Stunning, Incredible, Spectacular

That is all we had to say after driving the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. And we are from Colorado and very familiar with Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. Maybe it is because this is new and different scenery, I don't know. But it is wonderful.

It had been 23 years since our first visit to Glacier. That time we didn't drive this road. So it was number one on our agenda for this visit. Here in West Glacier where we are staying, the elevation is 3220 and the highest peak, Heaven's Peak, is 8987 ft. Grand Lake, Colorado, at the west entrance to Rocky Mountain NP is 8369 and 12,183 ft. But the Glacier mountains are certainly beautiful, even if they aren't as high.

The Going to the Sun road was built in the 1930s by the CCC--Civilian Conservation Corps.

As the name of Glacier suggests, there are glaciers and snow fields that produce a lot of waterfalls.

The mountains are beautiful.

The crowds were large and the parking crowded at the view points. And in places the road was very narrow.

There are two large lakes in McDonald and St. Mary. This is a view of McDonald. The water in the lakes and rivers is incredibly clear.  Artist Charles M. Russell and his wife built a cabin on Lake McDonald, called Bull Head Lodge, where many visiting artists spent time painting the beauties of Glacier National Park.

This eye-catching island is in the middle of St. Mary's Lake.

This is the only wildlife we saw.

These open-topped buses are used for tours of the park along the Going to the Sun road.

These lights hang in the lobby of the Lake McDonald Lodge, built in 1913.

Glacier on the northern edge of Montana and just across the border in Canada is Waterton Lakes National Park.  The two parks are an International Peace Park World Heritage Site.   You can read about our visit to Waterton Lakes in 2012 here.