Glacier National Park Bike Tour

Welcome to Whitefish and Montana’s great Rocky Mountains. Meet your Sojourn leaders at Grouse Mountain Lodge, just steps from downtown Whitefish at the foot of Glacier National Park.  After a quick fitting to your bike, get on your first ride along the shores of seven-mile-long Whitefish Lake. Ride past the beautiful lakeside mountain homes under the shadow of 6,817-foot-high Big Mountain, home to Whitefish Mountain resort. Watch for deer and grouse rustling in the bushes, while fishermen cast for trophy trout.  Tonight, gather with your bicycling companions for a fireside welcome reception and dinner.

Experience the ride of a lifetime along Glacier’s phenomenal Going-to-the-Sun-Road. Climb Logan’s Pass, topping out at 6,646 feet, and cross North America’s Continental divide, separating the Atlantic and Pacific watersheds. (From Glacier’s Triple Divide Peak, waters can Ocean or Hudson Bay.)  Leaving early – we’ll ride from west to east – from the Apgar Visitor Center to St. Mary’s Lake, winding past glacier-carved peaks, emerald lakes and countless waterfalls. Be ready to stop for photos at every pull out — bald eagles flying overhead, meadows overflowing with wildflowers, grazing bighorn sheep and snow-white mountain goats. (Please note: Van support and shorter options are also offered on this challenging ride.) Catch your breath at the Logan Pass visitor center, and perhaps take a short walk beyond the boardwalk for panoramic mountain views. Continue your ride, descending past Jackson Glacier, one of the largest remaining glaciers in Glacier National Park, to St. Mary’s Lake and your next historic lodge. Dwarfed by the surrounding mountains, the lake’s iconic Wild Goose Island rises just 14 feet – and is one of the most photographed spots in the Rockies. Tonight, savor Montana’s regional specialties – buffalo, fresh trout, prime rib and sweet huckleberry desserts  at a delectable dinner.

Leave Glacier National Park for today’s ride across the border to Alberta, Canada’s Waterton Lakes. The two parks were combined to form the world’s first International Peace Park in 1932, symbolic of the friendship shared between Canada and the United States along this pristine section of the border. Here, you’ll pedal through verdant forests of fir and aspen with views of Chief Mountain. The striking flat-topped peak on the Blackfeet Reservation towers 9,085 feet high on the Rocky Mountain Front.  Break for a picnic lunch at Maskinonge Lake and wetlands, a favorite spot for birdwatchers – listen for the booming call of the Sandhill Crane or watch the ospreys dive for their supper. Roll on along the Waterton Lakes towards the Prince of Wales Hotel, your stately home for the next three nights. Established in 1927, the green-gabled hotel is perched majestically atop a hill with expansive views of Upper Waterton Lake and the surrounding mountains. Enjoy the unparalleled views over a leisurely dinner at the hotel’s elegant Dining Room.

Options today are plenty at the scenic Waterton Lakes – Go hiking to Bertha Lake and view both Cameron and Bertha Falls. Or, you can hike to Red Rock Canyon and explore the lush valleys brimming with wildflowers. Some of you may want to ride to Cameron Lake or along the Red Rock Parkway where you’re sure to see an assortment of wildlife along the way – white tail and mule deer, elk, moose, and big horn sheep.

Returning to the U.S., hop on your bike after breakfast to ride into Two Medicine Lake in East Glacier. Settle into the historic Glacier Park Lodge, the first hotel built by the Great Northern Railway, and the first stop on visitors’ Glacier Park vacations for decades. Gather with your leaders to learn about the history and lore of the lodge, known as “The Big Tree Lodge.” Have some fun with a round of “chip and putt” golf at the Blackfeet Reservation. Tonight, toast your adventures – and yet another spectacular view – at your farewell dinner at the lodge. 

After a hearty breakfast, you’ll be transported to the Glacier International Airport for your flight home.