Going to the Sun Trivia Quiz

Answer: Montana

Western Montana is in the Rocky Mountains, and Going-to-the-Sun Road offers a multitude of spectacular views as it wends its way generally southwestward.

Answer: Glacier

Glacier is is northwestern Montana on the Canadian border. It became a National Park in 1910 during the administration of President William Howard Taft. The Park features not only mountains and glaciers but pristine blue lakes, miles of hiking trails and many species of native birds and animals.

In 1995, Glacier together with its Canadian sister park, Waterton Lakes, became a designated World Heritage Site.

Answer: It was named for a local mountain of the same name.

Going-to-the-Sun Mountain stands at nearly 9.650 feet above sea level,just north of the road that bears its name. As is the case with many features in the Rockies, there are a few different accounts of how it got its name. One story is that a settler named James Schultz, who worked as a hunting guide in the area, was hunting with a friend of his, a Native American of the Pikuni tribe, whose name was Tail-Feathers-Coming-Over-the-Hill.

After killing a ram, the two were resting near the mountain, and they talked of what it should be called. Tail-Feather reportedly made a comment to Schultz about the mountain's height and beauty, and that he would like to ascend it and pray to the Sun for a vision. James considered this for a time and proposed that they name the mountain Going-to-the-Sun, and Tail-Feather agreed.

Answer: Logan Pass

Logan Pass is on the Continental Divide of the Rockies, an imaginary line of highest points of the mountain range, on one side of which water flows west, and on the other, east. The Pass is located at 6646 feet above sea level.

Answer: 50 miles

Going-to-the-Sun Road is the only road that goes from one entrance of Glacier National Park to another entrance across the park.

Answer: Due to heavy snowfall, plowing the road takes weeks.

Going-to-the-Sun Road closes when winter weather renders it unsafe for travel or impassable. The actual closure and opening dates are subject to change from year to year, but as a general rule, the road closes in October or November and opens again in late June.

In addition to seasonal closures, the road, which opened for the first time in 1932, sometimes requires significant maintenance and repair, which can cause additional partial or total closures in the warmer months.

Answer: A glacier

Jackson Glacier is visible from the road. It is one of the larger glaciers still present in Glacier National Park, and like all the Park's glaciers, is shrinking and in serious danger of melting altogether before the middle of the 21st century. Climatic change is causing the recession and disappearance of the glaciers. Records indicate that in 1850 there were about 150 glaciers in the park; today, in early 2015, there are 25.

Answer: Mountain goat

Mountain goats and bighorn sheep abound in the Park, and can often be seen strolling along the hiking trails, undeterred by having to share them with tourists. They are also prominently visible clinging to the sides of the steep peaks bordering the road.

The Park also is home to bison, moose, elk, a symphony of rodents, mountain lions, bobcats, lynx, black and grizzly bear, and red foxes. These are just a small fraction of the wildlife that are native to the area.

Answer: Drivers of automobiles

The road was designed to be traveled by automobiles; it was set out in a way that minimizes the number of switchbacks along its route, and also minimizes the extent to which the road intrudes upon the breathtaking scenery it allows travelers to experience.

Answer: The Shining

The Shining takes place in Colorado, but the scenery along Going-to-the-Sun Road was so spectacular, it was chosen to show the viewer how isolated and remote was the Overlook Hotel, where Jack Nicholson descended into homicidal madness.