Park plows ready to tackle Sun Highway

Glacier National Park's annual rite of spring starts next Tuesday-crews are set to begin plowing the Going-to-the-Sun Road starting at Lake McDonald Lodge.

This year is different from year's past, however, in that there isn't much snow on the road at lower elevations.

With the notable exception of the past couple of weeks, winter was a dry affair in Glacier.

February saw only half an inch of precipitation in West Glacier. But more recently, the park has seen quite a bit of moisture on the west side of the Divide.

In fact, it snows or rains just about everyday- which is pretty typical for March.

The SNOTEL site at West Flattop Mountain had recorded about 23 inches of new snow over the past week, which works out to about 3 inches of precipitation.

The weather plays a major role in the opening date of the Going-to-the-Sun Highway over Logan Pass. Everything from avalanches to rock slides to late spring snowstorms have hampered past road-opening efforts.

Last year, the entire length of the road opened May 30.

Spring is often a favorite time to be on the highway for local residents. The park keeps the road closed to vehicles, but allows hikers and bikers when plowing isn't taking place. That gives folks a chance to take a leisurely stroll or bike ride with relatively thin crowds.

June 8 is the average opening date for Logan Pass. The earliest Logan Pass opening occurred on May 16, 1987. The latest opening of the entire Sun Road, on record, was July 10, 1943. In recent years, the latest opening of Logan Pass occurred on June 28, 2002, after a record eight feet of snow fell between May 22 and June 10.