Glacier National Park guide · 1 min read
Riding the Red Jammers: 1930s Tour Buses
Glacier's bright red tour buses are restored 1930s coaches built by the White Motor Company, and they have been carrying visitors through the park long enough to earn a title: the oldest tour fleet in the world that has never stopped running.
Of the original 35 buses, 33 were still in service as of 2017. Everyone calls them Red Jammers, and over the decades the buses have become part of Glacier's identity.
The drivers share the name. Operating these coaches once involved a lot of gear-jamming, and that grinding earned the people behind the wheel the title Jammers. Modern drivers still carry it, and on a tour they fill the ride with stories about the park's history, its geology and the animals you might spot along the way.
In 2001, Ford Motor Company rebuilt the fleet. Each original body was lifted off its old frame and set onto a modern Ford E-Series van chassis. The buses were also switched to propane to reduce their environmental impact, and hybrid engines came later.
The best feature is overhead. On clear days, drivers roll back the canvas tops, turning each bus into a convertible with open views of peaks and valleys. Red Bus tours cover the main roads, with routes along Going-to-the-Sun Road and out to Many Glacier and Two Medicine, plus stops for photos at places like St. Mary Lake. Riding means no hunting for a parking space at Logan Pass.
For a different angle, Sun Tours runs the Blackfeet Perspective, which focuses on Blackfeet culture. Its 25-seat coaches have large windows and air conditioning, are accessible with ramps, and depart from West Glacier, East Glacier, St. Mary and Browning.
