“Going to the Sun Road” (or “Sun Road” for short) is one of the world’s most spectacular highways. The 53-mile-long road runs west-to-east across the middle of the park. Sun Road starts at West Glacier, travels along Lake McDonald, and hugs the cliffs up to where it crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. It then descends along St. Mary Lake to the east edge of the park.

Engineering Marvel

Sun Road is an engineering marvel that requires constant work to keep it from crumbling down the cliffs. There was construction in a couple places that limited the road to a single lane, requiring cars to wait up to 15 minutes.

Thin Line between Life and Death

A small stone wall only a foot or two high in many places is all that keeps a steady flow of cars and trucks from falling hundreds or thousands of feet to the valley floor below. Amazingly, there has never been a tourist fatality along Sun Road.

Climbing to the Continental Divide

Sun Road lumbering up toward the Continental Divide.

Cut into the Cliffs

Each spring the park performs its annual ritual of clearing up to 70 feet of snow off Sun Road. The hope is to open the road by June 1st.

Waterfall

Here is one of many waterfalls that spill over the cliffs along Sun Road.

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