Going to the Sun Road - Montana
AKA: Glacier Route 1
St. Mary - West Glacier
Distance/Driving time: 50 miles/1h, 28m
County(ies): Glacier, Flathead
Submit your on this road.
Rider Comments:
[Open All][Close All]
- Rode the 'Going to the Sun Road' August 9th, 2012 from West to East. more...The road is surprisingly in good shape, but there was a good stretch of gravel that the road is under repair. Must stops are the Great Bend and Logan Pass. I have never seen this scenery, and it is phenomenal views up and down. If you need pictures of your motorcycle with stunning backdrops this is the place. You WILL NOT make great time, and you probably need to camp in St. Mary. I followed the Government National Park's website and they didn't clear the snow until June. - Harry from Vancouver, B.C. (8/16/12)
- Took a round trip ride on this road in early August 2011 from Apgar to St. Mary and back again. more...Heavy snow fall this year resulted in the late opening of the road which was about July 13, 2011. Heavy auto traffic, but still a beautiful scenic ride. A lot of construction on the road and rebuilding of stone guard rails slows traffic. Lots of loose gravel in construction areas. Picked up a stone that put a hole through my drive belt which added $500 to my trip cost. :( - Anonymous (1/5/12)
- Rode this route east to west, late July, 2011. more...There are many sections of construction that result in single lanes of traffic and a number of waits. Still, this is a spectacular ride. Start your ride early in the morning to beat the brunt of traffic which starts to build after 10am. - Anonymous (8/5/11)
- Phenomenal route! I rode from West Glacier most of the way to Saint Mary (fire conditions at the time - Aug. 06 - prevented me from doing the full route) and did it up and back in about six hours at a very relaxed pace. more...I was fortunate not to encounter much traffic, but there are plenty of opportunities to pull off and take in views and there are a lot of views. I would love to go back and spend several days taking in the ample scenery, but didn't feel too cheated with the "short" half day visit. - Mark Caldwell (9/28/07)
- The Going to the Sun Road is a yearly ride for us from Calgary. more...We have ridden all over the world and it is ranked up there with the best the rest of the motorcycle roads has to offer from Grossglockner in Austria to Passo de Sallo in Italy to Brenner in Switzerland. Just remember, ride it both ways but take your time. The best water fall flows are after it just opens on the July long weekend and you can often times find 20’ snow banks at the summit. The driest time is in early August. - Brian and Sandra Smith (9/20/07)
- Construction update--The Park Service has 'budgeted' major renovations on this road. more...Under the 5 year plan sections of the road will be reduced to one lane of traffic with designated 'follow-me vehicles'. Please check with the local Park Service office for updates. - Tom Dyer (1/15/07)
- This is a great motorcycle road, period. more...Although going in either direction is great, I prefer to ride this beautiful road from west to east because that puts the rider in the outside lane for the most dramatic parts of the ride. Attempting to make a spirited pace is usually not possible or wise on this road because the tourists are always slowing down to gawk at things. The motorcyclist may as well become one of them until he gets out of the park. - Bob Wisness (1/14/07)
Other Resources:
- North American Sportbike Road Registry - Montana Sport Bike Roads
- John Cletheroe's Scenic Roads in the USA - Glacier National Park, Montana
- Dan Kalal - The Motorcycle Roads