Because of the work of the CCC back in the 1930’s the Going To The Sun Road exists. This is an amazing road that takes you through the center of the park (east & west) and provides some astounding views that would otherwise not be accessible without hiking a VERY long way. It is a must do. If you ever come to Glacier National Park you should plan at least a full day just to drive the road and stop and the various turn outs to take in the sites and snap pictures. I would recommend driving it east to west as that seems to provide the best experience. We actually drove the east half while we were staying on the east side and then drove the west half while we were staying on the west side and that worked out quite well. Here’s a few shots of the drive.
The layers of green vegetation mixed with the layers of rock and the vastness of it all is just absolutely stunning, and in a completely different way, rivals places like the Grand Canyon. There are literally waterfalls everywhere from the snow melt that occurs this time of year and beautiful alpine lakes (both small and large) with snow capped mountains as their backdrop. As you would imagine there are also mountain rivers and streams that are flowing swiftly and scream of life. Here’s some more shots of this beautiful place.
While on the east side we also drove up to the Many Glacier area which is a beautiful drive by a river and ends at a gorgeous mountain lake. We enjoyed spending time at St. Mary Lake, Lake McDonald, and Swift Current Lake (up in the Many Glacier area and a beautiful lake view). We also took advantage of the ice cream shops that are abundant in the area enjoying their huckleberry flavor but of course also praline pecan. West Glacier is more built up and more touristy but both sides offer great views and decent visitor centers and souvenir shops. Some of the pictures in this post are from these lakes and the drive to Many Glacier in addition to the Going To The Sun Road.
Our boys thought the snow was so cool in July and had to make their mark:
