Going To The Sun Road

This road is tauted as being "one of the most scenic drives in the US" and I have to say I agree. It is also the "must do" ride for cyclists in Glacier. The road is narrow, twisty, and steep and also has strict regulations for travel. Cyclists cannot be going eastbound on the road between 11 am and 4 pm so we were under a tight time limit. We got an early start and started up the mountain about 7:30 am after a hearty breakfast at the Lake McDonald Lodge. Luckily the traffic was very light so we did not have to worry about frustrated motorists behind us. As you go up the mountain you can look over the edge (carefully) and see directly below you the road you just traveled! The views were spectacular, but I now realize we didn't take many pictures. Our thoughts were focused on getting to the top by 11 am! We were successful and by 10:30 we had climbed almost 3,500 feet to the Continental Divide. We stayed at the top for a few hours, taking a hike up to Hidden Lake and then started back down about 2:00. There are no restrictions on the westbound lanes during that time. The descent was tricky and we had to be very cautious. The road has many lumps and bumps and those switchbacks look even tighter on the way back down! Luckily the traffic was still light and the motorists were very gracious and patient, there's not much passing room! We got back down, stopping a few more times to take some short hikes and were pretty much useless for the rest of the day. But what a good feeling to accomplish a ride like that!