Glacier & Waterton Lakes Bike Tour
Couples, Friends & Solos
Glacier & Waterton Lakes Bike Tour
Couples, Friends & Solos
6 days
5 nights
Activity Levels 2-5
Casual Hotels
2025: Jun-Sep2026: Jun-Sep
Epic National Park Grandeur in Montana & Alberta
It's called Big Sky. Yet, you're still amazed by how "big" it is. Listen to the sound of your wheels spinning while you enjoy miles of scenic roads and vistas beyond compare. You'll question why you don't live closer to the mountains. You'll be transformed while biking through two magnificent national parks. After it all, you'll never be the same.
Highlights
- Bike the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road—superlative riding and vistas, complete with waterfalls, forests and towering peaks!
- Admire the astonishing alpine scenery, sculpted valleys and glaciated mountain vistas that just won’t quit
- Pedal past rolling ranchland and extraordinary glacier-carved valleys on the way to Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park
- Unwind in breathtaking natural scenes of rugged mountainous landscapes and glistening turquoise lakes
Start/End Whitefish
* Start/End locations may vary. Do not book flights until your trip details are confirmed.
Itinerary
Day 1
Bike a picturesque route along the shore of Lake McDonald, formed by retreating glaciers 10,000 years ago • See new life taking root where wildfires recently altered the landscape • Take an invigorating dip in the chilly lake waters, if you dare!
Night 1
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a large stone fireplace in the lobby and a terrace overlooking the lake.
Day 2
Cycle on Going-to-the-Sun Road—a 50-mile stretch with unbelievable views • Enjoy a landscape of sparkling waterfalls, expansive virgin forests, sculpted valleys and majestic peaks • An exhilarating downhill ride between glaciated mountains and emerald lakes brings you to the shore of St. Mary Lake • Bike through aspen forests to Many Glacier Valley.
Night 2
An early-1900s Swiss chalet-style hotel set on the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake amid the peaks of Many Glacier Valley.
Days 3-4
Welcome to Canada! Pedal north through rolling ranchland and sweeping valleys • Take in views of Chief Mountain, one of the most sacred areas of the park to the Blackfeet tribe • Enjoy a thrilling descent to Waterton Lakes National Park, a designated Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage site along with neighboring Glacier National Park • Get in one more uphill to our hotel, which stands alone on a bluff above Waterton Lake, surrounded by dramatic peaks • Options abound: hiking, biking, horseback riding and boating are just a few ways to explore this incredible landscape.
Nights 3-4
This historic green-gabled hotel offers vistas of the mountains reflected in glacier-fed lakes.
Days 5-6
Ride along the eastern perimeter of Glacier against a spectacular backdrop of meadows and mountains • Enjoy the rolling terrain as you explore Two Medicine Valley • Cheers to a fabulous week with a dip in the refreshingly cool lake.
Night 5
Located on the park’s eastern edge in Blackfeet country; immense timbers hold aloft its expansive lobby ceiling.
What's Included
See moreStraight Talk
We want to make sure you're on the trip that's right for you. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
While the accommodations on this trip reflect the natural surroundings of the national parks and provide unparalleled access to the best activities in the area, they are much simpler than is typical of Backroads lodging. Many buildings date back to the turn of the century and have only been minimally renovated, in accordance with park regulations. These historic hotels have basic guest rooms that are not equipped with televisions or air-conditioning. Overall, the service standards can seem slow and casual when compared with the hospitality found on other Backroads trips. Please note that internet and cell phone service are extremely limited throughout the parks.
The properties we use on this trip are chosen for their character and ideal location—they are not known for their food. Meals can be simple and menu options tend to lack variety. Please be aware that options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and low-carb meals will be especially limited and substitutions are rarely available.
Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks are special places where four seasons can occur in one day. For that reason, our itinerary may change based upon road and trail status due to weather (including snow) or animal activity. The opening of Going-to-the-Sun Road is determined by snow levels and weather. The road often opens by the third week of June, but some years it does not open until early July. If the entire road is not open, we will shuttle two-and-a-quarter hours and you will still be able to ride the east side of Logan Pass, which typically opens earlier than the west side. The status of Going-to-the-Sun Road can be checked on Glacier National Park’s website: https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/gtsrinfo.htm.
Hotels
Adventure-Ready Hotels
Ideally located with ready access to trip activities, our Casual hotels are also known for their character and charm.
Hotels may vary based on departure. Any variations will be displayed when selecting a departure under Dates & Prices.
Night 1
Casual Hotel
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a large stone fireplace in the lobby and a terrace overlooking the lake.
Night 2
Casual Hotel
An early-1900s Swiss chalet-style hotel set on the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake amid the peaks of Many Glacier Valley.
Nights 3-4
Casual Hotel
This historic green-gabled hotel offers vistas of the mountains reflected in glacier-fed lakes.
Night 5
Casual Hotel
Located on the park’s eastern edge in Blackfeet country; immense timbers hold aloft its expansive lobby ceiling.
