Early season visitors to Glacier National Park hoping to take in the full breadth of the Going-to-the-Sun Road are rolling the dice, but it paid off this year for Jose and Michelle Alvarez and their young son Chase.

"This was the best gift for us,” said Michelle Alvarez while the family stopped at Big Bend. “We didn't expect to see this on our trip, because we booked it in the early part of summer, and we expected this to open in like July, right? So, opening it a day before we leave, it's a blessing." 

The road opened in its entirety for the 2025 season on Monday and remnants of a snowbank at Big Bend gave the family, visiting from Palm Springs, California, a shot at a late spring snowball fight.  

“There’s lots of glaciers here,” Chase Alvarez said of his surroundings. 

Joe and Tracy Ramos from Virginia were also taking a break at Big Bend. Tracy Ramos is working seasonally in the park archives office, and it was the first time her husband had made the trek up the Going-to-the-Sun Road.  

Joe Ramos said they were stationed in Germany during his time in the military and the terrain reminded him a lot of the mountains there. 

"It has a very German feel. The dark green trees, the mountains remind us of a special Bavarian region known as Garmisch. So, she's constantly hearing me say, ‘That reminds me of Garmisch.’ Here we are in our own Garmisch, and I can see why it's so crowded today,” Joe Ramos said.  

A little further up the road, Logan Pass Visitor Center was bustling. Still, there were parking spots available in the mid-afternoon, just before the vehicle reservation window ended at 3 p.m.  

Betsey and Lita Moore were taking a load-off outside the gift shop entrance, near the Hidden Lake trailhead. The mother-daughter duo from Florida said they jumped the gun on getting a ticket for Sunday, thinking they’d be able to drive the full road. However, they were able to snag a next-day ticket that night at 7 p.m. 

“Our whole family was on our phones, we had an alarm set for 6:55, we all got on at 7 p.m. but we had to refresh and make sure that we could get one,” Lita Moor said. “But it wasn't too difficult. All in all, it was pretty straightforward.”  

While the Sun Road’s full opening is a nice surprise for visitors, it’s also a treat for locals. Ellen, Bryce and Tessa Rands from Whitefish were ready with sleds in hand to hike up the Hidden Lake Overlook trail and slide down the snowbank at the base of Clements Mountain.   

“Traffic is not usually as bad as it is later in the season. Parking is always a problem and hiking can be hard in the snow, but it's fun. It's worth it,” Ellen Rands said. “It’s a little more melted than in previous years, so we might have to go up a little further.”  

For more information on Glacier National Park’s pilot vehicle reservation system and the Going-to-the-Sun Road, visit nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/vehicle-reservations.htm/.  

Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or [email protected].