• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Wandering Web Design

Web Designer | Wanderer | Storyteller

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Blog
  • The Ultimate Road Trippers National Park Resource Guide
  • 101 Travel Tips For The Ultimate Road Trip
You are here: Home / General Info / Everything You Need To Know About Going To The Sun Road At Glacier NP

Everything You Need To Know About Going To The Sun Road At Glacier NP

Traveling east to west, Going-to-the-Sun Road is a 50 mile-long scenic drive through the park. The road, which was opened in 1933 with all the major structures finished in 1937, has received several distinctive honors, including being registered as a National Historic Place, National Historic Landmark, and Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

The road is famous, too, having appeared in the opening credits of the classic horror film The Shining, and having received several distinctive honors, including being registered as a National Historic Landmark, a National Historic Place and a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The road crosses the Continental Divide via Logan’s Pass, which can accumulate up to 80 feet of snow in the winter.

Although the park receives an average annual snowfall of around 138 inches, Glacier has a long history of wildfires. The park recorded 64 fires in 1936 and experienced a severe fire season in 2003 when 13 percent of the park’s land burned.

Located along Waterton Lake, Goat Haunt is considered the center of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Visitors wishing to cross the border into either country need to present their ID before receiving a mountain goat-shaped stamp in their passports. According to an article I found on MentalFloss.com

According to this article on AmtrakVacations.com Glacier National Park is home to 26 glaciers, down from approximately 150 in 1850. That number is expected to continue its rapid decline as climate changes shrink their size, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Of the existing glaciers, the largest is Harrison Glacier, at 1.6 million square meters.

There are a whopping 762 lakes in Glacier National Park, 131 of which are named. The largest lake in the park is Lake McDonald, at 9.4 miles long, 1.5 miles wide and 464 feet deep. While Lake McDonald isn’t considered a prime fishing lake, visitors flock to catch a sight of the many wild animals that live along its shore, including moose, black bears and mule deer. The park is also home to 2,865 miles of streams, the longest of which is Upper McDonald Creek at 25.8 miles.

There are a total of 175 mountains in Glacier National Park, the tallest of which is Mt. Cleveland at 10,448 feet. Logan Pass, the highest point on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, located along the Continental Divide, comes in at 6,646 feet.

The largest glacier in the park is called Blackfoot Glacier; it measures approximately 18 square kilometers (7 square miles) and is so large it can be seen for kilometers. – JustFunFacts.com

I found this cool fact on OutdoorPhotography.com – Between 1910 and 1913, the Great Northern Railway built nine chalets. Visitors would travel by horseback from one chalet to another in order to see the park, which took several weeks to accomplish. In 1915, the average visitor spent over a month in the park.

Glacier National Park lodging includes approximately 78 campgrounds with more than 1200 different sites. They are separated into classes. 13 are class A or B campgrounds. The remaining are considered backcountry.

Glacier is the second leg of our National Park road trip! Next up is Banff National Park in Canada.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Rena McDaniel
Ready to go?
Rena McDaniel
Web Designer | Wanderer | Storyteller at Wandering Web Designer | The Blogging 911
I’m Rena and I’m a 50-year-old child in an old woman’s body. I love to take long road trips, building websites & writing stories about my adventures or even the latest trip to the grocery store. I’m a wife of 29 years, a mom and a grandma and I run my own web design/maintain/troubleshooting business called The Blogging 911. When I’m not creating CSS, or poured into the passenger seat of our car, you will find me happily playing with my grandkids, reading a book, or wrapped around a cheeseburger! Are you ready to hit the road?
Rena McDaniel
Ready to go?
Latest posts by Rena McDaniel (see all)
  • Fly On The Wall Apr Edition - April 23, 2021
  • A Story As Old As Time Pt. 23 Use Your Words - April 16, 2021
  • Quotes To Live By – Secret Subject Swap - April 9, 2021
84Shares

Related

Filed Under: #VanLife, General Info, Life On The Road, National Parks, Stories From The Road, Travel

About Rena McDaniel

I’m Rena and I’m a 50-year-old child in an old woman’s body. I love to take long road trips, building websites & writing stories about my adventures or even the latest trip to the grocery store. I’m a wife of 29 years, a mom and a grandma and I run my own web design/maintain/troubleshooting business called The Blogging 911. When I’m not creating CSS, or poured into the passenger seat of our car, you will find me happily playing with my grandkids, reading a book, or wrapped around a cheeseburger! Are you ready to hit the road?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melissa says

    November 5, 2019 at 9:15 am

    Montana is on my travel bucket list! Now adding the Sun Road at Glacier NP for sure! The views are breathtaking.

    Reply
  2. Amber Myers says

    November 5, 2019 at 11:20 am

    Wow, what stunning photos. I have never been to Montana before. I will have to visit one day. Have fun in Canada!

    Reply
  3. Sarah Bailey says

    November 5, 2019 at 1:35 pm

    What an absolutely stunning looking location! I bet this is such a breathtaking route to take the pictures are just incredible. Thank you for the information on taking this trip.

    Reply
  4. Shannon says

    November 5, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    This looks like such an amazing place! I’d love to be able to visit here someday!

    Reply
  5. Ice Cream n Sticky Fingers says

    November 5, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    I would love to take my camera and visit the glacier national park. The views are breathtaking and I would love the opportunity to practice my skills. I wish that I lived close. 🙁

    Reply
  6. Tasheena says

    November 5, 2019 at 8:10 pm

    All of your photos look amazing. I would love to visit this National Park. It really looks stunning!

