If you’re lucky enough to travel to Glacier National Park, one of the best ways to explore the serpentine Going to the Sun Road (the only road in the Park) is to hop a Red Bus tour. Of course, if you’ve got nerves of steel, you can drive the steep and winding Sun Road yourself (no RVs allowed). However, a more relaxing way to enjoy jaw-dropping views of lakes, waterfalls, dense forests, hanging valleys, alpine tundra, and the soaring, glacier-studded peaks of the Lewis and Livingstone mountain ranges–and learn about the park’s fascinating history, geology and its plants and animals–is to take a Red Bus tour.

The 25-foot-long, open air buses are themselves pieces of history. Constructed from 1936 to 1939 by the White Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio, the Reds feature canvass rollback tops, roll down windows and a door for every row of seats. The drivers, called “Jammers,” are full of fascinating facts and will point out interesting sights like swirls of 1.6 billion year old fossilized blue green and a sheer wall that weeps water all year long. Tours of one hour to a full day are available June through September. For more information or to book a Red Bus Tour, go to www.glacierparkinc.com or call 406-892-2525.

by Bobbie Hasselbring