Our Bucket List Ebike Ride: Going to the Sun Road, Glacier National Park

Our 2023 travel itinerary has remained fairly flexible. We have our general route, but oftentimes don't book reservations far in advance. Many days, we wake up not knowing where we'll sleep that evening. It's all part of the adventure! However, when we have a major bucket list destination in mind, it's smart to ensure that we'll be able to spend ample time there and really enjoy ourselves. That's why we booked a campsite near Glacier National Park months in advance. It was time for our three week kickoff to summer in the mountains! For the second year in a row, we decided to book 3 weeks in an area that we were really excited to go. Last year was the Smokies and this year Glacier. Will that become a tradition for us in years to come? Maybe. It certainly has its perks:

1. It gives us a plan for mid-year so that we can work our other travels around it.
2. It secures a campsite for us for Memorial Day Weekend, aka the start of camping season.
3. It allows me to book a really fun destination for my birthday.
4. It forces us to slow down and soak in our surroundings, something that we can't easily do when we're flying by the seat of our pants.

We actually didn't expect this 3-week summer kickoff to happen this year. We initially had plans to hit Glacier in the early fall, a time that is highly recommended by the locals. The crowds are gone, the cooler weather is rolling in, and most of the park is still open before the snow comes. We had one major goal: we needed to take our ebikes on Going to the Sun Road, and fall was a perfect time to do it. On the cusp seasons, park officials close the road to vehicles, leaving parts open for hiking and biking only. We wanted to visit the park when the road began to close so we could enjoy our bike ride without worrying about vehicular traffic.

But, plans changed when we lucked out winning a lottery for a really awesome event in October. We couldn't pass it up, but we still wanted to travel up to Glacier. So, I did some rearranging of our plans so that we could make our way north, hit Glacier in the spring, and then head back south for our fall event, which will be down in New Mexico. Just like the fall closing season, Going to the Sun Road opens gradually in spring, allowing hikers and bikers to travel further than vehicles. We still had a chance to bike the road as it was opening, but we needed to time it right. Nature is unpredictable, so sometimes the road opens in June, other times not until July. Most years, hikers and bikers can gain at least partial access by early June, and so we planned for that.

We booked our Glacier-area campsite from late May into mid-June and hoped for the best. I watched the plowing status closely on the NPS website and other Montana news sources. By the time we arrived, hikers and bikers were told that they could access 25 miles from the west side of Going to the Sun Road. This was even more than our ebike batteries would allow, so we were good to go! We still had other obstacles to contend with, though. Starting Memorial Day Weekend, Glacier would be requiring vehicle reservations for peak times on Going to the Sun Road. We never bought reservations because we were a little distracted when they were released, but we weren't worried. We had almost a week to enjoy the park before reservations were required, and each day thereafter, we'd still be able to access the park after 3PM. With the sun not setting until 9:30, that'd give us plenty of time to explore. East Glacier would also be open without reservations until July 1, so we could always venture over there if we wanted.

The day after we arrived, we headed into the park to check out the nearest visitor's center and get our pin. This was a special moment, collecting the pin to a national park that's been at the top of my list for a very long time. Beyond that, we didn't have any plans. We weren't sure if Going to the Sun Road would be crowded, and we also couldn't find accurate information on the construction status. We knew that vehicles could drive to Avalanche Creek, about 15 miles in from the visitor's center. But what would the road conditions be? Would it be clearly marked where vehicles and bikes/hikers could go? This being our first time in the park, we didn't quite have our bearings yet. So first we thought we might want to just get our map and information and drive around. But then Glacier's lure became very strong.

There really was no better time to venture onto Going to the Sun Road. It was a beautiful day, and despite being a Sunday, there were no crowds. We figured we could at least drive part of the way, scope things out, and then decide our next move. We drove up to Lake McDonald Lodge, 9 miles up Sun Road. If there was parking, we could stop there and get the bikes out.

The 9 miles up to the lodge were dicey. The construction was still underway, even though cars were allowed through. The road was worse than a lot of unmaintained dirt roads we've driven on. All the pull-outs were blocked too, so we couldn't really admire the view very well. What we saw, though, was outstanding. Lake McDonald was calm and clear that morning, and the mountains reflecting in the water below were stunning. The bug had bit us hard, and so once we were parked at the lodge, we knew this was our chance to ebike.

Now, mind you, we were not adequately prepared for such a hefty excursion. We did have water and snacks, but we weren't dressed in our biking clothes. Our batteries were charged, but we hadn't checked to make sure our bikes were looking ready for a long ride. Now with the rough roads, we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into, but the opportunity was there for the seizing.

We should probably explain our ebikes a bit more, because we've noticed lots of misconceptions about them. These bikes are powered by a lithium battery, but they're not motorbikes in the typical sense. We ride them like normal bikes, but the battery allows for pedal assist. This means that we can get a little boost when we're going uphill or want faster speeds. Otherwise, we're still doing the work, so yes, we do get exercise when we use them. There is also a throttle that will boost our bikes without needing to pedal, but we don't use this often because it depletes the battery really fast. We'll really only use it if we want a quick start from a total stop. Do we sometimes feel like we're cheating at the bike game when we're on them? Yes, but only when we can pedal assist ourselves up a steep hill and see the regular bikers huffing and puffing their way up. Our ebikes are really heavy, about 65lb each, so accounting for that extra weight, when we do pedal on our own, we're using a lot of strength. Our main reason for getting ebikes was that we knew we'd be able to ride longer distances without getting fatigued, and I have knee and hip pain that doesn't do well with repetitive motion, so being able to pedal less intensely has been extremely helpful. We also got foldable ebikes, which we can store much more easily than if we tried to bring our regular bikes on the road.

