Glacier National Park
Road Cycling in Montana with Western Spirit Cycling
Highlights
- Our ride is the absolute best way to experience Glacier National Park
- Fantastic scenery: majestic peaks tower above glacial cirques in almost every direction
- Wonderful chance to spot the grizzly bears
Full Description
This 5-day road bike tour offers stunning scenic views and is by-far the best way to experience all that Glacier National Park has to offer.
There are options for a wide range of cyclists and the historic hotels are reminiscent of the time when the average visit to the Park was 3 weeks, not 3 hours! On our 5 day itinerary you will travel back in time to the grand hotels of the golden age of travel as you pedal through fantastic glacial valleys.
Physical Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced.
Altitude: 4,500 - 6,800 feet.
Includes:
- All meals from lunch on first day to lunch on last day
- Support vehicle
- Guides
- Campsites
Excludes:
- Rental fees
- Gratuities for your guides
- Alcoholic beverages
- Applicable sales tax
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1
We begin with a half hour shuttle out of the Whitefish Valley towards the peaks looming to the north. We start in the village of Apgar and begin with a great warm up ride on the Camas Creek Road. The fire of 2006 covered much of this area, and the resulting views give us a peek at what is in store for us the rest of the week---majestic peaks towering above glacial cirques in almost every direction! We will do a short hike to learn more about fire and its role in forest life before having lunch on the western edge of the park. We then return to Apgar, where we will have a moment to explore the visitor center and enjoy Lake McDonald. The red and green pebbles of the Apgar beach were carried by the glaciers from sedimentary rocks 40 miles up the valley. In the afternoon we finish with a short ten mile cruise along the shores of this magical lake to the Lake McDonald Lodge the first of the historic park lodges we will enjoy this week. We will have appetizers on the porch before dinner at the lodge. TOTAL MILEAGE - 32 miles
Day 2
Today is big! We must begin our ascent of the Going to the Sun Road early in the morning, as the road on the west side of Logan Pass closes to cyclists at 11 am. Our early start in warm clothes gives us the advantage of significantly less traffic and much better potential for wildlife sightings. The views today are so awe inspiring; you will hardly notice you are climbing 3000 feet to the pass! From a distance, the road is a faint cut right into the Garden Wall. The giant arête was formed 1 million years ago by ancient glaciers. We will ride right by the Weeping Wall as we make our way to the Continental Divide at the top of the pass. Once arriving at Logan Pass, we will check out the visitor center, before heading down, down, down to our lunch at Sun Point. A short hike here gives us a great view of St Mary Lake and its ring of spectacular peaks. From here we will shuttle up to the fantastically situated Prince of Wales Hotel in Canada, our home for the evening. TOTAL MILEAGE - 40 miles
Day 3
After breakfast, while enjoying one of the best views on the planet, we will pedal out of the Waterton Valley on our way to Many Glacier. The morning's ride finds us in the shadow of Chief Mountain, where the native Blackfeet Indians had many a vision quest. Our rolling route brings us to lunch just outside the park's eastern border. From here we drop down in the Lake Sherburne Valley. The Many Glacier Hotel is situated right on Swiftcurrent Lake and from the back porch both mountain goats and bear can often be seen. The sunset from this spot is quite impossible to forget! TOTAL MILEAGE - 52 miles
Day 4
After a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, those who wish to explore the lake can take a short boat ride right from the hotel dock. This leads us to a short hike over to Lake Josephine and a second boat ride gives us another wonderful chance to see the grizzly bears that live here; from our comfortable seat we'll cruise up the lake and back. A short hike brings us back to the lodge, where our shuttle van will catch us up to those who chose a morning bike ride. After a lovely lunch we will begin the rolling descent to East Glacier, where yet another beautiful hotel awaits us. The lobby at the East Glacier Lodge is lined with 40 foot tall Douglas Fir pillars and is quite dramatic. TOTAL MILEAGE - 30-67 miles
Day 5
Our last day beings with a short backtrack up to the Two Medicine turn off. This lovely valley was a home for the native Blackfeet. After visiting the lake, we will stop for a quick hike to Running Eagle Falls. This unique waterfall changes its course as the water level drops and is named for a Blackfoot woman who was a warrior and led raids on the enemy. Our cruise back into East Glacier is a great way to finish our voyage. After a picnic on the beautiful grounds of the hotel, we will shuttle back to Whitefish. TOTAL MILEAGE - 26 miles
About The Operator:
Western Spirit Cycling
Headquarters:
Moab, Utah
Established:
January 1989
The History of Western Spirit
"Back in the day", as our oldest guides say, Western Spirit Cycling was founded by a charismatic mad bike rider named Lu Warner. It was 1989; Lu couldn't get enough of riding his bike and decided he should impart some of his joy on the masses. He acquired a Suburban, dubbed "the burb” and a couple of guides and started taking people around the White Rim. Now Lu can be found in some semi-state of retirement in Crested Butte, CO, but his vision was just the beginning.
