Montana Mountain Majesty

Obviously, the standout activity is Going-to-the-Sun Road. This two-lane road crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, and connects the east and west side of the park. This is no ordinary highway, however. If you were hoping for a quick commute, you won't find it here. What you will find are unparalleled views, multiple pullouts, abundant wildlife, dramatic waterfalls, and sparkling lakes.

Quick Tips:

Even if you are not staying at the park lodges, take the time to visit them. The architecture is unique and rustic. Also, the lodges provide the only touches of "civilization" within the park, such as restaurants, restrooms, and tour opportunities.

Best Way To Get Around:

Glacier Park Incorporated runs several tours each day on the Red Jammer buses. These buses look antique but have been updated to modern safety and performance standards. Even if you drive Going-to-the-Sun Road yourself, indulge in a bus tour as well. You will be able to pay much closer attention to the spectacular views when someone more experienced is behind the wheel. You'll also be able to stand up through the removable roof for some unequaled photo angles. Of course, you'll also hear some interesting commentary on the view from your driver.

The "Resort at Glacier" (as the website names it), or "The Lodge at St. Mary" as the sign says, is literally a stone's throw from the St. Mary entrance. Aside from the sign discrepancy, the architecture of the resort is lovely log construction that looks very much at home with the mountain backdrop. On the first try, the hotel lobby was difficult to find. After asking a couple of employees, we found it in the center of the building, between the gift shop and the restaurant entrance.

The lobby features an upscale lounge with log and leather comfy chairs and couches facing a stone fireplace with plenty of windows facing the mountains. They often offer speakers and entertainment in this area during the evenings, and we heard an interesting speaker on the Blackfoot heritage in the region.

We chose to stay in the more moderate section of the resort, although we could have paid twice the price to stay in the main lodge across the road. Our room in the West Lodge appeared to be an old motel from the 1950s, or earlier, that had been renovated. The door key was still an actual metal key and the lock was difficult. It really needs to be updated to a card system. The room was small and the furniture barely fit. The chairs were bent willow, and the storage furniture was a blond pine. The walls were paneled, and the plumbing pipes were left exposed. The fabrics and lamps were all in a charming cabin style. The double bed and the TV armoire didn't leave much room for movement. There was no place to put the luggage except on the desktop (moving the phone and lamp to the floor), or on the floor itself. However, the bathroom was spacious and separated from the vanity and sink. Although we did not hear our neighbors, but we did have a sense of the traffic from the street.

Ice and soda had to be obtained in the main lodge. The Snowgoose Grill served all meals, however breakfast was not included in the lodging rate. Given that we were paying resort prices for a small motel room, I thought a free breakfast would have been a small compensation, but it was not to be. The restaurant was high priced and we never tried it. There was a diner on the property, and the food was reasonably priced, but nothing to brag about.

The resort is literally the only game in town. I found it preferable to the rustic in-park accommodations, but not quite worthy of the price we had to pay.

In late June, sunset came at about 10pm at the top of the mountains. Most people seemed to have settled in for the night, exhausted from days of hiking and sightseeing. However, when we noticed the alpenglow and the wildlife peeking out, we made the best decision of our trip, to drive to Logan Pass to watch the sunset.The first night, we were hesitant to try the narrow road in the dark, however, the bright moon and dusk lasted for quite a while. Once the sun had set at the top of Logan Pass, we headed down GTTS to our hotel, one night on the east side, and one night on the west side. We found the best alpenglow (the light on the mountains) to be near the top where panoramic views were available. Once the sky had changed from orange, to pink, to purple, we headed farther down, going slowly to notice the wildlife that had come out of hiding. We saw several mountain goats, a bighorn sheep, and several deer who managed to stop traffic while seeking their midnight snack. One impressive stop was at the pair of overlooks above St. Mary Lake. This view featured the contrast between the dark forest and the glowing lake with its mountain shoreline. Another evening, on the west side, we descended into Apgar Village just in time to hear a concert of Alpine horns on the shore of Lake MacDonald.So, after you've had dinner, and rejuvenated from your day, take advantage of the spectacular sunset views throughout the park.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is a very narrow road over the mountains in Glacier National Park. Some people, and rightly so, are too nervous about the narrow passage and steep drop-offs to drive it themselves. The best option then, is to take a Red Jammer bus tour. Even if you are driving the road yourself, the tour offers the opportunity to see more of the scenery than the road.The tours leave from any of the lodges in the park. There are set tour times during the day, so check at a lodge as soon as you arrive in the park. Reservations are not necessary ahead of time, however, be prepared to wait an hour or so for the next trip. They will take everyone they can, and sent out a bus for just three of us.We left from Lake MacDonald Lodge and traveled to Logan Pass and back in three hours. The buses are antique Fords that have been updated to modern safety standards. The canvas top rolls back, and if the sun is shining, it will probably be open. This allows amazing views of the impressive scenery. You won't get this view in your Ford!The bus stopped at several, but not all, pullouts. We did get out at MacDonald Falls, Haystack Falls, and Logan Pass. There were other places where we pulled in but did not get out, so that traffic behind us could pass. Wherever the bus was stopped, our driver allowed us to stand up.Another advantage is that the driver kept a running commentary on the PA system about what we were seeing, the history of the park and of the buses, and answered many questions. He also gave us many personal recommendations about what to see and do. There's nothing like inside information!My only criticism was the difficulty in buying tickets. We visited just a week after the contractor, GPI had hired and trained all its seasonal personnel, mostly college students. Many were confused themselves about how to make a reservation or what line we should stand in. However, once we got past the ticket counter, all was well.

You'll quickly notice that there is no food service in the interior of Glacier National Park. The visitors' center at Logan Pass has water fountains, but that's it. You have two choices then, return to a park lodge at the base of the mountains on either the east or west side for lunch, or pack it with you. On our first day, we took advantage of the packed lunch option at our hotel on the east side, The Lodge at St. Mary. For $10 we got a sandwich, chips, fruit, cookie, and a bottle of water. The next day, we found the same meal already packed at the St. Mary grocery store for $3. On the west side, the grocery store in Hungry Horse has a similar package. This meant we could stay high in the mountains as long as we liked, and have our lunch perched above a glistening lake instead of at a table next to cranky tourists.