Going-to-the-Sun Mountain

Going-to-the-Sun Mountain, a 9,647-foot peak in Glacier National Park above the St. Mary Valley, is notable both as a prominent landmark and for its deep ties to Blackfeet spiritual tradition. Its present name dates to 1888, after James Willard Schultz and his Pikuni companion Tail-Feathers-Coming-Over-the-Hill viewed the peak and spoke of climbing it to fast and pray to the Sun for a vision. The name also reflects older Blackfeet beliefs, vision-quest use, and legends connected to the mountain. Geologically, it consists of ancient sedimentary rock shaped by the Lewis Overthrust, and its alpine subarctic climate feeds tributaries of the Saint Mary River.

Montana · United States