Glacier National Park’s historic red buses are a unique way to tour the park. They’ve been running since 1936, so when you take a red bus you experience a grand Glacier Park tradition. “Rubber-neck” all you want, with no worry about driving. The “jammers” are great at storytelling, so you can sit back, gaze at the scenery, and be entertained by tales of the park’s history, geology, grizzlies, trees, and more. Also, by leaving your car behind, you help reduce emissions in the park.
The red buses are available not only during the bustling summer season, but also in the early spring and fall. The park’s upper alpine areas may be closed, but the wildlife is more active, there are less people around, and off season visitors tend to find a more intimate connection with the land. In the spring, there are spectacular waterfalls and wildflowers. Autumn sees bright red, yellow and gold aspens and cottonwoods on the sun-splashed mountain slopes.
Red Bus Tours: red jammer along weeping wall. Photo courtesy of VisitMT.com
Two west side red bus tours are available off season: the Huckleberry Mountain Tour and the Autumn Glacier Tour. Both depart from Lake McDonald Lodge, Apgar Transit Center, and West Glacier KOA, cost $40 for adults and $20 for children, are three and a half hours long, and head up Camas Road into the park’s North Fork area.
For more information on these and other red bus tours and shuttles, call (406) 892 2525. Or go to glacierparkinc.com
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HOW TO GET THERE FROM MISSOULA
- Mileage: 149 miles
- Estimated Trip Time: 3 Hours, 10 minutes
- How to Get There From Missoula:
