Scenes Along Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park
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During our Glacier National Park entrance reservation time frame for last week of July and first week of August, we had disappointing smoky skies from the distant wildfires. Here’s two of the days’ conditions.
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Glacier NP – August 3, 2021
Glacier NP – August 4, 2021
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Thankfully, our first day into the park on July 27th was the best day, and the day we drove the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road to Logan Pass and back. One way distance was 31 miles.
Here’s my series of photos of scenes in the order as shot as we road the side of the mountains and gained elevation into some clearer skies at Logan Pass. Sorry for so many, it was hard to cut down to these! 😏
Enjoy the ride!
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Here we go, we’ve already climbed some elevetion!
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Heavens Peak (elevation 8,986 ft / 2,739 m)
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Heavens Peak close-up
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Haystack Creek Falls that we are getting ready to drive pass
(a close-up further down)
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Mount Oberlin and Mount Cannon surrounding a glacier remnant that feeds Bird Woman Falls faintly visible falling between them
(bottom right is a river, not the waterfall)
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Looking back at the on-the-edge road we just traveled
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Towards the top of the Bird Woman Falls (shot with my telephoto lens)
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Zoomed in further a small section of the Bird Woman Falls
(I sure do like that name! 😉)
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Cruising along, approaching the Triple Arches Bridge
(This three-span, sixty-five foot long bridge was designed in 1927 as an alternative to a large retaining wall. It is constructed of reinforced concrete and was built to span deep rifts in the mountainside where the Going-to-the-Sun Road traverses the continental divide, known locally as the Garden Wall.)
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Going-to-the-Sun Road behind us, crossing on right
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We’ve reached Logan Pass! Elevation 6,646 ft (2,025 m).
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Logan Pass Visitor Center
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Clements Mountain (8,760 ft / 2,670 m)
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Clements Mountain (8,760 ft / 2,670 m)
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Reynolds Mountain (9,124 ft / 2,781 m)
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Garden Wall (and part of the Continental Divide through Glacier National Park)
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Time to follow back the roads we just cruised, shown here along the Garden Wall.
(Note that white pile of snow; we passed it already but it wasn’t on my side of the car…)
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One-third up this photo, note the faint line of a trail across left to right.
Now see next photo…..
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There’s eleven people walking along that trail in this photo! Yikes!
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Here comes that piece of glacier I mentioned above that broke off and slid down to the road
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Still melting end of July
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Cruising back to the west entrance
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Some of the road was twisting and tight!
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Haystack Creek Falls close-up
(on my side of the road this time!)
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Back down the elevation and into the smoke
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The Going-to-the-Sun Road was a beautiful drive, even a little white-knuckling at times!
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More Glacier National Park posts to come……wildflowers and some small wildlife!