Running through the heart of Glacier National Park, Going-To-The-Sun Road is as described. Special. It’s also greatly cared for by the National Park Service and the state of Montana. 30 miles to the south, Marias Pass isn’t quite so lucky. That’s why we claimed that stretch of road as our own at Big Sky Brewing Company. We’ve always embraced the underdog; especially when the underdog needs a little help.
Returning from a veteran retreat 6 years ago, Darrin Coldiron (AKA Dagwood) was stopped in his tracks by the amount trash littering this stretch of Montana highway. Not only did Dagwood pull over the rig and start picking up trash on this summer day, but he also sent out a cry for help to the brewery. And we answered the call.
Year one started with a suffocating amount of trash that stymied our efforts to roughly a mile and overflowed our pick-up trucks many times over. Seven years later we’ve officially adopted three miles of highway, struck a trash deal with the Montana Department of Transportation, and made our little underdog stretch of highway shine. We’ve designed our own trash pick-up sticks for the job, we’ve created a shuttle system to increase efficiency, and we’ve put one big pile of trash back where it belongs.
So why are we telling you this story? In hopes that you’ll throw on the leather gloves and do the same. There is nothing magical about our stretch of highway. Just a commitment to get our hands dirty and a desire to make Marias Pass clean. It’s no Going to the Sun Road. It’s better. It’s our highway.
p.s. We also float the Middle Fork of the Flathead with a boat full of Big Sky Beer to celebrate our efforts. We also strongly recommend this reward.