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Cycling Going-to-the-Sun Road in the Fall (Video)

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Going to the sun road cycling

One of the finest routes I’ve ever cycled is Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. The winding, beautiful trip over Logan Pass starts by a rushing river and climbs (and climbs) for 11 miles as views of the valley below open like a magical picture book. During a recent road trip through western Montana, my dad and I were lucky to catch a nice fall day to pedal to the sun.

I rode through Glacier last year in July – one of our favorite days of our U.S. bike tour – and this time of year revealed another brilliant facet of the park. Fall colors were firing and, an added bonus, the road was closed for the season to vehicle traffic. During the summer, the park requires cyclists to be off the road by 11 a.m. This time around, we dawdled, pedaled in the middle of the road, and soaked in this gem of the Rockies.

A few miles from the top of Logan Pass.

A few miles from the top of Logan Pass.

Pictures can’t capture the experience. Instead, here’s a short video of our ride. Kudos to my dad for cranking up the steep grade for miles and miles!

More to come from our Montana adventures…

Going-to-the-Sun Road valley view fall colors

Mountains, Rainbows and Rivers Make All This Pedaling Worthwhile

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The last week of cycling was physically tough as we hit the mountain passes with sore butts and less-than-fresh legs. It was also tooootally worth it for the simply amazing countryside we had the pleasure of traversing thanks to Glacier and Waterton Parks in Montana and Alberta, Canada.

Here are a few choice recent shots, plus one of us to prove we’re still together and happy. 😉 The last is one of my new favorites – it captures the joy that exploring via bike is all about. Enjoy!

Dakota

Riding north on the east side of Glacier toward Canada.

Riding north on the east side of Glacier toward Canada.

Late bloom this far north up in Canada at Waterton Lake. (The mosquitoes practically carried me off as I took this picture...)

(Definitely click to view full size!) Late bloom this far north up in Canada at Waterton Lake. (The mosquitoes practically carried me off as I took this picture…)

Riding up Going-to-the-Sun Road in the early morning in Glacier.

Riding up Going-to-the-Sun Road in the early morning in Glacier.

My pot of gold at the end of a rainbow! Riding next to Weeping Wall in Glacier on Going-to-the-Sun Road.

My too-cute smiling wife at the end of a rainbow! Riding next to Weeping Wall in Glacier on Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Eye Candy: Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park

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Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier Looking for one of the best cycling roads in the world? Check out the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park .

Gotta say, it was one of the most scenic rides that I’ve ever done. The picture above sums it up: rivers, peaks, valleys, glaciers and a curving road hugging a cliff edge. A-maz-ing.

We rode this as part of our U.S. bike tour in 2014. It connects the west and east sides of the park via Logan Pass and a leg-pounding 11 miles of climbing up a steep grade from 3,000 to almost 7,000′ elevation.

A few more shots below! If you’d like to see a video of cycling this road, check out a ride I did in October 2015 with my dad.

Chelsea heads into a tunnel on the climb.

Chelsea heads into a tunnel on the climb.

Chelsea cuts in front of an area scorched by a 2003 fire.

Chelsea cuts in front of an area scorched by a 2003 fire.

Staring down a curvy section of Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Staring down a curvy section of Going-to-the-Sun Road.