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Riders on e-bikes passing under the Weeping Wall on Going-to-the-Sun Road

Biking Going-to-the-Sun Road

The climb from Avalanche Creek to Logan Pass, the weeks when the road belongs to bikes, and how to ride it with a guide, a rental or our shuttle.

Going-to-the-Sun Road runs 50 miles across Glacier National Park and crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, 6,646 feet up. For a few weeks each spring the plows are ahead of the cars, and the road is open to hikers and bikers only. That is the ride people fly in for.

We are in Columbia Falls, half an hour from the west entrance. Guests ride it three ways: on our guided e-bike tour with lunch, on a rented e-bike with our 11:00 am shuttle to the Avalanche Lake trailhead, or on their own bike with the same shuttle. This page covers the season, the park's rules, the distances and what to bring, so you can pick the right day.

The Ride in Numbers

7.8 miles
Avalanche Creek to The Loop, 881 feet of climbing
12.5 miles
Avalanche Creek to Big Bend, 2,326 feet
15.5 miles
Avalanche Creek to Logan Pass, 3,208 feet
6,646 feet
Logan Pass, the highest point on the road
32 miles
West entrance to Logan Pass by road; 18 miles from the east entrance
11.5 miles
Rising Sun to Logan Pass on the east side, 2,313 feet

Distances and elevation are the park's own figures from its spring closure points. Most riders start at Avalanche Creek, where our shuttle drops you, and turn around wherever the closure or their legs say so.

Spring: The Car-Free Weeks

Once the plows pass Avalanche Creek, usually in April or May, the road above the vehicle closure opens to hikers and bikers only. There is no set calendar; the dates follow the snowpack and the plowing. Every spring the closure point moves up the mountain in stages, so you can get a car-free ride to The Loop weeks before the road reaches Logan Pass.

The park sets the hiker-biker closure each Thursday for the week ahead. Monday through Thursday, road crews close sections while they plow; when crews are not working you may ride to the avalanche hazard closure. Going past a closure is a serious offense in the park. Avalanches are rare below The Loop but real above it, so keep your eyes open and check the forecast.

In recent years the full road opened on July 2 in 2023, June 22 in 2024 and June 13 in 2025. The best car-free riding is usually late May into June, when the plows are near the top and the gate is still down.

A cyclist climbing Going-to-the-Sun Road below the Garden Wall

Summer: Sharing the Road With Cars

Once the road opens to vehicles, typically by early July, you are riding a narrow mountain road with no shoulder, sharing it with cars, RVs and tour buses. The park asks for single file, pull-outs when four or more cars stack up behind you, and lights in low visibility.

The park also closes the Apgar to Logan Pass section to bikes for part of each afternoon from the day the road opens fully through late September. The park's bicycling page lists the current hours; in 2026 it named eastbound 12 pm to 6 pm and westbound 3 pm to 6 pm. Plan a morning ride. Our guided tour and our shuttle both run on that clock.

Two riders at the stone wall beside a tunnel on Going-to-the-Sun Road

Fall: Quiet Again

After the afternoon restriction ends in late September the traffic thins, the larches turn and the mornings are cold. The alpine section usually stays open until the third Monday of October, weather allowing, and the lower road to Lake McDonald Lodge stays open all year. Dress for winter at the top.

Three Ways to Ride It

With a Guide

The Going-to-the-Sun Road e-bike tour: an Aventon e-bike, a local guide, the drive in from our shop, a lunch stop at a viewpoint and up to 32 miles of road. Riders 13 and up; cargo bikes and trailers for younger children in limited supply.

E-Bike Tour

Rent an E-Bike and Take the Shuttle

Pick up a 2026 Aventon Pace at the shop, board the 11:00 am shuttle to the Avalanche Lake trailhead, ride as far as the closure or your legs allow, and ride the shuttle back in the afternoon. Book the bike and the shuttle separately.

E-Bike Rental

Your Own Bike and Our Shuttle

Bring your bike to the shop and the 11:00 am shuttle carries you and it to Avalanche Creek, with a ride back to Columbia Falls in the afternoon. In 2026 the park ran no hiker-biker shuttle of its own.

Bike Shuttle

West Side or East Side

West Side, From Avalanche Creek

The classic. A gentle warm-up along McDonald Creek, then the grade kicks up past The Loop, the road's only hairpin, and the Weeping Wall, where meltwater sprays across the pavement. The final miles along the Garden Wall are exposed and the views are the reason you came. Longer and more gradual than the east side, with the best odds of mountain goats, bighorn sheep and bears. Our tour and shuttle run this side.

