Going to the Sun Road 2008....Big Bend

Heavens Peak
The park officially opened the Going to the Sun Road to the Big Bend closure last Saturday. I decided to go check it out the 29 mile drive for myself so I could tell you first hand what I found. Please keep in mind to focus on the beauty of what is around you at all times. That said here we go....

Leaving West Glacier and heading up along Lake McDonald is always a wonderful drive with the lake having high water levels. Where there have been beaches in the past are now covered with water.....so be prepared to get wet if you intend to walk on the lake shore.

The road surface appeared for some reason to have a lot more dips and bumps than I remember from last year. Upon passing the turnoffs to the Lodge. it became quickly apparent that there were horses around. I am not sure why, but it was VERY aromatic. We quickly proceeded on up the road, through Avalanche where there was also construction going on. Upon arriving in moose country we came across a ranger standing in the background observing a large crowd of visitors. Sure enough the resident moose was in the water on the right side of the road having a snack. Please use common sense in these situations, these are WILD animals.

The road got rough as we approached the Logan pit area. It appears that they are using this as a staging area for the construction on the road. The heavy trucks are taking their toll on an old road.

There are new pit toilets being built along the way in the Logan creek area, however they were not available when we were there. There were portipotties along the side of the road. Once we started the climb out of the valley the condition of the road did not improve. There is an abundance of water moving down the chutes and in McDonald Creek. It is obvious that all the water is effecting the road. Arriving at the West tunnel we encountered water cascading down and once we splashed through the tunnel come upon a gravel surface. It actually was fairly smooth, however loose gravel and driving in the mountains are a fun combination. All of the parking area at the Loop is being used for more staging of large rocks. Until this is finished I can see huge bottlenecks forming. You shouldn't plan on finding any parking there anytime soon.

The next three mile or so section of the road is a real experience to say the least. If you have anyone in your vehicle that doesn't care for open heights I would not proceed past the loop. The construction continues and for a ways there is nothing between the outside lane and freefall. I am not sure if they just haven't gotten the barriers in place or if someone in their great wisdom decided not to. That was an enlighting experience and I thought I has seen it all. Shortly after we came across a flagger and single lane traffic. We now had to sit and wait for the pilot truck to come back and guide us through the single lane. There was no construction going on anywhere that I could see. At least here they had placed barriers on the outside edge of the inside lane, just visible signs that something was going on. It appeared the complete outside lane was gone and it felt to me as we were just hanging onto a very narrow ledge with a loose gravel surface. It was not a pleasant experience! We waited for 10-15 minutes for out turn to proceed. The rest of the ride to Big Bend was under the same conditions.


Bird Woman Falls The views of Bird Woman Falls were breathtaking. It seemed like you could reach out and touch it. Actually I took so many photos of the falls that I didnt get any of the road condition which I wanted to forget about. The short distance on to Big Bend was uneventful, with having to pass along the Weeping Walls. At this point in the season it should have been called the crying falls.From all the talk of heavy snow I was disappointed when I got to Big Bend. The amount of snow left was very small compared to years past. After walking around taking in the sights and taking in the very fresh cool fresh aire realized that I now had to go back through that same route. Only this time as the driver I was right at the edge.

Big Bend There was not much low snow lying around. However the views were spectacular with mountain goats on the hillsides. Lots of water running and still lots of snow higher up.




Weeping Wall
As you can see there is a lot of water coming out of the weeping wall and onto the roadway.


Black BearUpon making it back to lower elevations we encountered another traffic jam. it is so amazing to me that folks come to the wild and loose all aspects of common sense. There were folks standing literally 6 feet from this adult black bear, totally unaware of what they were placing themselves and the bear in. Please enjoy the wildlife, but be smart.
Please keep in mind to focus on the beauty of what is around you at all times and try not to think about the construction zones.

We did safely make it back through the construction zone, however I will tell you that when I go back up to see and document Logan Pass, it will be from the St Mary's side of the park. This is a section of the road I will not drive on again until it is completely finished.




Thats my two cents worth for today......Have a great day..