The Road Through Glacier National Park

In preparation for my ride through Glacier National Park, I have been learning about the riding conditions on the Going-To-The-Sun road. This ride is going to be an adventure! This summer is the 75th anniversary of the opening of the road. The road has been maintained but the basic configuration has not changed over the years.

The route from St. Mary to West Glacier is approximately 56 miles with over 5,000 feet of elevation change; 2,100 foot acent over 18 miles to the summit and then a 3,500 foot descent over 32 miles. Good thing we are riding from east to west.

The road was opened 75 years ago this summer and was designed for the truck capabilities of the 1920's. The grades are a fairly consistant at 6%. This means a good slow burn in low gears. Being fit will make the ride a lot more pleasant and fun. I understand that the first 6 miles out of St. Mary to Rising Sun can be brutal due to the headwinds that howl through the St. Mary Valley down from the Continental Divide. (I really don't like headwinds especially howling winds). An 18 mile ascent to Logan Pass begins after passing through this point.

This is not a ride for inexperienced cyclist. There is no shoulder on this road. The engineers and builders did not anticipate cyclists nor did they have the tools and resources to build the road any wider than it is. Riders need to be comfortable riding between motorists and several thousand foot drop offs. There are low retaining walls to provide some barrier but the possibility of being pitched over this low wall is real. The pavement can be rough due to the effects of the harsh winter. Sections of the road are typically under construction at this time of the year given a limited window of time to make repairs. This is not good for skinny tire cyclists! Helmets are always essential riding gear but on this road helmets are important to protect against falling rock! I have learned that near the summit that we may share the road with mountain goats.

Given these conditions, the ride will start early in the morning to avoid as much traffic as possible. In fact, we have to make it through a certain point in the park by 11am before the road is closed to cyclists.

Once we arrive in West Glacier, we will still have 30 more miles to Big Fork, Montana., our final destination, on the north end of Flathead Lake. By this point in the ride most of the excitement will be behind us. I anticipate that the ride will take up to 5 hours depending on scenery stops.