Just for the record, yes, we still have the burb. It's retired. And those "couple of guides" are our finest Rachel & Johnny - no sign of retirement there!
Then the Mid-90s
Ashley Korenblat bought Western Spirit in 1997 and since then has spent many days riding unknown trails (with a headlamp in her backpack, just in case) creating the plethora of trips that Western Spirit now offers. Ashley is a graduate of Dartmouth and Tuck Business School, a former bike racer, former Wall Street captive and possessor of entrepreneurial spirit. She was president of Merlin during the Titanium mountain bike heyday and served as the IMBA President working to sustain trail availability to everyone. Combine all that with the desire for a Moab lifestyle and an alternative view of a fulfilling career path, and you have the perfect recipe for the owner of a cycling tour company. Enter Mark. Mark is our charming, wicked-fit, voice of reason, miraculously lured from his ski town tradition to live in the desert. Ashley and Mark got married in 1999 in Moab and now run the company together.
Well, actually Kip runs the place. Kip is Ashley and Mark's young boy and he has his own bike helmet and chariot. He is also beginning to tear it up on the dirt with his training wheels.
Our office staff is comprised of mostly gals...and Mark. Thank goodness for Mark! Mark is our bike junkie and can be seen pedaling on a daily basis. Ashley makes the best backcountry bacon you will ever have, but definitely burns off those calories towing the little Kipster around town in his trailer. Anne Clare loves riding her road bike and hiking in the mountains. Sheri and Tonya both love the water and do their best to kayak 365 days a year. Emily is pretty "green". She is the founder of a non-profit organization, Community Rebuilds that promotes affordable and eco-friendly housing.
All of us have worked outdoors and are familiar with what you will experience on a Western Spirit trip. At any given time when you call you can talk to someone who has been on any trip that interests you. That's because we love to be out there too!
Our Philosophy
In our busy world, we often don't get to be outside enough. Even if you do, there's some phenomenon that just makes you want more. Nothing like going somewhere to make you realize all the other places you still need to go! Traveling outside makes you see Mars when it's the closest to earth it'll ever be, makes you smell the fragrant lupine covering the mountain slope, makes you feel the wind, see the perfect sunset, catch an eclipse of the moon, experience the herd of elk in the alpine meadow, and start to tell time by the location of the moon in the night sky.
What's that all worth in our busy world? Well, it is our world.
On all of our tours, we strive to protect our fragile mountain and desert environments. Many of our campsites are remote and unimproved, and we seek to leave them better than we found them.
Meals
Food is one thing we take pretty seriously. Our guides are great backcountry chefs and your trip includes all meals from lunch on first day to lunch on last day.
Support Vehicle
Our customized trucks and vans carry all of your gear as well as many camper comforts! We have the coolest custom F-450's in the industry. Our guides have incredible backcountry experience, but the best part is that they are all super friendly and look forward to a week of riding with you.
Campsites
We camp primarily in pristine locations where it's quiet, dark and peaceful. The finest morning view comes with a hot cup of cowboy coffee. All shuttles are included from our meeting place to the start of your ride. At the end of the trip we shuttle back to our meeting place.
Permits
Western Spirit Cycling, Inc. operates under special use permits from the USDA Forest Service in the Boise, Coronado, Dixie, Grand Mesa, Gunnison, Kaibab, Manti La Sal (Moab and Monticello Ranger Districts), San Juan, Sawtooth, Sierra Vista, Uncompahgre, Challis, Clearwater, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Caribou-Targhee, Black Hills, Mount Hood, Umpqua, Nantahala, White Mountain, Monongahela, and Pisgah National Forests and by Dakota Prairie Grasslands. As well as under permits issued by the Bureau of Land Management in the San Juan Resource Area; Henry Mountain Field Station; Moab, Arizona Strip and Grand Junction Field Offices; Grand Staircase National Monument; and by Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon, Crater Lake and Blue Ridge Parkway National Parks. Western Spirit is a concessionaire in Canyonlands National Park.