Exploring Glacier National Park via Red Bus Tours
There are multiple ways to explore the Going to the Sun Road (GTTS) of Glacier National Park (GNP). GTTS Road is the 50 mile road that traverses between the East and West entrances of the Park. From the west, it travels past Lake McDonald and McDonald Creek, then goes up 3,400 feet through the mountains to Logan Pass, and then down 1,800 feet to the East entrance. Because the roads are narrow and require careful driving, it takes approximately two hours to traverse the road in one direction, and much more time if you're going to want to stop. And you WILL want to make multiple stops for photos, hiking, and stretching your legs.
There are multiple ways to explore the Going to the Sun Road (GTTS) of Glacier National Park (GNP). GTTS Road is the 50 mile road that traverses between the East and West entrances of the Park. From the west, it travels past Lake McDonald and McDonald Creek, then goes up 3,400 feet through the mountains to Logan Pass, and then down 1,800 feet to the East entrance. Because the roads are narrow and require careful driving, it takes approximately two hours to traverse the road in one direction, and much more time if you're going to want to stop. And you WILL want to make multiple stops for photos, hiking, and stretching your legs.
So, what's the best way to explore the GTTS road?
It really depends on your goal for the day, but your options are:
- Glacier Shuttle Service
- Driving yourself
- Sun Tours
- Red Bus Tours
Yesterday I was able to experience the Red Bus Tours, and thought I'd share my experience.
First, there are multiple options for the tour from the West entrance. The options are the Huckleberry Mountain, Crown of the Continent, Western Alpine and Mountain Majesty tours. Each one goes a different distance and takes a different amount of time, so there is something for everyone. We chose the Western Alpine tour which went from the entrance to the highest point at Logan Pass.
We were assigned to bus #86, driven by Dan. His role wasn't just to drive us from point A to point B, but to share all sorts of information with us. He pointed out various landmarks, shared the history of the park and the red bus tours, let us know what various mountains and locations were named for, how the mountains were formed and more.
Our particular tour included two scheduled 15 minute stops, one at the Lake McDonald Lodge and one at Logan Pass. At each spot, there were bathroom facilities and photo opportunities. We also were able to pull over several times to take pictures, and had one more 5 minute stop towards the end to stretch our legs. Our tour was supposed to take 3 and a half hours, but we left about 10 minutes early and got back about 15 minutes late. So if you do take one of these tours, you'll need to be flexible with your time. Traffic, animals in the road and other things could slow you down.
The bottom line? I would definitely recommend taking one of these tours, and if you have the opportunity to take a tour with Dan of bus #86, do it! Not only was all of the information he shared excellent, but being driven in a bus with an open top allows the entire group to be able to enjoy the amazing scenery, not just the people who aren't driving. Dan also was quite skilled with people pictures and he took quite a few of my group that we will treasure forever (not shared here!) So our group of four gave this tour eight thumbs up!
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