Going to the Sun road is the number one must do for most visitors to Glacier National Park. It is the only road traversing the park from east to west (in fact, if you look at a map of Glacier, the vast majority is accessible only by hiking, with very few roads). Going to the Sun has an adventurous ring to it, that it’s not just about the destination but the journey too.
Having stopped for just a couple of photo opportunities along Going to the Sun road, it was still early when we arrived at Logan’s Pass. With sweeping views over the park, Logan’s Pass sits on the Continental Divide (something about rain falling on the east drains ultimately to the Atlantic whereas rain falling on the west drains to the Pacific).
Beyond here, the road was actually closed, due to the Howe Ridge fire that has been burning in West Glacier for about a month now.
It’s a relatively easy walk from Logan’s Pass to Hidden Lake overlook, mostly boardwalk and 500 feet of elevation gain. From here, we could see exactly why the west side of the park was closed, with heavy smoke from the fire lurking down in the valley.
Very few people venture past the overlook to actually drop down to the lake, which for us, made it all the more special. It was a pleasant surprise to see so many wildflowers in the sub-alpine meadows this late in the season, bursts of color with the mountains as a backdrop, very pretty.
We didn’t see too much wildlife (notably no bears), but we did see the back side of a fluffy mountain goat disappearing into the forest, and a cheeky marmot, his coat turning white for the winter, too busy fattening himself up to bother getting out of our way.
When we planned this trip, the guidebooks had pointed out that there was a sweet spot early to mid September after the crowds have gone home and before the snow comes and the campsites close. Hmm, judging by the number of people here, I would hazard a guess that we weren’t the only ones reading this advice in the guidebooks. If this was the sweet spot, I can’t imagine this place in the summer.
Still, the tourist zoo made for some good entertainment, watching cars drive round and round the full car park looking for a non-existent space while we re-fueled with a picnic lunch. They obviously weren’t on Darren’s schedule of getting up in the dark and away at dawn.
Nice spot for a picnic
A shorter hike in the afternoon along the Highline Trail continued the ooh and aah views. Totally agree that Going to the Sun road is a must do if you ever make it to Glacier NP. As is hiking more than 5 minutes from the car park. You lose half the people each mile you walk. Get out and do it! 
