6000 Mile EV Road Trip - Stay 9
Going-To-The-Sun Road | Glacier National Park, Montana | July 1, 2024
Written by John Martinson
Part One
We awoke at 5:00 AM this morning to drive to Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the Sun Road, about a 35-minute drive from our hotel in Whitefish. Considered one of the most beautiful and dangerous roads in the country, the Going-to-the-Sun Road is an engineering marvel built between 1921 and 1932. The narrow, winding road with steep drop-offs spans 50 miles from West Glacier to the St. Mary Lake Visitor Center and reaches 6,646 at Logan Pass, its highest point.
As we pulled out of the parking lot, we observed an ominous sign—fog. In fact, all the way to West Glacier, we were in and out of it, though none of it particularly threatening. Upon arriving at the Going to-the-Sun Road, it had lifted considerably, and although the sun was beginning to peek through in places, we were concerned about running into fog at higher elevations.
We set off on the Road with the fog well above us. As we drove along Lake McDonald, clear up to and including the first hairpin turn, we climbed gradually along the canyon wall — the only thing keeping us from plunging off the right side into the precipice was a short barrier rock wall that barely reached the bottom of my door. On Suzanne’s side, magnificent meltwater cascades were abundant, and remnants of the winter snows were evident. The roads were clear, and the fog remained high above us. A slowdown revealed a large wet beaver on the wall.
Mesmerized by the steep, twisted, narrow road, amazing vistas, enormous mountains, plunging waterfalls and steep drop-offs, we completely forgot about the fog until we rounded a steep, narrow turn and entered a wall of it. Suddenly, all we could see was a faint outline of the wall and the faded double-yellow line in the middle of the narrow road and a bank of fog all around us. Forward visibility ended about 7 feet in front. We were about 5 miles out from Logan Pass, and we slowed to a nearly a crawl, but Suzanne pressed on to what seemed like an hour in difficult conditions. Upon arriving at Logan Pass, just beyond the visitor center, the fog suddenly cleared revealing patches of blue sky and the sun peaking through. We clearly had driven to the sun.
The rest of the drive along the Going-to-the-Sun Road was a gradual downhill past Lake Mary to the terminus at U.S. Route 89 in St. Mary. Highlights were Sun Point, Lake Mary Overlook and Goose Island.
Part II
After departing Glacier National Park, we headed northeast toward Canada and diverted east on State Highway 17 (The Chief Mountain Highway) which became Alberta 6 when we crossed the international border, then to Alberta 5 toward Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada, past Lower Waterton Lake to the iconic Prince of Wales Lodge on Upper Waterton Lake. Built in 1927, the Prince of Wales, one of Canada’s Grand Railway Hotels, is perched on a bluff overlooking the lake and is host to extraordinary views of the Waterton Lakes National Park. We are here 3 nights.
Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the Sun Road