The Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park officially opened on Wednesday morning. But if you want to get in and make one of the greatest trips in America, you're going to need a reservation through the park.

Trouble getting a reservation? Here's another option for you. The Glacier Institute is the educational arm of Glacier National Park. Not only can you get an incredible tour of the park, but if you get a tour through the Glacier Institute- you don't need a reservation to get into the park and go up the Going to the Sun Road.

On Tuesday afternoon, before the Going to the Sun Road had opened, we had a few hours open. We were lucky enough to get a quick tour inside Glacier National Park from Glacier Institute Executive Director Anthony Nelson who is in the photo above.

For those of us who live here in Montana, oftentimes we will make the trip through Glacier, make a couple scenic stops along the way, and then take in the majestic views of the peaks at the top of Logan Pass. Even for someone who grew up spending summers with family in the Flathead- there's a lot of Glacier that I still haven't seen and learned. You get to see and learn a whole new side of Glacier with these tours.

With the pass still closed, and only a few hours free in the afternoon, it was a great opportunity for us to drop in to Lake McDonald Lodge and spend some more time on places like the Trail of the Cedars.

Anthony was a wealth of information. Aside from his knowledge of Glacier National Park, he has a really cool background from being a carpenter to a zookeeper- so he was answering my kids' questions on everything from the glaciers in Glacier to the vertebrae in a giraffe.

Check out part of my chat with Anthony when he joined us LIVE on the radio at Valley Bank of Kalispell on Wednesday morning. (Thanks to our friends at Bee Broadcasting and KJJR Radio for the great setup.)

 

So if you're looking for a way to learn a lot more about Glacier National Park, and bypass the reservation system for entry- definitely check out the Glacier Institute's guided hikes, educational programs, and more.

Credit Aaron Flint
Credit Aaron Flint
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Credit Aaron Flint
Credit Aaron Flint
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Credit Aaron Flint
Credit Aaron Flint
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Credit Aaron Flint
Credit Aaron Flint
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Credit Aaron Flint
Credit Aaron Flint
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Credit Aaron Flint
Credit Aaron Flint
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Credit Aaron Flint
Credit Aaron Flint
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Credit Aaron Flint
Credit Aaron Flint
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Credit Aaron Flint
Credit Aaron Flint
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