East Side, From St. Mary

Shorter and steeper: 11.5 miles and 2,313 feet from the Rising Sun closure to Logan Pass, with St. Mary Lake, Wild Goose Island and the Jackson Glacier Overlook on the way. Fewer services, stronger wind, and colder in spring. Contact us if you want to ride the east side with us.

The Park's Rules for Bikes

  1. E-bikes are allowed when the motor is under 750 watts and runs only while you pedal. No throttle.
  2. A fee is charged for every bicycle entering the park. Bring your pass.
  3. Bikes stay on paved and unpaved roads and the marked bike paths, never on hiking trails.
  4. When the road is open to cars: single file, keep right, use pull-outs, and pull over and stop when four or more cars stack up behind you.
  5. A white light or reflector in front and a red one behind in low visibility and between sunset and sunrise.
  6. Never ride past a hiker-biker closure. Crews are plowing above it.
  7. The afternoon bike closure from Apgar to Logan Pass once the road is fully open, through late September. Check the park's bicycling page for the hours.

What to Bring

Rangers treat riders for hypothermia every spring. You climb in a t-shirt and come down through snowmelt spray at speed, so the layers for the descent matter more than the layers for the climb.

  • A windbreaker or rain shell over a thin insulated jacket
  • Gloves and a neck gaiter
  • A thin hat that fits under your helmet
  • Dry, warm layers for after the ride
  • Enough food and water for the whole day; there are no services above Apgar in spring
  • Sunglasses and sunscreen
  • Bear spray, secured, and the distance rules: 25 yards from large animals, 100 from bears
  • Your Glacier National Park pass
  • A helmet; ours comes with every rental

Good to Know

When does Going-to-the-Sun Road open for bikes?
Earlier than it opens for cars. Once the plows pass Avalanche Creek in spring, the road above the vehicle closure is open to hikers and bikers only, with the closure point moving up weekly. The full road has opened to cars by early July in most years: July 2 in 2023, June 22 in 2024, June 13 in 2025. Our guide to when the road opens follows the plowing each spring.
How hard is the ride to Logan Pass?
From Avalanche Creek it is 15.5 miles and 3,208 feet of climbing one way, on a steady grade of around 6 percent above The Loop. On a regular bike it is a serious day for a fit cyclist. On an e-bike most riders find it a long, happy climb, and the descent is the same for everyone.
Can I ride an e-bike on Going-to-the-Sun Road?
Yes. The park allows e-bikes with a motor under 750 watts that engages only while pedaling. Our Aventon Pace rentals and tour bikes qualify. Throttle use is illegal in the park.
Is there a free park shuttle for bikes?
Not in 2026. The park's bicycling page states that hiker-biker season shuttles were not available in 2026. The park's Logan Pass shuttle ran July 1 to September 7, 2026 with a ticket from Recreation.gov, for Logan Pass day trips; some of those shuttles carry bike racks. Our shuttle leaves Columbia Falls at 11:00 am for the Avalanche Lake trailhead through the riding season.
Where do I park?
In spring the lots at Avalanche and Lake McDonald Lodge fill early, and in summer Logan Pass fills by sunrise. Our tour and shuttle leave from our shop in Columbia Falls, so the parking problem is ours, not yours.
Do I need a park pass on a bike?
Yes. The park charges an entry fee for bicycles. Passes are not included in our tour, rentals or shuttle, so buy one ahead on the park's fees page or at the entrance.
What time should I ride in summer?
Morning. Once the road is fully open to cars the park closes the Apgar to Logan Pass section to bikes for part of each afternoon through late September; in 2026 that was eastbound from 12 pm and westbound from 3 pm, both until 6 pm. Check the park's bicycling page for this year's hours.
How far should a first-timer go?
The Loop, 7.8 miles up from Avalanche with 881 feet of climbing, is the natural first goal: the hairpin, the views back down the valley and a comfortable turnaround. Big Bend and Logan Pass are the next two, each a big step up in climbing.
Is the ride safe for kids?
On our tour, riders 13 and up ride their own bike and younger children ride with an adult on a cargo e-bike or in a trailer, in limited supply. On your own, the flat lower road from Apgar to Avalanche suits families; the climb above Avalanche is for confident riders.
What if the road is closed on my day?
Spring closures move with the plowing and the weather. If the hiker-biker closure is low, you ride to it and back, and the views start well before The Loop. If the road is shut, contact us and we talk through the options: another date, or the half-day Camas Road e-bike ride on a quieter paved road in the park's northwest corner.

Read More Before You Ride

Your Next Ride Starts Here

Pick a date and see everything you can book, or call the shop and talk to someone who rides these roads every week.

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