Natural Attraction
Big Bend – GTSR
The Lake McDonald Valley opens below in a striking U-shaped profile—the textbook signature of glacial sculpting. Mount Oberlin and Heaven's Peak stand as sharply-defined horns, their steep walls the remnants of cirques where Pleistocene ice once accumulated. This pullout sits halfway along the 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road, making it one of the most accessible vistas of the park's glacial architecture. The contrast between steep valley walls and the flat valley floor reveals the immense power of ice-age erosion.
More details
- Attraction Type
- Glacial Valley Viewpoint
- How To Get There
- Located on Going-to-the-Sun Road, approximately 25 miles from Apgar and 15 miles from Logan Pass. Turn into the marked Big Bend pullout. Drive-up access with auto parking. Road typically open late June–mid-October.
- Main Features
- Lake McDonald (milky blue glacial lake), U-shaped valley floor, glacial horns (Mount Oberlin, Heaven's Peak, Mount Canon), steep valley walls, exposed rock strata
Location
More at Glacier National Park
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Elk Mountain
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Glacier Peak
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Numa Peak
Numa Peak rises above Bowman Lake; Numa Ridge Lookout reveals vast alpine views.
Pyramid Peak
Granite peak sharpened by glacial ice; scrambling to Pyramid Peak from Pyramid Pass.
Grace Lake
Grace Lake: glacial cirque lake at 3,966 ft, reached via the Logging Lake Trail.
Recommended gear for Glacier National Park
Sources
- National Park Service
- YourNPGuide Editorial
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Last updated July 2026. Report an issue.