Logan Pass open to motor vehicles
Glacier National Park opened the entire 50 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road to vehicle traffic today, Wednesday, July 13.
"Opening the upper section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road is always a challenge, but this year was compounded by extremely heavy winter snows and unseasonably cool spring weather," the Park press release states.
Snow continued to fall at high elevations well into June, and a flyover of the Big Drift on June 4 revealed a snowpack that looked more like April than June.
On July 6, Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright and Chief of Facility Management Jim Foster visited Logan Pass and stood on The Big Drift about 30 feet above asphalt, an unprecedented amount of snow for this time of year.
"Plowing this road is a dangerous job, and the safety of our staff is of paramount concern," Cartwright said. "We are very proud of the hard work the road crew performed this year."
Visitors to Logan Pass will find a snow-covered landscape with all the trails still covered with many feet of snow. Park officials advise visitors to exercise caution when hiking on snow and to be aware of unseen holes and snow bridges that exist. The Highline Trail remains closed at this time and there is no current projection of an opening date.
Access to Logan Pass will also allow contractors to resume work on new restroom facilities. Areas around the construction will be closed to public entry. Portable toilets will be available, but there will be no potable drinking water at Logan Pass. Staff will be on duty to assist visitors and to direct people to areas open for recreation.
Road rehabilitation work on lower sections of the Sun Road will create some short traffic delays. From 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., travelers should expect delays of up to 20 minutes at each construction site for a total of no more than a 40-minute delay between Big Bend and Siyeh Bend.
On the west side of the Park, a night closure will be in effect Monday evening through Friday morning, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., from The Loop to Logan Pass. There will be a 15-20 minute window for passage through the construction at 2 a.m., allowing travel to and from Logan Pass. There will be no night closures east of Logan Pass.
With the opening of the entire length of the Sun Road, the Park's free shuttle system will expand service to Logan Pass. The shuttle system will stop at 16 different places along the Sun Road and will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Shuttle passengers should catch the bus at either the St. Mary Visitor Center or the Apgar Transit Center, as parking is extremely limited at Logan Pass, Avalanche Creek and Sunrift Gorge.
For current information on Park roads, weather conditions and visitor services, visit online at www.nps.gov/glac, dial 511 anywhere in Montana (select option 5) or call 888-7800.