Crews begin plowing Sun Road

Snow plow crews at Glacier National Park have started their annual push to clear the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Crews encountered 12-30 inches of snow and two to six inches of ice on the first couple of miles of the Sun Road beyond the Lake McDonald Lodge. They are currently working to clear an avalache slide at Red Rock Point.  

The earliest possible opening of the Sun Road in its entirety would be June 15, park officials say, weather and road conditions dependent.  

Snow depths at high elevations across the park are currently above average for this time of year, the park reports. The snow depth a Flattop Mountain is at about 165 inches or almost 14 feet. This site is located at about 6,300 feet and five miles from the The Loop along the Sun Road.

Snow levels at Many Glacier are at normal levels. That site measured 47 inches snow depth at the end of March. U.S. Geological Survey snow survey crews recently recorded 91 inches of snow on the ground at Siyeh Bend, two miles east of Logan Pass at about 6,300 feet in elevation.  

The Chief Mountain Road, near the park’s northeast corner, has been plowed and will be allowed to melt out prior to opening. Crews are currently working on the Many Glacier Road encountering snow drifts up to 10 feet. This road will not open to the public until the third weekend of April at the earliest, to reduce stress on wildlife in critical winter range. Plowing of the Two Medicine Road will be underway soon.  

On the west side of the park, crews plowed in the Apgar Village and the Camas Road. The Camas Road will be allowed to melt out prior to opening. The Inside North Fork Road will be allowed to open naturally, with no plowing scheduled.  

Spring snow storms play a large factor in safely opening the road to two-way motor vehicle traffic. Once the plow crews are working in the higher elevations, visitors will be able to drive to Avalanche Creek on the west side and Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east side.