Going-to-the-Sun Road - Glacier National Park, Montana

Named for Going to the Sun Mountain, which is what makes up most of the eastbound view beyond Logan Pass, the interesting name comes from the story of the deity Sour Spirit, who supposedly returned to the sun after teaching hunting to the Blackfeet, and leaving his image on the mountain. You may know the famous road from the movie, "Forrest Gump" where it was in the amazing mountainous background shots when Forrest remembers running across the U.S. and remarks, "Like that mountain lake. It was so clear, Jenny. It looks like there were two skies, one on top of the other."

Prior to the construction of the road, it took visitors 3-4 days to see the park. The road was completed in 1932, and today, Going-to-the-sun- is the only road that crosses the park, going over the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. It is a National Historic Landmark and a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, that spans 53 miles across the width of the park and is one of the most difficult roads in North America to snowplow in the spring (it takes about ten weeks to plow, even with equipment that can move 4000 tons of snow in an hour). Open from early June to mid October, the two-lane Going-to-the-Sun Road is narrow and winding, so vehicle lengths over the highest portions of the roadway are limited to 21 feet, meaning no recreational vehicles or trailers in excess of this length restriction permitted beyond two larger parking areas. The Road climbs 3,000 feet to provide spectacular views across the Continental Divide and is literally one of the world's finest scenic drives. The outer edge of the road drops off thousands of feet into the valley below and driving can be intimidating on a busy summer day because there is little clearance with oncoming traffic, but the extra attention needed for this famous drive is well worth it!