John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints
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Glacier National Park, Montana
For information on the current state of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, visit http://www.nps.gov/glac/whatsnew/gttsroad.htm
Location
In northern Montana, adjacent to the Canadian border.
Glacier National Park is adjacent to Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada.
There is also a completely separate and much smaller Glacier National Park in British Columbia (Canada), between Revelstoke and Golden. There is also Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. This page concerns itself with solely with Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
Size
1,584 square miles. For comparison, the English county of Somerset has an area of 1,613 square miles.
What To See And Do
View the spectacularly beautiful Rocky Mountain scenery.
Take a full day to drive the stunning Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass and then back again (or via US2 south of the park for a different route, somewhat less scenic). From the Going-to-the-Sun Road - one of the most spectacular roads in North America - there are numerous excellent views of mountains and lakes, especially of Lake McDonald on the west and Lake St. Mary on the east.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road is a high quality road, paved along its entire length. There are numerous places to pull off the road, stop and admire the views.
There is a Visitor Centre at the top of Logan Pass where the road crosses the Continental Divide, as well as on both the western and eastern sides of the Park.
Large Vehicle Restrictions
Otto Hallgren of Whitefish, Montana, kindly informs me that current Glacier National Park regulations prohibit vehicles more than eight feet wide (including mirrors) and over twenty-one feet long on the narrowest, highest section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Winter Access
The Going-to-the-Sun Road usually fully opens sometime in early to mid June. The effort involved in clearing the snow and opening the road each spring is a major undertaking. In the spring of 1998 the Going-to-the-Sun Road fully opened for the summer in mid-May, the earliest opening date for several years, El Niño having been thought to be responsible for the winter of 97/98 being very mild in the northwest. We drove the road in June that year and it was open but snowing hard with extensive low cloud at the top on one day; dry and much clearer the next.
Otto Hallgren of Whitefish, Montana, wrote to say that the road closes in the autumn when it takes more than cursory snowplowing to keep it open. He estimates this as normally being around the first or second week of October but emphasises that the date is highly variable. The official Montana Vacation Guide says the road normally closes mid-October.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road is opened and closed in stages so even when the highest part is closed it is sometimes possible to drive the lower sections on each side.
The highest section of the road may be subject to temporary closures even in summer due to snowfall.
When the Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed then US2 round the southern edge of the Park via Marias Pass may well be open.
Entrance Fee
As at the summer of 2000 the entrance fee for normal vehicles was $10. This gives entrance for the vehicle's driver and all passengers for seven days. It does not include entrance to the adjacent Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada, for which there is a separate charge.
Update: According to an article in USA Today 1-Dec-03, the cost of a seven-day entrance pass for Glacier National Park will be doubled to $20 beginning in January 2004. This is the first increase for seven years and bring Glacier's entrance fee into line with that of Grand Canyon, Grand Teton/Yellowstone (combined entrance fee) and Yosemite National Parks.
Some Ideas For Places To Stay
There is very little accommodation to be had near the east side of the park.
In The Area
Photographs
External Links
Verified May-00.
Red Buses
For many years historic red buses have been used to provide tours of Glacier National Park, including the Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass. According to a story in USA Today 26-Apr-02: "The seventy-year-old red buses ... are returning after undergoing restoration. All thirty-three were retired two years ago because of structural problems... . About twenty should be in service in June [2002]."
Montana
Historic Trails, Named Roads, etc
Mountains
Mountain Roads
National Parks
Scenic Roads
Seven Wonders Of The USA And Canada
Wildlife Sighting Possibilities
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As with all the other pages on this personal web site, all the information on this page is solely the opinion of the author, who has no connection whatsoever with any of the companies and organisations mentioned other than as an actual or potential customer.
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Most recently modified 31-May-04