Attacking from the west

If the status updates were accurate, we'd be ebiking with vehicles for 6 miles and then would enter hiker/biker territory for the remaining 10 miles. Out and back, we were looking at 32 miles, which would be the longest we'd ever pushed our batteries, but they were supposed to have enough juice for 45 miles flat road. This wouldn't be a flat road, but it would be up a lot of ascent and then a lot of descent. At that time, our batteries would be low, but we wouldn't need them because we'd have the momentum of the downhill.

The rough pavement was less of an issue on the bikes because we could dodge divots better than when we were in the truck. The roads also forced cars to drive slow, so we weren't as worried riding alongside them. Then, before we knew it, we reached a bump and the pavement became smooth again. Finally, the road started to feel like how we envisioned. The pullouts were open and the views kept getting better and better as we made our way uphill. We reached Avalanche Creek, bid farewell to the vehicles, and continued past the closure into our hiker/biker stretch. This is where things started getting really fun. We had the freedom of riding anywhere on the road, and the further we went, the less people we saw. We rode alongside the Flathead River, seeing cascades, little waterfalls, and rapids. The river's water is turquoise, from crushed glacial minerals. It contrasts so beautifully with the lush green grass, the pops of color from spring flowers, and the snow-crested mountains. Our springtime visit was looking pretty good!

The season also brought an abundance of butterflies, who were visiting Glacier during their warm weather migration north. We have to say, Glacier butterflies are the friendliest butterflies we've ever met. We rode alongside their joyful flutters, and when we stopped for a snack break, we were visited by a few, one in particular who wanted very badly to be our friend. It hung out on my watch, my bike, and Anthony's backpack the whole time we were stopped, and even hitched a ride with Anthony for a couple hundred feet once we were back on the road. We named it Buddy the butterfly.

Going to the Sun Road climbs about 3500ft from the west, up to Logan Pass, which is on the Continental Divide. We climbed about 1300ft, but as soon as we got above tree line, we started seeing those views that the road is famous for. Unlike a lot of scenic drives, Sun Road was actually designed by an architect and not engineers. The road was specifically created to optimize viewpoints and was carved into the mountain accordingly. Because of this, it's not the easiest to traverse, and the higher up the road gets, the windier it becomes. Vehicles longer than 21ft aren't allowed on parts of the road, and because our truck is 22ft, we kept an eye out for which sections might not be Clyde-friendly, just out of curiosity. We reached The Loop, the only actual switchback on the road, and that's where we gave the definitive cutoff for Clyde. The hairpin turn is one thing, but once above the loop, the road narrowed and wound around sharp bends. Even though we'd be fine driving it in a smaller vehicle, we really do think cycling is the way to go, if you have the stamina, ability, and opportunity. It's so much easier to see the views, plus we could pull over whenever we want. We also had a better gauge on where the edge of the road was, because many places had no rocks or rails between you and the cliffside.

Because we were newbies to the park, we didn't quite know where Bird Woman Falls Overlook was, and this was the stated "end of the road" for hikers and bikers. We passed an extraordinary waterfall and thought that might be it, but the road continued. It wasn't until a few miles up from there that I checked the map and discovered that, indeed, that waterfall was Bird Woman Falls. Apparently the road was open a bit further than NPS was publicizing. We ended up riding to a lookout upon Haystack Butte and knew we'd need to turn around before our batteries died. We were surprised how close we got to Logan Pass; it was only a few miles away. Word from the other cyclists is that we could have gone about another 1.5 miles, so we ended up doing the vast majority of the open road.

Our battery woes had started on the way up, when Anthony realized that his battery was depleting faster than mine. It makes logical sense; he weighs more than me and was carrying a backpack, which added to the weight even more. By the time he got down to 2/10 bars, he asked me to switch batteries, but at that point, it was too late. We knew there would be a high chance that we'd both run out of juice by the time we got back. Thankful for the long descent, we decided to not worry until we got closer to Avalanche Creek. We were able to ride down without any pedal assist on either bike, coasting the whole way.

The road flattened a couple miles from Avalanche Creek, at which point Anthony and I switched batteries back so he could ride without pedal assist and I could use my remaining juice for a level 1 assist. We made it back to Avalanche Creek after a lot of tiring, heavy pedal-pushing. After that we'd be looking at 6 more miles, alongside vehicles, on one dead bike and one comatose bike. It wasn't looking good. We decided instead to wait for the free park shuttle, which does allow bikes but not ones with tires more than 3 inches wide. Ours are 4. We figured we would double check with the shuttle drivers, but if the bikes were a no-go, one of us would shuttle back to the lodge while the other waited at Avalanche Creek with the bikes. That's exactly what we ended up doing. I took the shuttle back, grabbed the truck, and then drove to get Anthony. On the shuttle ride, I was listening to everyone talking about their day, and that's when it hit me, what an incredible shared experience we all had. Going to the Sun Road is bucket-list for so many visitors, especially cyclists. I can't remember when this ride got bumped to the top of my list, but it earns that spot. Day 1 in the park and we already accomplished our highest priority goal. Everything else in the park would just be bonus. We're really glad we seized the opportunity to do this ride right away, despite not being fully prepared and overestimating our battery life. It was still definitely the right decision...especially because that week, the rain moved in, and our park time pre-reservation  requirements was severely limited. Sometimes, you gotta just stop thinking and do. Not our best skill, but we're sure happy we did it this time!

That wasn't the only ebike adventure we had on Going to the Sun Road. In our next post, we'll recap our journey from East Glacier. Were we able to make it all the way to Logan Pass? Stay tuned to find out!