Going-to-the-Sun Road

Going-to-the-Sun Road is a scenic mountain road in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, in Glacier National Park in Montana. The Sun Road, as it is sometimes abbreviated in National Park Service documents, is the only road that traverses the park, crossing the Continental Divide through Logan Pass at an elevation of 6,646 feet (2,026 m), which is the highest point on the road. Prior to the construction of the road, visitors would need to spend several days traveling through the central part of the park, an area which can now be traversed within a few hours, excluding any stops for sightseeing or construction.

The road is the first to have been registered in all of the following categories: National Historic Place, National Historic Landmark The road is approximately 50 miles (80 km) long and spans the width of the park between the east and west entrance stations.

Design

thumb|left|Road map (click map to enlarge)

Going-to-the-Sun Road, also known as Glacier Route 1 Road, is notable as one of the first National Park Service projects specifically intended to accommodate the automobile-borne tourist. The road was first conceived by superintendent George Goodwin in 1917, who became the chief engineer of the Park Service the following year. As chief engineer, the new road became Goodwin's primary project, and construction began in 1921.

As the project proceeded, Goodwin lost influence with National Park Service director Stephen Mather, who favored landscape architect Thomas Chalmers Vint's alternative routing of the upper portion of the road along the Garden Wall escarpment. Vint's alignment reduced both switchbacks and the road's visual impact, at increased cost. With Goodwin's resignation, Vint's proposal became the preferred alignment. The entire project was finally opened from end to end in 1933, at a cost of $2.5 million.

The western terminus of the road is at U.S. Route 2 in West Glacier, Montana. The eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 89 in St. Mary.

The two-lane Going-to-the-Sun Road is quite narrow and winding, with hairpin turns, especially west of Logan Pass. Consequently, vehicle lengths over the highest portions of the roadway are limited to no longer than and no wider than between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun picnic areas which are located many miles below Logan Pass, on the west and east sides of the pass, respectively. Vehicles over in height may not have sufficient clearance due to rock overhangs when driving west between Logan Pass and the hairpin turn called the Loop. The repairs, which started in the 1980s and continue to the present day when weather permits, include fixing retaining walls, replacing the original pavement with reinforced concrete, and work on tunnels, bridges, culverts and overlooks.

Buses

thumb|left|Red Jammer bus (2006)

A fleet of vintage 1930s red buses, modernized in 2001 and called Red Jammers, or simply "Reds", continue the tradition of offering guided tours along the road. The original bus drivers became affectionately known as "Gear Jammers", or simply "Jammers", since they had to jam the manual gearbox into low to safely negotiate the steepest road sections. Modern-style shuttle buses for shorter trips and Blackfeet tour buses operate on the road as well.

References in popular culture

thumb|right|Saint Mary Lake from road

Going-to-the-Sun Road is shown in the opening credits of the 1980 film The Shining, as aerial flybys of Wild Goose Island and the protagonist's car traveling along the north shore of Saint Mary Lake, through the East Side tunnel and onward, going to a mountain resort hotel for his job interview as a winter caretaker. The road is also featured at night at the climax of the sequel adaptation, Doctor Sleep, when Danny Torrance returns to the Overlook Hotel with Abra to confront the antagonist Rose The Hat.

The road is also seen briefly in the 1994 film Forrest Gump. As Forrest reminisces with Jenny he remembers running across the U.S. and remarks, "Like that mountain lake. It was so clear, Jenny. It looked like there were two skies, one on top of the other." The shots in the background are Going-to-the-Sun Road and Saint Mary Lake.

The road is the subject of the song "Going-to-the-Sun Road" by Fleet Foxes, featured on their 2020 album Shore.

References

External links

Glacier National Park official website
Going-to-the-Sun-Road Information and Transit System
Current road status
Going-to-the-Sun Road: A Model of Landscape Engineering
Visit Montana - Going-to-the-Sun Road
Great Falls Tribune: Glacier National Park centennial timeline
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation, filed under West Glacier, Flathead County, MT: