Glacier Guides debuts park bike shuttle

Glacier Guides and Montana Raft is now offering a bike shuttle service into Glacier National Park.

Bikers can leave their cars just outside the park at Glacier Guides' nearby office on U.S. 2 and load their bikes onto a trailer for the blue bus shuttle.

The shuttle goes to the Going-to-the-Sun Road vehicle closure and hiker-biker access point, which is typically at the Avalanche Trailhead in late May and June. From there, bicyclists have about four hours to explore the Going-to-the-Sun Road without cars. Typically, bicyclists spend about three hours going up and one hour going down.

Guests can rent bikes or e-bikes from Glacier Guides, or load their own bikes onto the shuttle.

"As a local, my favorite thing to do in the spring is to bike the Going to the Sun Road, so I'm thrilled to be able to offer this shuttle to guests and locals alike," Denny Gignoux, the owner of the guiding company, said in a statement. "The peace and solitude you can find on the road is an incredible experience, whether or not you can go all the way to Logan Pass. Not having to deal with parking hassles makes the experience even better."

Bikers seeking to use the shuttle will need standard park entrance passes; they won't need tickets to use the Sun Road corridor under the park's new reservation system. The roundtrip cost is $35 per person or bike.

The shuttle service began Friday and will end when the Sun Road fully opens to vehicles. Currently, shuttles meet at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. dropoff and 2:45 p.m. pickup at Avalanche, and also at 11:30 a.m. for 12 p.m. dropoff and 5 p.m. pickup at Avalanche.

Advance reservations are required. The schedule may expand as demand warrants. Per National Park Service policy, masks are required in the bike shuttle.

Reservations can be made by visiting the Glacier Guides website or calling 406-387-5555.