It was awesome to see them in the wild, but we do see a lot of black bears here in NJ, rummaging in dumpsters and tearing down bird feeders. Loss of habitat makes a big difference in the behavior of wildlife as well as climate change.
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Wow, it’s amazing how well they can climb!
Yes, that was pretty much a vertical cliff next to us!
It was closed when we were there so it was great to read that you were able to explore it! Happy you spotted bears and sheep!
Yes we were lucky! Thanks for commenting 😎
Great post! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
Wow what a bonus to see this guy. Gorgeous shot
Thanks so much!
Very welcome
Reblogged this on huggers.ca and commented:
We’ve done this. great drive!
Great! Thanks for the repost
Awesome wildlife shots! Such a magnificent drive!
Thanks!
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What beautiful images! Thanks for sharing and thanks for swinging by the Ranch. We ❤️ visitors.
Thanks!
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Spectacular! Thanks for sharing. I hope to visit someday and your story inspires me to go sooner rather than later!
Thanks ! Glad you enjoyed it!😊
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