Glacier Institute offering guided Sun Road tours out of Columbia Falls
Anthony Nelson with one of the Glacier Institute's new shuttle buses.
The Glacier Institute has implemented a new shuttle and guided hike service this summer which provides a way for folks to experience the Going-to-the-Sun Road without the hassle of getting a ticket or driving the road.
The Institute recently purchased five, 14-passenger buses for the program said executive director Anthony Nelson.
Each trip offers s different option for the visitor, depending on where they want to go and what they want to see. All the tours travel the entire length of the road, Nelson said.
The tours include:
• A trip up the Sun Road and then a guided hike up to Avalanche Lake.
• A trip up the Sun Road and then a guided hike up to the Hidden Lake overlook.
• A trip up the Sun Road and then an 8-mile guided hike on the Highline Trail.
• A trip up the Sun Road and then a short hike to St. Mary Falls.
Trips leave at 8 a.m. from the Institute’s main office on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls. All vans have air filters, so masks are not required. They also have huge windows so folks can really take in the sights, Nelson noted.
Tickets are $100 per person and visitors are required to have a park pass.
Two of the vans are four-wheeled drive and all of them have all-season tires, making them useful in the winter months for the Institute’s programs, Nelson said.
The Institute is the official educational partner of Glacier National Park and offers a host of guided programs both in the park and the neighboring Flathead National Forest.
It also offers camps for children and adults at its Big Creek facility up the North Fork, including a fly fishing camp for youths and a photography course for youths as well.
Inside Glacier, it has a camp near Apgar along the Middle Fork of the Flathead.
The Institute has 27 summer staff, which includes part-time help. It also has more than 25 contract instructors, which have years of experience in their fields.
Enrollment in any of its Glacier Park courses includes a ticket to access the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The Sun Road trips run through Sept. 30.
For more information or to book a trip go to the Institute’s website at glacierinstitute.org.