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Big Bend in Glacier National Park

Scenic pullout · Glacier National Park

Big Bend

A sweeping bend with Mount Cannon, Oberlin, and Heaven's Peak in view.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Scenic pullout
Nearest trail
2.1 mi
Audio stories
6 nearby
  • Pullout
  • Parking
  • Restrooms
  • Scenic viewpoint
  • #11 of 53 sights
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Big Bend and Weeping Wall

Overview

About Big Bend

Why stop

  • A broad valley-and-peaks panorama from beside the road

Heads up

  • Seasonal access and strict vehicle-size limits on the alpine road
Big Bend is a broad curve and scenic pullout on the alpine stretch of Going-to-the-Sun Road, between The Loop and Logan Pass. Stop for the wide view over Lake McDonald Valley; this is a roadside pause, not a hike. The high road closes seasonally, and opening dates vary with snow. The road is typically fully open by early July, so check the road status before planning a crossing around this stop.
Parkwolf’s verdictA worthwhile pause on Going-to-the-Sun Road

Map

Where it is

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Full map
Scenic pulloutBig Bend48.72678, -113.72417
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

Parking, restroom, and vehicle limits

There is auto parking and a restroom at Big Bend. The gravel area near the parking is wheelchair accessible; that does not establish access details for every part of the stop or the restroom. The road segment from Avalanche Creek to Rising Sun bars vehicles or combinations longer than 21 feet or wider than 8 feet, and vehicles taller than 10 feet may have difficulty westbound from Logan Pass to The Loop. Those limits matter if you are driving an RV or towing.

1 active Glacier alert

  • ClosureTwo Medicine Campground closed for 2026 constructionTwo Medicine Campground is closed throughout 2026 because of construction in the Two Medicine developed area.Official details
Glacier alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Glacier Tour Guide

Your drive to Big Bend, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Glacier National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Glacier audio tour

Recorded for this place

Big Bend and Weeping Wall
0:00 / 0:29
“You’re coming up on Big Bend, a pullout with a wide view across Lake McDonald Valley toward Heaven’s Peak. This is a good stop if you want mountain scenery without a hike.”

Plays as you drive up to Big Bend in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Triple Arches
  • Seeds Waiting for Heat
  • Bird Woman Falls and Haystack Creek
  • Fossils Built by Microbes
  • 204 audio storiesacross Glacier’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Wolverine, Mountain Goat, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 157 trails, 91 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Our first time to glacier and we used the audio portion for Going to the Sun Road. Wonderful information with perfect advice of what to see and do along the road.”
PaisleyParkFanApp Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Big Bend

Look west across the valleyThe view opens over Lake McDonald Valley toward Mount Canon, Oberlin, and Heaven's Peak.

The view opens over Lake McDonald Valley toward Mount Canon, Oberlin, and Heaven's Peak. Give the panorama a moment: the valley below makes the peaks feel much bigger than a tight shot of the road. Big Bend is also a designated scenic photo stop.

Part of the road's storyGoing-to-the-Sun Road carries visitors from the lake-filled valleys up to the Continental…

Going-to-the-Sun Road carries visitors from the lake-filled valleys up to the Continental Divide. Its basic infrastructure was built from 1921 to 1932, with improvements continuing through 1955. Bridges, retaining walls, tunnels, culverts, and guard walls used a Rustic design approach, often with native materials chosen to fit the surrounding landforms. Big Bend is one of the places where that road engineering and the landscape meet in the same view.

viewpointmountainsroadsidevalley

Wildlife

Wildlife in Glacier

All Glacier wildlife maps
Grizzly Bear404 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapWolverine11 sightingsWolverineMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapMountain Goat1,173 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapBighorn Sheep1,000 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapMoose395 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapBlack Bear506 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Glacier. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Big Bend

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ChallengingHighline Trail11.8 mi · 8 hr · 2.1 mi awayA Garden Wall ledge walk with a long, steep finish.ChallengingHighline Trail to Grinnell Glacier Overlook15.1 mi · 9 hr · 2.1 mi awayA long, exposed traverse earns a knockout view over the glacier basin.ModerateHidden Lake Overlook Trail2.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.2 mi awayBoardwalk and switchbacks open onto a lake beneath Bearhat Mountain.ChallengingHidden Lake Trail5.4 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.2 mi awayGo past the overlook only if you’re ready for a steep return.ChallengingFlattop Mountain Trail12 mi · 9 hr · 2.9 mi awayA remote 12-mile crossing from Packer's Roost to Fifty Mountain.ChallengingSiyeh Pass Trail10 mi · 7 hr · 3.1 mi awayA steep pass crossing rewarded with Sexton Glacier and Baring Creek.ChallengingPiegan Pass Trail9 mi · 6 hr · 3.1 mi awayA high saddle, glacier views, and a vanished railway bell.ChallengingNorthern Highline Trail11.9 mi · 9 hr · 3.8 mi awayA remote alpine traverse for a multi-day backcountry trip.

More stops nearby

Sight · 0.2 mi awayWeeping WallA snowmelt curtain turns the road into a waterfall pass.Sight · 0.7 mi awayTriple ArchesThree masonry arches carry Going-to-the-Sun Road across a mountainside.Sight · 1.4 mi awayHaystack Creek FallsA waterfall slips beneath the road in a stone-faced culvert.Sight · 1.4 mi awayBird Woman Falls OverlookA 492-foot waterfall framed by a hanging valley.Sight · 1.9 mi awayOberlin BendThe last bend before Logan Pass opens onto a sweeping valley view.Sight · 2.1 mi awayLunch CreekA rock-step cascade beneath Pollock Mountain, framed by a stone bridge.Sight · 2.2 mi awayLogan PassThe high point of the road is also a great trailhead.Sight · 2.3 mi awayGrinnell Glacier ViewpointA steep hike ends above turquoise water and a glacier.

Parkwolf’s Glacier ranking

Top sights in Glacier

All 91 places
  1. 1Logan PassSight
  2. 2Wild Goose Island OverlookSight
  3. 3Grinnell Glacier ViewpointSight
  4. 4Lake McDonald LodgeSight
  5. 5Hidden Lake OverlookSight
  6. 6Avalanche LakeSight

Take Parkwolf to Glacier.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

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