Experience the best of West Glacier

West Glacier is a village of lodges, cabins and shops by the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, at the western entrance of Glacier National Park, which was established in 1910 and borders Canada. Apgar, at the southern end of Lake McDonald, lies just inside the gate, with a visitor centre and boats on the lake. A railway station on the main line serves the village.

Going-to-the-Sun Road, about 80 kilometres long, runs from here beside Lake McDonald, whose stones glow red, green and purple through the clear water, and climbs through cedar forest to Logan Pass at 2,026 metres on the Continental Divide, before descending to the east side. Grizzly bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep and moose live in the park, which shares its border with Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada as an International Peace Park.

Huckleberries, small wild purple berries, flavour the pies, jams, pancakes and ice cream of north-west Montana, and bison burgers and trout are common. The high part of the road is buried in snow for much of the year, and summer is the main season.