Route from Missoula, MT to east side of Glacier NP?

Planning for a trip next summer, my daughter wants to deviate from
either the TransAm or the Lewis and Clark trail to go over Going to
the Sun road in Glacier National Park. Getting there looks like a
challenge, as we'll want to go west (no, I don't want to ride it
twice), meaning we need to start from the east. The plan is to do it
with loaded road bikes, so prolonged 50 mph uphill sprints and
single-track aren't viable options.

A few minutes with google maps looks like there's two possible routes.
The first goes north from Missoula to Columbia Falls, then turns east
on US 2 to East Glacier Park, then picking up US 89 going north. The
second leaves Missoula on MT 200 going east through Lincoln, then
turning north through Augusta to pick up US 89 at Choteau through
Browning.

Does anyone know these roads well enough to say either route is
preferable, viable, or impossible?

Pat

Email address works as is.

On Jan 7, 10:36*pm, Patrick Lamb wrote:
Planning for a trip next summer, my daughter wants to deviate from
either the TransAm or the Lewis and Clark trail to go over Going to
the Sun road in Glacier National Park. *Getting there looks like a
challenge, as we'll want to go west (no, I don't want to ride it
twice), meaning we need to start from the east. *The plan is to do it
with loaded road bikes, so prolonged 50 mph uphill sprints and
single-track aren't viable options.

A few minutes with google maps looks like there's two possible routes.
The first goes north from Missoula to Columbia Falls, then turns east
on US 2 to East Glacier Park, then picking up US 89 going north. *The
second leaves Missoula on MT 200 going east through Lincoln, then
turning north through Augusta to pick up US 89 at Choteau through
Browning.

Does anyone know these roads well enough to say either route is
preferable, viable, or impossible?

Pat

Email address works as is.

Impossible would require traffic. And Montana just does not have that
much traffic.

Consulting http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/
13 through Missoula, 11 through Glacier national park
Routes listed in both:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?...&doc_id=87&v=p
Route: Missoula to Seely Lake to Swan Lake to Kalispell to Glacier
National Park - Avalanche campground to St. Mary via Logan Pass to
Many Glacier to Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/p..._id=89977&v=4v is
the day they take that road.
Route: Missoula to Condon to Columbia Falls to Glacier National Park
to Browning, Montana

On Thu, 8 Jan 2009 00:34:57 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

On Jan 7, 10:36*pm, Patrick Lamb wrote:
Planning for a trip next summer, my daughter wants to deviate from
either the TransAm or the Lewis and Clark trail to go over Going to
the Sun road in Glacier National Park. *Getting there looks like a
challenge, as we'll want to go west (no, I don't want to ride it
twice), meaning we need to start from the east. *The plan is to do it
with loaded road bikes, so prolonged 50 mph uphill sprints and
single-track aren't viable options.

A few minutes with google maps looks like there's two possible routes.
The first goes north from Missoula to Columbia Falls, then turns east
on US 2 to East Glacier Park, then picking up US 89 going north. *The
second leaves Missoula on MT 200 going east through Lincoln, then
turning north through Augusta to pick up US 89 at Choteau through
Browning.

Does anyone know these roads well enough to say either route is
preferable, viable, or impossible?

Impossible would require traffic. And Montana just does not have that
much traffic.

Mike, well, in my book, impossible might just have a little bit of
traffic, enough that you have a great chance of having one logging
truck pass you in each direction on a blind curve.

Consulting http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/
13 through Missoula, 11 through Glacier national park
Routes listed in both:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?...&doc_id=87&v=p
Route: Missoula to Seely Lake to Swan Lake to Kalispell to Glacier
National Park - Avalanche campground to St. Mary via Logan Pass to
Many Glacier to Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/p..._id=89977&v=4v is
the day they take that road.
Route: Missoula to Condon to Columbia Falls to Glacier National Park
to Browning, Montana

That's the road, but they're doing it in the opposite direction (west
to east) from what we were hoping to do. Interesting journal, though,
it looks like they started east on TransAm and ended up on the
northern tier after Glacier.

Pat

Email address works as is.

"Patrick Lamb" wrote in message
...
Planning for a trip next summer, my daughter wants to deviate from
either the TransAm or the Lewis and Clark trail to go over Going to
the Sun road in Glacier National Park. Getting there looks like a
challenge, as we'll want to go west (no, I don't want to ride it
twice), meaning we need to start from the east. The plan is to do it
with loaded road bikes, so prolonged 50 mph uphill sprints and
single-track aren't viable options.

Don't know which route is best, but be aware there are restrictions on bike
travel on the Sun road. Best to contact the park to find out what they are.

Don't know which route is best, but be aware there are restrictions on bike
travel on the Sun road. Best to contact the park to find out what they are.

from the faqs http://www.nps.gov/glac/
---

Can I ride my bicycle on the Going-to-the Sun Road?
Yes, but there are some exceptions. From June 15 through Labor Day,
the following sections of the Going-to-the-Sun Road are closed to
bicycle use between 11a.m. and 4 p.m.:

* From Apgar turnoff (at the south end of Lake McDonald) to
Sprague Creek Campground
* Eastbound from Logan Creek to Logan Pass.

Due to ongoing road rehabilitation on the Going-to-the-Sun Road,
portions of the roadbed may not be paved. Bicyclists should use
caution riding on gravel portions of the road.

---
What section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road will be rebuilt in 2009?
In summer 2009, road work is scheduled to occur west of Logan Pass
between Haystack Creek and Big Bend.
---
a live road conditions map:
http://home.nps.gov/applications/gla...roadstatus.cfm
---
a higly detailed map
http://www.nps.gov/PWR/customcf/apps...i onal%20Park
---

read up on the construction schedule. How much fun is it riding up
hill at 4 mph in the middle of dozens of cars stacked up behind faster
moving lead vehicles.

---

Last time I was there, I took a ranger guided day long hike from the
Many Glacier Hotel up to Grinnell Glacier. Really was the most
fabulous hike. Far more fun than the trip thru the park on the going
to the sun road. Included 2 boat rides across Swiftcurrent Lake and
Lake Josephine. I did this in mid August. The ranger reported it was
the first hike of the season to make it to the glacier since the snow
finally melted. yeah, mid august. Summer lasts about 2 weeks up
there.