Gallery
Bikes
Choose Your Perfect Bike
Our bikes are designed and built with specific cyclists and riding styles in mind, so we can always offer you a perfect ride. Please note that bike requests are subject to availability and prioritized based on the date they're submitted.
Included in your trip price
- Ideal for avid cyclists
- Redesigned for 2024
- Next gen titanium frame with carbon wheels
- Responsive, efficient and comfortable
- Drop handlebars only
Included in your trip price
- Suited for a wide range of cyclists
- Comfortable ergonomic seat
- Long wheel base adds to the bike's control and stability
- Upright handlebars only
Included in your trip price
- One of the lightest e-bikes available
- Provides plenty of power and more than enough battery
- Lower top tubes for easier mounting and dismounting
- Upright handlebars only
- Limited availability on Unplugged Bike Tours; learn more
Min. age to ride e-bike: 16+
Review Snapshot
by PowerReviews
Reviewed by 48 customers
Experiencing Glacier National Park by bicycle is fabulous!
When you climb Going to the Sun road, you're overwhelmed by the scale of the scenery! All of the routes provide unique landscapes that thrill the senses. Staying at the iconic park hotels, takes you back in time. It was a bucket list trip that was excellent all around!
Great trip with amazing leaders
This was our forth Backroads trip and probably one of the best. The leaders (Nate, Garrett, and Mason) were amazing in every way. Nate was very knowlegable and gave us concise and important facts of places we visited, Garrett was great support and a pretty good bar tender, and Mason was great support on all our rides helping to keep us hydrated and nourished. We had great choices of rides each day and the meals were great. Thank you once again for a great trip. Can't wait until next year. SJI
Great trip!
Great trip with fun, scenic rides. The trip leaders (Ian and Zoe) and support leader (Ashley) were fantastic!
Couldn't have planned it better
Our biking trip from Glacier to Banff was amazing! We made fast friends with the other group members, we had about half e-bikes and half traditional on our trip and this worked great. We loved biking the gorgeous routes and challenging ourselves then rewarding ourselves with all the delicious food. Weather was amazing thankfully, saw some wildlife along the rides including a large elk herd our last day. Loved our awesome leaders and so nice not to have to worry about logistics. Already planning the next trip!
Our trip exceeded our already high expectations
Wow, spectacular scenery, up close to wildlife, amazing staff and guests. Made many new friends and had a ball.
AWESOME!!
Well beyond my expectations. The ride leaders go out of their way to make this a very memorable trip.
Amazing Views Amazing Trip
Grant, Ashley and Ainday surpassed our expectations leading us daily for what we should encounter. The views were AMAZING! This trip was emotionally charging for us!!
So Happy We Did This
This was our first guided trip of this kind, and we didnt know what to expect. Happily, Backroads (our guides Ian, Brendan and Austin in particular) made the experience positive and seamless. My wife and I are in our 60's and mountain bike, but the touring bikes we used were great. And the guys let me try one of the performance road bikes for a day. The riding was challenging but not overwhelming, and we were ALWAYS minutes away from support should we need help, encouragement or a ride. Our group of 13 was from all across the country, with some on road bikes, others on ebikes and others on touring bikes. The best parts were 1) finishing the first days ride, 2) the first night's meal (I had delicious trout), 3) the climb up to Logan Pass (a personal test of will with an exhilarating reward), 4) the view from the Prince of Wales Hotel, 5) the hike up to Crypt Lake on our day off, 6) the celebration swim in Two Medicine Lake, ...you get it - the trip was full of best parts. Our guides were encouraging and positive and supportive, making it easy to do a challenging but rewarding thing. The food (the coordinated meals and the picnics) was really delicious, and it was easy to stay fueled and hydrated. I can't promise it for everyone, but the weather was perfect for us. Enough cloud cover to keep from overheating, the temps were in the 60's and low 70's. We had one day of rain for about an hour that jut reminded us that moisture makes this paradise green. And Mother Nature asserted her dominance when the wind kicked up at Lake Waterton for a while. The least-enjoyable part was a stretch of 3-5 miles with a strong crosswind while we were riding in a plains area. Our fellow travelers were all friendly and encouraging, and the communal dinners where we learned more about each other were enjoyable . We worked hard, we ate well, we slept soundly and we did it again the next day.
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Amazing!!
Unforgettable, perfect trip, and our leaders Brendan and Ian, and support Ashley, MADE the trip and provided excellent service.
The trip and leaders were amazing! Best vacation ever!
Some of the bike rides were challenging because of the mountains, but so rewarding upon completion. Accommodations started out great the first night and only seemed to improve from there. The lodges were so beautiful and historical. The guides Ian, Nick,, and JC exceeded all expectations, it was almost as if they were mind readers and were always ready to accommodate any request. Food and snacks were perfect.
Dates & Prices
Dates & Prices
Click on dates for pricing, itinerary variations (if any) and to book your trip. Price is per person, double occupancy in USD.
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