Glacier National Park to Seattle

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Jan 2, 2006
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ATLANTA, GA
Browning looked like a movie set for a post apopalyptic movie. I too got gas and got gone.

Ice Field Parkway is a must.

Revelstoke is a good overnight location.

Motels were expensive.

I crossed the border at remote locations to avoid traffic lines. Hwy 1 north of Bonners Ferry going into Canada had little traffic.

DO NOT TRY TO TAKE a firearm, pepper spray or anything that could be construed as a concealed weapon into Canada.

Be prepared to be grilled by US Customs on your return.

Do you have a passport?

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/documents-needed-between-canada-usa-car-21162.html

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/marine/ferry_schedules.htm

Be prepared for ALL types of weather.
 
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the Ferret

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Browning Mt is scary. I too gassed up there and was gone.

Bicycles are allowed on Going to the Sun road until 11 AM, then they have to be out of traffics way.. which is a clue.. traffic gets bad at 11
 
Joined
Sep 2, 2008
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87
Location
Mammoth Lakes, CA
rode north from glacier to jasper in 2009 (on the way to alaska, see uptoalaska.blogspot.com) and east from vancouver bc to winthrop wa in 2010 (on the way back from alaska). hard to go wrong in that area. i do remember radium hot springs as a nice place to stop, not quite as crowded as banff. if you can camp, you will have many more options for where to spend the night.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
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Easton, PA
Waterton NP in Canada, adjoining, Glacier, is a nice stop. Using 541 and 40 to by-pass Calgary has some nice scenery, but not much fuel. On these roads we saw a couple herds of bighorn sheep. After the Ice Fields PWY make your way over to Whistler and the Sea To Sky Highway to Vancouver. Avoid Whistler on the weekend. During our visit we found it to be a party town and extremely noisy as the bars let out, 1 - 3 AM.

If you have the time ride Vancouver Island. The ferry ride to Port Angeles, WA can be spectacular in good weather.

Len
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2007
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134
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Alberta
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2005 ST
May 2009 131.jpgThe pictures I have posted in the galleries section on this site are all from Highway 93 , the Icefield Parkway . I took them in early part of May . My AV is a picture from the icefield . It's beautiful up there .
 

T_C

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St. Louis, MO
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2005 St1300
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One thung I would put on the list as you are headed westward from Glacier NP is a run down Montana, Hwy 28. Get on it by Big Arm lake, and exit it at Plains, MT. That highway runs right down through the Giant Current Ripples. A leftover marker from a glacial lake that released a lot of it's water in one flood.

You have seen the little 1/2" tall mounds of sand in a fast creek or the ocean beach, now imagine those mounds 30' tall. Holy cow-pie batman that had to be a lot of water. I think I read they estimate the water was 200' deep and moving 80mph.

Shortly after you get off 28 is Paradise Montana, a natural spring pumps about 40 gallons per minute alongside the road. They built a structure around it and an asphalt parking lot there so you can get off the highway and refill your water bottles.
 
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markandmelly
Joined
Apr 7, 2011
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19
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Provo, Utah
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2003 ST1300 ABS
For those that have ridden Going to the Sun road, how much time should I allot for this one section? The warnings to go early are greatly appreciated. I may try to get this on a midweek morning instead of weekend.
Have most of you ridden the entire way through this road and then carried on your way or do you get to a certain point,turn around and come back? Preferences?
 

the Ferret

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I went straight through and out the other end and continued on towards Idaho, but there was construction we had to sit and wait for 45 minutes at one point. Seems it took us about a few hours. At least we were stopped in a very scenic spot, so we had a great photo opportunity of the scenery, my wife and the ST

 

Gerhard

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Apr 1, 2012
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Ontario
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2012 R1200RT
Here are a few of our photos on the road between Banff and Jasper.


This is Moraine Lake, a smaller lake up a twisty road from Lake Louise


Pulled off the road to take look at where we had been




A lake by Jasper
 

T_C

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You will run straight through the road. No need to turn around. With lots of dtops for pictures, I think I was 2 hours. I did not stop for any hikes or at the visitor centers.

It's great doing it by bike in that you can pull over and snap pics on the west side of Logan pass. They have some shoulders on the road for rain run-off that are just big enough to park a bike and get some scenic shots looking into the valley.
 
Joined
Jul 9, 2013
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Location
Roseville, CA
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2009 ST 1300
Hi everyone,
I am planning a trip from Utah to Glacier National Park in Aug 2015. I would like to go from Glacier National Park north into Canada, ride West in Canada on my way to Seattle Washington. Has anyone completed a ride in this area? Do you have any suggestions on the roads to ensure I take, or avoid at all costs?

We rode from Kalispell up into the park and stopped 3 or 4 times for photos and it took about 3 hours to cruise over the summit to the Browning, MT side. A bit foggy in the morning, but it lifted by 10 a.m. Traffic moves fairly slowly and we got stopped at a couple of road repair sites for 10 to 15 minutes in July. Also found about 8 miles of gravel road, but it was packed down and not difficult to ride. I think going in the opposite direction from Browning toward Kalispell you would get less traffic, but would need to pull over and park on the left at some of the scenic overlooks. I liked the ride into Golden, BC and then going toward Banff and Lake Louise and Columbia Icefields are beautiful. Lots of great roads around BC and I was surprised at the amount of weekend traffic around Kelowna, but it's grown a lot in recent years. I would also recommend highway 20 across northern Washington as mentioned in another reply. Lots of great motorcycle roads (like highway 2) from Montana into Idaho and then into WA or up toward Golden and Revelstoke in BC and down into Northern WA. Have fun and watch for critters on the highway.
 
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markandmelly
Joined
Apr 7, 2011
Messages
19
Location
Provo, Utah
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2003 ST1300 ABS
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. After researching everything that you mention I am definitely going to head all the way to Jasper. This will be an epic road trip for sure.
Are there many places to get off the bike and safely walk on a glacier or do I need to pay for the big Brewster truck to take us up to one? I know they are receding so how close to roads are the glaciers now?
The Glacier Skywalk in near Lake Louise looks amazing too.
Are the trams worth the money to get to the tops of the mountains? Keep in mind I live in Utah and hike/camp here regularly all summer so summit views are still impressive but I have seen about every type (forest, beach, lakes, etc). $30+ per tram seems steep but if they are completely breathtaking then it is worth the stop.
 

T_C

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I did the tram + hike in Jasper, was neat seeing the land from above, the jade green rivers have a whole new look to them.
 
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