Park cancels 'Show Me Day'
A bulldozer clears snow off Going-to-the-Sun Road, Wednesday in Glacier National Park. The Associated Press
The Daily Inter Lake
Plowing on Going-to-the-Sun Road is progressing so quickly that Glacier Park has canceled its west-side "Show Me Day."
West-side plowing is moving so swiftly - the crew has reached the Haystack Creek area - that park officials decided not to hold "Show Me Day."
"Show Me Day," when visitors are invited to view plowing operations, could have involved delaying Sun Road clearing for a week or more.
According to a statement from Glacier Superintendent Mick Holm, "Everyone agrees that 'Show Me Day' is a great event, when conditions and schedules permit, but not at the cost of losing as much as a week or more of work to plan, schedule, announce and hold the event. While snow and avalanche conditions are suitable for plowing, we do not feel that we can ask the crew to wait to push through the Haystack area."
The Birdwoman Falls/Haystack Creek area is the safest spot for people to observe the plowing.
"We hope to again offer this popular west-side event in future years, but we feel we must press ahead," Holm said.
With low snow levels and favorable weather, the west-side crew is about two weeks ahead of normal plowing schedules.
Above the Loop (elevation 5,000 feet) the park crew is encountering snow depths of two to three feet on the road and snow drifts up to 16 feet deep. Typically, they see snow depths averaging six feet or more above the Loop.
On Wednesday the crew got halfway through a 25-foot-deep avalanche at Haystack Creek.
The east side crew began plowing Going-to-the-Sun Road above Jackson Glacier Overlook on Wednesday. The plows got as far as Grizzly Point.
Sun Road is currently open to vehicles as far as the Avalanche area on the west side (15.5 miles from the west entrance) and to Rising Sun on the east side (5.5 miles from the St. Mary entrance).
Hikers and bikers can continue past the gate at Avalanche Creek to The Loop. Signs are posted to indicate how far travel is permitted.
Hikers and bikers also can travel beyond Rising Sun on the east side.
Hikers and bikers should watch for heavy equipment on the road as the crews travel to and from the work zones.