Avalanche Lake trail now open

The popular trail to Glacier National Park’s Avalanche Lake was reopened on Sept. 7, just in time for the weekend rush.

The trail was closed on Sept. 1 after a fire was discovered in the Avalanche Lake basin that soon climbed up the east slopes of Mount Brown.

Weather changes in Northwest Montana on Sept. 5-6 generally slowed wildland fire activity. Park officials reported that eight-tenths of an inch of rain fell on the area on Sept. 5, and cooler temperatures, wind and chances of additional rain were expected Sept. 6.

Officials first received reports of smoke in the area about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1, according to Brad Harris, the Park’s fire management duty officer. The fire was burning in steep and rugged terrain that is not easily accessed.

Strong winds that day fanned what officials say believe was a 10-day-old lightning-caused fire into a 25-acre blaze. The trail to Avalanche Lake was quickly evacuated and closed to the public. The campground, picnic area and parking lots on the Going-to-the-Sun Road remained open through the Labor Day weekend.

Eight smokejumpers were seen parachuting into the Park at Lake McDonald on Sunday morning, Sept. 2, and heading up the Sun Road to Avalanche Creek on foot.

Firefighters and helicopters worked on containing the blaze earlier in the week. Park officials said better mapping, not fire growth, was the reason behind the changing numbers for the size of the fire, from 25 acres initially to 45 acres by Sept. 3 and 70 acres by Sept. 5.

Aerial water drops by a heavy-lift helicopter continued on Sept. 5, while 25 firefighters from Glacier Park, the Flathead National Forest and the Kootenai National Forest along with eight smokejumpers worked to secure the fire’s west and north flanks.