    Reply
  7. Bonnie G says

    November 5, 2019 at 9:10 pm

    Those are some amazing and gorgeous photos. It makes me feel like I am right there. Nice post.

    Reply
  8. Agnes says

    November 5, 2019 at 10:52 pm

    Sucha beautiful place to explore. I will include this on my bucket list.

    Reply
  9. Amber Killmon says

    November 5, 2019 at 10:58 pm

    Oh my gosh, your photos are amazing. I’d love to check out Glacier National Park.

    Reply
  10. Chef Dennis says

    November 6, 2019 at 12:31 am

    This is definitely a total WOW! I wish I could be here right now and experience the beauty of this wonderful place.

    Reply
  11. Chris Hoov says

    November 6, 2019 at 1:34 am

    Nice pictures..! Thanks for sharing, you did a great job with this post, I felt like I’m already there.

    Reply
  12. Ruth I says

    November 6, 2019 at 3:56 am

    This is a good way of disconnecting to the busy city. The views are tremendous. Windows down, long drive and good friends would be perfect.

    Reply
  13. Paula Schuck says

    November 6, 2019 at 9:59 am

    This is a gorgeous national park to visit. Ironically I was just right beside it practically when visiting Montana and Yellowstone on a media trip last month. Yellowstone was so incredible. I can only imagine how stemming Glacier is to see in person.

    Reply
    • Paula Schuck says

      November 6, 2019 at 10:04 am

      stemming – was supposed to be amazing – thank you autocorrect. LOL

      Reply
  14. Jenn @ EngineerMommy says

    November 6, 2019 at 10:38 am

    I’d love to visit Montana one day. This looks like a beautiful drive and a wonderful way to get back in touch with nature. I love disconnecting from technology and just being one with nature.

    Reply
  15. Esther Irish says

    November 6, 2019 at 11:53 am

    Oh this looks fantastically amazing. I’ve never been to Montana, but it’s on my list. Definitely want to plan this.

    Reply
  16. Terri Steffes says

    November 6, 2019 at 4:20 pm

    Those colors are surreal! I would love to see that in person. I know the water reflection is extraordinary.

    Reply
  17. Melanie Walsh says

    November 6, 2019 at 10:00 pm

    It looks GORGEOUS! I’ve never been to the park, but it’s definitely going on my bucket list. The scenic drive sounds like the perfect way to get a feel for the park and see all it has to offer visitors.

    Reply
  18. Nancy at Whispered Inspirations says

    November 8, 2019 at 12:58 pm

    OMG, Montana looks like a postcard. So beautiful and picturesque. I need to plan a visit. WOW! I’m going to add this park when we do go.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Wanna Hang Out?

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Grab Your Copy Now!

20 something female sitting on a VW bug with a cooler and suitcase strapped to the top

Looking For Something Specific?

Top Posts & Pages

Do You Dream About Adventures Like Hiking The Appalachian Trail?
Fly On The Wall Apr Edition
Weird But True Facts About Yellowstone National Park

wanderingwebdesigner

"All who wander are not lost" We're exploring this great country one campsite/hotel at a time! Our bags are always packed & ready!

Rena McDaniel
Western NC #wanderer #roadtrips2021🇺🇸 #trave Western NC #wanderer #roadtrips2021🇺🇸 #travel #roamtheplanet
#wanderer #traveling #travelers #travelbug #travel #wanderer #traveling #travelers #travelbug #travelholic #travelgram #travelinggram
#nationalparks #nps #instatravel #explore #vanlife
#travelphotography #exploring #explorer #wanderlust #doyoutravel #goexplore #travelmore
#lovetotravel #wonderfulplaces #roamtheplanet #travellifestyle #traveladdict
#wanderer #traveling #travelers #travelbug #travel #wanderer #traveling #travelers #travelbug #travelholic #travelgram #travelinggram
#nationalparks #nps #instatravel #explore #vanlife
#travelphotography #exploring #explorer #wanderlust #doyoutravel #goexplore #travelmore
#lovetotravel #wonderfulplaces #roamtheplanet #travellifestyle #traveladdict
#wanderer #traveling #travelers #travelbug #travel #wanderer #traveling #travelers #travelbug #travelholic #travelgram #travelinggram
#nationalparks #nps #instatravel #explore #vanlife
#travelphotography #exploring #explorer #wanderlust #doyoutravel #goexplore #travelmore
#lovetotravel #wonderfulplaces #roamtheplanet #travellifestyle #traveladdict
#wanderer #traveling #travelers #travelbug #travel #wanderer #traveling #travelers #travelbug #travelholic #travelgram #travelinggram
#nationalparks #nps #instatravel #explore #vanlife
#travelphotography #exploring #explorer #wanderlust #doyoutravel #goexplore #travelmore
#lovetotravel #wonderfulplaces #roamtheplanet #travellifestyle #traveladdict
#wanderer #traveling #travelers #travelbug #travel #wanderer #traveling #travelers #travelbug #travelholic #travelgram #travelinggram
#nationalparks #nps #instatravel #explore #vanlife
#travelphotography #exploring #explorer #wanderlust #doyoutravel #goexplore #travelmore
#lovetotravel #wonderfulplaces #roamtheplanet #travellifestyle #traveladdict
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Healing & condolence gift package from a healing spirit.org!

Would you like to join some fun writing challenges & make friends?

Fly on the Wall
"
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • The Ultimate Road Trippers National Park Resource Guide
  • Work With Us

Copyright © 2021 · Designed & Maintained By Technology-Therapist