How about a day trip to the SUN!
Introduction
You want to go on a trip that feels like it is out of this world, but you do not want to pay space tour prices? Well, then I have the trip for you. How about driving to the sun? You don’t literally go to the sun, but it feels like it.
The downside of this road is that there is a lot of traffic. You will not be traveling this road alone. The road is narrow with a huge drop-off on the side. I have driven and ridden motorcycles on many mountain roads like this, and going off the edge did not scare me. The thing that is a bit frightening is seeing large pickups coming at you in the other direction. That experience made my butt pucker a bit. This is not a huge road. This is why vehicles must be under 21 feet; they have to be narrower than 8 feet (this includes the mirrors), and they should not be over 10 feet tall, or they might hit some overhangs. If you start on the road you can drive up some of the way, but oversized vehicles will have to turn around before Avalanche Creek. You might be scared off at this point.
Why do this road?
You are reading this post and probably thinking, “Paulie? Why would I want to drive this road if it is certain death?” I never said that the road is certain death. In fact, the road is absolutely amazing. You start in the valley, and you climb way up above the tree line. You start driving in the forest. You see Lake McDonald and McDonald Creek along the side of the road. When you arrive at the top, you literally feel like you just drove to the top of the world. Yes, I may have said, “Houston, we have a problem!” when I arrived at the top.
As you drive up the road, you will see incredible beauty. There are waterfalls that you can see on either side of the road. There is the “Weeping Wall” with water running down like someone intensely crying. This is the type of road where you roll down the windows, and this is not to listen to the exhaust note. No, you roll down the windows so you take it all in. Just remember to take your time and watch for oncoming traffic. Remember that part about the road being narrow? Yeah, it’s still true! However, you perceive that eventually you will park on the top of the world. In fact, you might think that the parking lot is on the sun. Hence the name, Going to the Sun!
You are not alone: My Strategy
My strategy is to survey the road over a couple of days. The reason for this is that if you want to take in the view of the top of the road from the Logan Pass parking lot, then you’d better be patient. We did the road in the off-season, and I kept lapping the parking lot for a good 20 minutes trying to find a spot. I dropped the family off so they could walk around. I just drove till I could park. To be honest, it was very annoying. However, the view at the top is amazing and worth your time.
I realized there is a better plan: let someone else drive the road one day, and then you drive the road the next day. Let me explain what I realized. My plan in the future is to take the shuttle to the top. Seriously, budget a day to get the shuttle to drive you to the top so you can look around. They will drop you at the top of Logan Pass. You can hike, explore for a while, and really take in the view. Then you take the shuttle down to the parking lot.
I hear you say, “Paulie, you told me that driving the road was a treat. What gives, man?” Hey, you don’t need to be rude about it. I’m getting to that part. If you follow my plan, then you will take the opportunity to observe the road. You will probably take note of the turnouts. People are going to be walking around the turnouts, so you want to be very alert at those places on the road. Remember that people in national parks forget that there are vehicles driving around them.
As you drive the road on day two, you can drive over Logan Pass and skip the parking lot. If this were a Monopoly game, you would think of this as moving past jail and collecting the joy of driving the rest of the road. You spend day two driving the road over to St. Mary. If you want, at this point you could go into Canada, spend the night there, and check out the Canadian side of Glacier. You will deal with fewer people, and you get to see a lot of it without the huge lines. You can also try some of the weird Canadian foods like ketchup chips…. Not my favorite, but I did it.
The Canadian side is called “Waterton Lakes.” I prefer the Chief Mountain crossing. Make sure you have your passport and that the crossing is open. Search the web for “Chief Mountain Border Crossing.” You will find information somewhere regarding the current year and hours. Usually, it is open for longer hours from June 1 through Labor Day.
This border crossing is seasonal, so make sure you are able to cross. The border is only open from about mid-May through September 30. Personally, I just check the web to see whether it is open. However, if you want to be more certain, then you can call the Canadian number toll-free in Canada: 1-800-461-9999.
If you want to call from the USA and not be charged, then you can use the US numbers. You can call the Montana number: (406) 732-5572 (This is the number for Piegan that oversees the border) or call the border directly at (406) 335-9690 to confirm that it is open. Snow can impact whether it is open or closed even during the open season. If you are off-season, you can check the other border crossing options. (https://www.waterton.ca/getting-here/borders/)
My plan for the next trip is to rent an Airbnb or VRBO with the family either on the Canadian side or near the Canadian side. My girls like showers and beds. If I did this with my son, I would camp on the Canadian side, but you do what works for your family. At the start of day three, you can get yourself a nice breakfast in Canada. If you want to annoy a server, order eggs and bacon. When the server asks if you want Canadian bacon, you say, “Isn’t all bacon in Canada Canadian bacon?” It makes me laugh, but the server will probably just roll their eyes. Once you finish breakfast, you head back the other way from St. Mary to see the road from the other direction. This road is great from both directions.
Now, you can take as much time as you want to drive back to the Kalispell side of Glacier. There are turnouts, so you can still take in the views on the way back. This will give you the opportunity to see the scenery in the other direction.
Summary of Two Potential Plans
The two-day plan: take the shuttle to the top, and not engage in the Festivus feats of strength to get a parking spot. (Check the FAQs about return tickets. I believe you have to buy one to go to the top, and then buy one to return for a set time.) The second day is when you focus on driving the road to St. Mary, turn around, and drive it back. That is doable, but budget a long day because I am fairly confident you will want to stop at different turnouts. It is important that you reserve the shuttle the day before or maybe in the morning. The shuttle is only 1 dollar, but they sell out fast! You can reserve the Glacier Shuttle pass at recreation.gov. YOU CANNOT BUY THESE AT THE PARK! Make sure that you have a National Park Pass. You will need this to ride the shuttle in addition to your ticket.
The three-day plan: take the shuttle to the top, explore Logan Pass, and then take the shuttle down. Day two is to drive to St. Mary and explore the Canadian side. At the end of day two, you spend the night near St. Mary or on the Canadian side. Day three is to get some breakfast, maybe check out some more of the Canadian side of the park. Then drive back from St. Mary towards Kalispell. My goal would be to drive back by noon.
NOTE: Check the shuttle times and tickets; otherwise, you can get stranded at the top of Logan Pass. Check their website for details and current running times. Remember, reservations are here.
Conclusion
Glacier is a national park that is amazing. I personally prefer Glacier to Yellowstone. Yellowstone is more well-known. The Yellowstone geysers are definitely worth checking out, but for overall views, I would say Glacier wins the competition.
I hope that this tip to do the “Going to the Sun Road” motivates you to get out. You can spend a day hiking, and then enjoy a second day as a rest day. You get the joy of driving the road. If you can swing the three-day plan, I think you will really relish seeing the sights. However, the two-day plan would be fun as well. If you go in the peak season, you will want to be the early bird to drive the road. If you wait too late in the day, there is a good chance you will be stuck in traffic, as the Logan Pass parking lot can back up. In 2026, there is a three-hour parking limit during the peak season (July 1 through Labor Day), but you want to check the Glacier website to see the current rules.
Also, make sure that the road is not closed on a day that you plan to be there. Montana can get snow and heavy rainstorms throughout the summer in Glacier. It is not common, but it has been closed during peak season.
Have you tried this trip? Any experience with pullouts or hiking spots that you prefer? Leave it in the comments!
Don’t miss more ideas to get out with the family.
Subscribe to Paulie’s Picks and get new adventures and reviews delivered to your RSS reader.
Subscribe via RSS →Enjoying Paulie’s Picks? Buy me a coffee.