ESPECIALLY IN SEPTEMBER

Glacier, A Cyclist’s Pocket Paradise

By Bill Schneider, 9-21-06

	Going-to-the-Sun Highway in Glacier National Park. Photo courtesy of Donnie Sexton/Travel Montana.

Last week, we did the second annual GAG ride, which this year stands for Geezers Across Glacier, and it's time to again sing the praises of this pocket paradise that far too few cyclists enjoy.

Glacier is known far and wide as a hiker's park, and it certainly deserves that reputation. A cyclist has a smaller selection of scenic routes in the park than a hiker does, but those routes are no less spectacular than the famous hiking trails. I almost wrote down that cycling in Glacier is a nice as riding in the Alps, Dolomites or Pyrenees, but I caught myself at the last second because I should say that cycling in Europe is almost as nice as cycling in Glacier.

I've ridden the Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass many times, and it just doesn't get any better. But this isn't the only route worth riding in Glacier. Euros accustomed to cycling the Pyrenees or Alps wouldn't miss a beat riding the road between St. Mary and East Glacier over Looking Glass Pass or the route St. Mary to Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada. For those who like shorter rides, try the Camas Creek Road or the Many Glacier road along Lake Sherburne.

Glacier isn't well suited to a long cycling vacation, but for two or three days, it can't be beat. And the park is perfect for a hiking-biking combo trip i.e. hike one day, bike the next.

Strangely, even Montana cyclists don't often travel to Glacier to ride. Unnecessary regulations restricting bicycles (subject of today's Wild Bill column) on the west side of Logan Pass may discourage some riders, especially local cyclists. But you can work around the regs or wait until after Labor Day when the National Park Service waives the restrictions.

What probably keeps most cyclists away is a misconception of the difficulty. Yes, for sure, the park is a long way from being flat, but it seems flat compared to some of those goat-trails-turned-highways I've ridden over in Italy and France. In crossing over the Great Divide, the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass is the biggest climb in the park, It's 12 miles of grades up to 6 percent on the west side and eight miles at about the same grade on the east side with a few pitches over 6 percent near the top. That can be strenuous, no doubt, depending on how fast you're trying to go, but to me, that seems like part of the challenge. Plus, there are frequent scenic pullouts with interpretive displays that can make convenient rest stops.

If you like flat, bikeways like the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes in Idaho, well, Glacier might not be paradise for you. All the roads are hilly except the gorgeous sections along Lake MacDonald, Lake Sherburne, and St. Mary Lake, which are "lake grade."

And then, there's always fear of too much traffic that might keep cyclists away, but I have had no problem with the traffic in Glacier. Ditto for many weeks spent cycling in Yellowstone.

In Glacier, the speed limit varies from 25 or 45 mph, which, in my humble opinion, automatically makes cycling much safer. Usually--but not always, of course--people driving through our scenic national parks aren't in a panic or late for work. They're going slow and expecting things like grizzly bears and cyclists on the roadways to slow down traffic.

Traveling the Going-to-the-Sun Highway is always awe-inspiring, but for me, seeing it from a bicycle is more enjoyable than from a car window. Safer, too. And almost as fast. You really aren't going that much slower than motor vehicles driving up the pass, and as fast or even faster going down.

I almost always ride Glacier early in the morning for two reasons. The slow-moving traffic is more sparse, and I have a better chance of hitting that classic, crisp, cloudless day that paints the Crown of the Continent in majestic color. Yes, you definitely need good weather to ride over Logan Pass. If the regulations are in effect, this is also the best time to ride the amazingly scenic Lake MacDonald Route.

Last year, we did the GAG ride in August, but the only real advantage was an extra half-hour of daylight in the morning. This is important because current NPS regs prohibit bicycles on sections of this road during the key time of 11 am to 4 pm. In September, though, the NPS lifts these rules, so we can sleep in and start later in the morning after the sun has chased the chill out of the mountain air. In addition, the tamaracks put on their golden coat starting in September and the bull elk bugle their warnings. If you can only go during the summer, Glacier is still well worth taking your bicycle along, but it's even better in September.

If interested in more details on planning a trip to Glacier, check out the park's excellent website.

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