Going-to-the-Sun ride.
Today’s plan was simple: ride to Glacier National Park and take the bike up Going‑to‑the‑Sun Road. The West Entrance is about an hour northeast of our campground — easy enough.
Lynn was up “late” at 7am and skipped her walk because she wasn’t feeling great. Kirk was late too, rolling out just before 10am. We had a light RV breakfast (not exactly a lot of options around here) and got ourselves moving.
We left at noon and reached the West Entrance at 1:15pm. No lines — miracle! Except, of course, our lane had that one person who needed a ten‑minute life chat with the ranger. After weeks of park visits, we finally bought the America the Beautiful Annual Pass for $80. Kirk can get the senior lifetime pass in October for the same amount, but for now, the annual pass wins.
Inside the park? Absolute chaos. Lake McDonald and the Lodge were packed — not a single parking spot, not even for the bike. Every overlook, waterfall, and village was overflowing. We did manage a brief stop at Heaven’s Peak Overlook, but the smoke was thick and the views were muted. It was disappointing, knowing how spectacular the scenery would be on a clear day.
Going‑to‑the‑Sun Road itself was gorgeous — tunnels, twists, waterfalls, wildflowers — but crowded. Slow riding on a bike can be dicey, especially with oversized vans drifting into the opposite lane making the ride a bit tense at times. Construction on the road began in 1921 and finished in 1932, and it’s named after Going‑to‑the‑Sun Mountain, which dominates the eastbound view beyond Logan Pass (we didn’t continue that direction). It’s the only road that crosses the park, climbing over the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, the highest point at 6,646 feet. Stretching roughly 50 miles, it’s also the first road ever registered as a National Historic Place, National Historic Landmark, and Historic Civil Engineering Landmark — an impressive résumé for a mountain road.
We reached Logan Pass (named after Major Willliam R. Logan, the first superintendent of the park) around 2:45pm. It was packed, as expected. Thankfully motorcycles get front‑row parking, so we slipped right in. The Visitor Center was shoulder‑to‑shoulder with people. We grabbed water, snacks, t‑shirts, and even had to buy a $5 souvenir bag since they don’t provide bags for purchases. The views were striking but muted by smoke. We weren’t dressed for hiking — riding boots and gear aren’t ideal for long walks — and the heat didn’t help. So we just soaked in the chaos.
While we rested, a deer wandered right up to the building and grazed calmly, completely unfazed by the crowd. A yellow bellied marmot nearby was also enjoying its lunch. After about half an hour, we headed back down the mountain. We chose not to continue east toward St. Mary since we still had a long ride ahead.
On the descent, we ended up behind a vehicle with smoking brakes, and the smell followed us most of the way. One of the downfalls of being on a motorcycle…can’t escape the bad smells. We stopped at a few river pullouts to admire the turquoise water, colorful rocks, and waterfalls. People were swimming and jumping off rocks into the pools — looked amazing. We were originally going to try to visit Lake McDonald, Apgar Village and a few other places on the return trip after Going-to-the-Sun, but Lynn was done…ready to go home! Those stops will have to wait until its not so summertime crazy.
By 5pm we were out of the park and starving. At 5:30pm we hit the town of Hungry Horse and stopped at The Huckleberry Patch — gift shop, grill, everything. Order at the counter, pick up your food, no frills. Lynn stuck with soft foods and got the kids’ chicken nuggets. Kirk grabbed a burger. Shockingly, the nuggets were fantastic. The burger wasn’t bad either. Maybe we were both really hungry…
We got back to the RV by 7pm. Lynn still wasn’t feeling well — probably a mix of meds, dehydration, heat, and a long day on the bike. She went to bed early while Kirk relaxed outside.
A long‑awaited Glacier day… but the smoke made it a bit of a letdown. Wildfires: 1, Scenic Views: 0.
We’ll have to come back when Montana decides to show off again.
Weather – High 85*, Low 60*. Winds 1-7/18 mph. No rain, no humidity. Weather at Glacier was very nice, much cooler.
Traffic – Not bad until you get inside Glacier National Park. All the touristy areas were packed.
Food – The Huckleberry Patch – good chicken nuggets!
Notable – Glacier National Park, Going-to-the-Sun Road.
