Heavy snow delays plows

The Daily Inter Lake

After making rapid progress earlier this week plowing Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park road crews were temporarily delayed near week's end by heavy snowfall.

Park spokeswoman Amy Vanderbilt said about 20 inches of new snow fell at the higher elevations of the road on Thursday, prompting road crews to move their equipment back to The Loop.

Crews had reached Haystack Creek on Tuesday, which put them about two weeks ahead of normal. On Friday, they replowed some sections and made it just past Haystack.

Despite the snow, hikers and bikers have several options this weekend for enjoying the park.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is open to vehicle traffic to Avalanche Creek on the west side and to Rising Sun on the east side, Vanderbilt said. People can walk or bike on the road beyond the gates as far as Crystal Point on the west side, which is just above The Loop, and they can go about a mile past the Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east side.

The Many Glacier Road is gated at the park boundary and the Two Medicine Road is closed at Running Eagle Falls. In both cases, hikers and bikers can continue on to the ends of the roads.

Some bears already have emerged from their winter dens, so park officials remind people to be alert and carry bear spray.