A Day on the GTSR
Words cannot describe the beauty of the “Crown of the Continent” – Glacier National Park. It had escaped our radar for years, but this trip into Canada brought it front and center. From the lovely rivers at the lower elevations all the way to Logan Pass at 6,646 feet – pick your favorite adjective for awesome, because they will all work!
Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this series, visit The Trip of Our Lives 2023.
Going with the Flow
We had read about road construction at the start of The Going to the Sun Road (GTSR) for about nine miles. At the time of our visit, they had scraped off the pavement down to dirt, so it was just a little bumpy and dusty. There was one section where the road went down to one lane and both sides took their turns getting through the traffic light. But that was short, and we were back on good road pretty quickly.
Today’s Lake McDonald Scenic Boat Trip turned into a visit to a historic lodge instead, when our boat developed engine troubles – luckily before we even boarded! The mechanic worked feverishly as we waited patiently until they told us – nope, it’s not gonna happen.
Kudos to the man doing the rowing below, but he’s probably going to wish he had rented one of those motorboats instead. Lake McDonald is ten miles long, over a mile wide and 472 feet deep!
Lake McDonald Lodge
We thought about rescheduling our boat tour, but we only had one more day and who knows if it would be fixed by then. We decided to take the refund and head on up the road – but not before doing a little snooping around the lodge!
“Built in 1913, this historic lodge has a picturesque location on the eastern shore of beautiful Lake McDonald with 82 guest rooms… This location presents visitors with (lots of dining), Red Bus tours, boat cruises, horseback rides, evening ranger programs and numerous other activities.
All guest rooms at Lake McDonald are rustic, yet comfortable. In keeping in the era in which all the rooms were built, they offer guests modest amenities but recent renovations have added some king and queen beds along with upscaling a number of rooms and cabins. Televisions (except for the suites), air conditioning and elevators are not available…” ~ READ MORE
Red Bus Tours
Although Jim may have loved some help with the driving on today’s trek, we like to go at our own pace. I would imagine the seasoned drivers offer a very educational trip, so maybe we’ll try one on a future visit – when neither of us want to drive a hilly, curvy road that’s right on the edge of a mountain!
“Roe Emery (1875-1953) was one of two principals behind the creation of Glacier’s iconic Red Buses. Emery and Walter White, a vice president of the Cleveland-based White Motor Company, which built the Red Buses, introduced transportation to the park in 1914. Many in the current fleet of Red Buses have been in service since the mid-1930s. The Red Buses were the first authorized motor transportation utility in any National Park.
In 1936, with park reservations up more than 70 percent above 1935 levels, 18 new buses joined the fleet. The purchase was made from the White Motor Company for a price of $90,000.00. The buses featured outside doors opposite each row of seats. A special feature included with this model was a roll-back top providing unobstructed sightseeing.” ~ READ MORE
Next Destination: Logan Pass
Today’s drive was definitely all about the journey. It’s only about 30 miles from our cabin to Logan Pass, but it took us almost six hours (round trip)!! Of course we did have a delay (and snooping around) at Lake McDonald Lodge, regular stops to stare out in awe of this beautiful place, and to take hundreds of pictures.
Check the link at Going To the Sun Road for some vehicle length and height restrictions, and although there is no set time for road to open up for the year, there is a list of dates that the road has opened in the past. Of course there’s always a stray snow storm even after it opens, so there’s info about that too. This link has some travel times, travel tips, and a link to current road conditions. It took some planning for us to avoid the summer crowds but also avoid any closures. This time we were incredibly lucky!
“Give a month at least to this precious reserve. The time will not be taken from the sum of your life. Instead of shortening, it will indefinitely lengthen it and make you truly immortal. Nevermore will time seem short or long, and cares will never again fall heavily on you, but gently and kindly as gifts from heaven.” ~ John Muir, 1901
“Far away in Montana, hidden from view by clustering mountain-peaks, lies an unmapped northwestern corner – the Crown of the Continent. The water from the crusted snowdrift which caps the peak of a lofty mountain there trickles into tiny rills, which hurry along north, south, east and west, and growing to rivers, at last pour their currents into three seas.” ~ George Bird Grinnell, 1901
“National parks and reserves are an integral aspect of intelligent use of natural resoures. It is the course of wisdom to set aside an ample portion of our natural resources as national parks and reserves, thus ensuring that future generations may know the majesty of the earth as we know it today.” ~ John F. Kennedy, 1962
The Views are Mesmerizing!
Nearing the Top
“Triple Arches is probably one of the most recognized features along the going to the Sun road. Built to span several large gaps in the mountainside, designers came up with an elegant solution by constructing a series of three arches to span the gaps.” ~ Click to see a closeup with a Red Bus crossing the arches.
Logan Pass at Last!
By the time we got to Logan Pass, it was spitting snow and the winds had picked up. We didn’t stay long and we didn’t even go into the Visitor Center, since we have another day trip planned coming from the St. Mary side (eastern side) in a few days. The gradual elevation change up to 6,646 feet at the top was amazing! Near the VC is where we saw a mountain goat making his way up the mountain, a Hoary Marmot from the front and rear, and several bighorns alongside the road.
Logan Pass is the highest elevation reachable by car in the park, and with a good pair of hiking boots you can go further! “With over 700 miles of trails in Glacier providing outstanding opportunities for both short hikes and extended backpacking trips, there’s something for everyone.” ~ READ MORE
“At Logan Pass, Reynolds Mountain and Clements Mountain tower over fields of wildflowers that carpet the ground throughout the summer. Waves of yellow glacier lilies pushing up through the snow are quickly replaced by a variety of alpine plants adapted to this harsh, but spectacularly beautiful habitat. Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and the occasional grizzly bear lumbering through the meadows offer spectacular wildlife viewing opportunities.” ~ READ MORE
Words Can’t Describe its Beauty!
Next up: Exploring West Glacier, MT
Happy trails,
Barb
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