Glacier National Park
A road built into the cliffs, turquoise lakes and mountain goats at the top of the continent.
Photo: Robert M. Russell · CC BY-SA 4.0
Glacier National Park guide: the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Logan Pass, Many Glacier, Lake McDonald, vehicle reservations, length limits and the best weeks to visit.
In northern Montana, on the Canadian border, Glacier is a land of jagged peaks, U-shaped valleys and more than 700 lakes in shades from emerald to milky turquoise. Together with Canada’s Waterton Lakes, it forms the world’s first International Peace Park, created in 1932.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road is one of the great drives in America. Completed in 1932, it climbs 80 kilometers across the park, clinging to the Garden Wall and crossing the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. From the pass, the boardwalk to the Hidden Lake Overlook often comes with mountain goats and bighorn sheep, and the Highline Trail runs along the cliffs.
On the east side, Many Glacier is the place for wildlife and hikes to Grinnell Glacier and Iceberg Lake. The glaciers that gave the park its name are shrinking fast: about 150 existed in 1850, and only a couple of dozen remain today.
Don’t miss
- 1Driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass
- 2The Hidden Lake Overlook with mountain goats
- 3The colorful stones at Lake McDonald
- 4Hiking to Grinnell Glacier from Many Glacier
Insider tips
- Check whether a vehicle reservation is needed for the Going-to-the-Sun Road on your dates.
- Vehicles longer than 21 ft (6.4 m) or wider than 8 ft cannot drive the road’s alpine section.
- Carry bear spray on every hike; this is grizzly country.
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