To drive what’s considered the most scenic roads in America is one thing, but to bike it is a whole new level of windowless awe-inspiring beauty and determination.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park is Montana’s pièce de résistance among scenic roads in the state, much less the country. The engineering marvel, completed in 1933, draws millions of visitors along its winding, breathtaking route, most of whom travel by vehicle. 

Local cyclists have relished pedaling this grand climb for decades; only in recent years have e-bikes been allowed on the famous road, a move that has received some criticism. Only after completing this incredible journey myself last June did I learn that e-biking the Sun Road is highly controversial. Popularity has surged in electric bike usage during the spring biking season, before the road officially opens to regular traffic for the summer. 

The debate boils down to a few strong opinions. Those against permitting e-bikes feel that it degrades the nature of the experience. For many years, area cyclers could enjoy this brief season before throngs of tourists arrived to do an exceptionally hard bike ride in an incredibly serene place. Speed and safety are other factors; e-bikers are able to travel uphill with ease and sometimes reach unsafe speeds on descents. Raising concerns for collisions with hikers along the road or even encounters with wildlife. 

After my family's intrepid attempt to Logan Pass last June, I favor the increased accessibility camp. E-bikes allow seniors, those with varied fitness levels or health issues, or in our case, parents with young children in tow, the opportunity to take on this high alpine roadway. 

This has opened up a major bucket-list adventure to a much broader demographic, age included. Our sons were 5 and 2 last spring when we loaded them up in a bicycle trailer and a tag-along attachment and pedaled toward the summit. 

Without e-bikes, our family outing would have been much shorter; I don’t think we would have made it to The Loop. 

I’ll give incredible props to a fellow cyclist on a traditional bike I saw huffing their way up the mountain with a youngster behind them as well. So, it is a doable feat if you have the legs, the willpower and the time. Our family was only in the park for the afternoon and had to make a three-hour drive home in the dark that evening, having the e-bikes saved us hours and made it possible to have this day trip excursion. 

 While e-bikes are permitted on Going-to-the-Sun Road, local advocates continue to urge riders to adhere to safe speeds, be courteous to pedestrians and traditional cyclists, and yield to park wildlife. If you are planning to ride the route before the road opens to cars, the ascent to the pass from Avalanche Creek is about 16 miles with over 3,400 feet of climbing. Expect the ride to take 1.5 to three hours, depending on your pace and stops. 

After reading blogs on e-biking on the road and what to anticipate, other riders warned of how quickly the bikes’ batteries would drain on the steep climb up. On top of that, we had extra cargo pulling behind our two children and their apparatuses. I figured my son’s bike trailer weighed around 10 pounds, and with him in it, I was pulling close to 40 pounds. My husband, Christopher, and I both had fully charged batteries on the e-bikes that we had borrowed for the trek. We both knew that to make it to the top, we’d have to use our pedal assist sparingly as we climbed. 

A pedal-assist e-bike is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor that engages as you pedal, giving you a natural, effortless boost. Most feature three to five levels of assist; ours had eight. On our entire journey upward, I kept mine around two or three out of eight. So, this was no cake walk; my legs and lungs were burning. 

We made several stops to take in the beautiful views we’d seen so many times from car windows. It felt unreal to see those same vistas passing by, to feel the refreshing spray of the weeping wall, and to traverse with hardly anyone on the road. 

We managed to time it perfectly on Father’s Day last June and made it up Going-to-the-Sun Road on the last night before it opened to vehicle traffic. We had been watching the plowing updates closely and wanted the chance to make it all the way. That was the plan at least, we endeavored to reach Logan Pass, a destination our boys had yet to see, but one my husband and I had been to numerous times. 

Even with limiting our pedal assist, the heavy loads of our youngsters behind us sapped our batteries as we made our final ascent. We made it 15 miles up, one mile from Logan Pass, when both of our batteries sharply decreased, and we made the painful decision to turn around. We knew we’d have to have some battery power left for the flat section past the Loop. Riding back down was breathtaking, even with the frustration of not making it to Logan Pass. As we reached the Loop, our batteries had one bar left, even after coasting for many miles. 

As the road leveled out, however, our e-bikes started to shut off altogether. We could convince them to come back on a few times and help with a boost here and there, but for several flat miles, it was all on us – all 60 plus pounds of bike and each of the precious cargos behind us. Our legs were toast by the time we reached our truck back at Avalanche Creek. Never in my life had I had such horrendous lactic acid burning pain that night in bed. But boy was it worth it.

Even without reaching the summit, and a few young children’s hiccups along the way, the ache in my legs that lasted for days couldn’t outlast the memories we made as a family. Our 5-year-old was hesitant to ride on the tag-along attachment behind my husband’s bike; the drop-offs frightened him, but he sure was proud when we finished. 

And our 2-year-old missed half of the scenic ride up due to a sorely needed afternoon bike trailer nap. 

I, for one, am thankful that the park has permitted the use of these sometimes-controversial bikes. And I hope that even with our assisted version of this grueling endeavor, that it didn’t ruin the experience for other cyclists. 

We realize it is a special opportunity and a small window of time to see this world-renowned highway from a bike seat without vehicle traffic. We don’t take that privilege lightly. So long as e-bikers can be respectful, safe and courteous, perhaps we can share the road with our tougher traditional two-wheeled comrades in this most amazing place. 

By the way – pack a spare battery. 

    When making the descent on the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier, it's important that you don't go too fast. Whether on a traditional mountain bike or on an electric bike, you gain significant speed on the long, winding route back down. (Mineral Independent/Amy Quinlivan)