Audio
Going-to-the-Sun Road: The Loop
Transcript
[Narration] Switchbacks are a common design feature of many mountain roads. Generally, the only way to get up and over a pass, is to switch back and forth several times to gain the elevation needed. If the Going-to-the-Sun Road had been built following one design plan, it would have had 15 switchbacks climbing up the head of Logan Creek, directly below Logan Pass. Imagine trying to plow that road every spring. Snowplows would continually be pushing snow onto already plowed areas over and over again.
Well in 1924, Frank Kittredge of the Bureau of Public Roads directed a survey of potential routes over Logan Pass. His team started in September and was able to map out 21 miles before winter closed in. The work was difficult and men often had to climb 3,000 feet each morning to get to the survey sites. The crews walked along narrow ledges and hung over cliffs by rope to make many of the measurements. The work was extremely challenging and resulted in a 300% turn over in labor in just three months.
But the survey work did pay off and in late 1924 National Park Service Director Steven Mather approved Kittredge’s alternate route. It contained only one switchback and followed McDonald Creek where it turned north before looping back on itself and continuing up the Garden Wall in one long continuous path. The current route allows for greater views of the park and blends well into the landscape. The work of Kittredge and the Bureau of Public Roads resulted in a partnership with the National Park Service to construct roads throughout the National Park System. The Bureau of Public Roads became the Federal Highway Administration and today that partnership still continues.
Description
The Loop is the switchback that defined Going-to-the-Sun Road as we know it today. Learn more about it's fascinating history.
Duration
1 minute, 51 seconds
Credit
Glacier National Park
Date Created
08/05/2015
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