More park roads open to motorists

The Daily Inter Lake

More roads opened in Glacier National Park this week, and snow clearing progress continued on Going-to-the-Sun Road.

West of the Continental Divide, plow crews advanced on Sun Road to an area just shy of Haystack Creek, but most work was focused on cleanup on lower sections of the road.

East of the Divide, plows advanced through five feet of snow to an area about one mile above Jackson Glacier Overlook.

On Friday, the east-side vehicle closure was moved from Rising Sun to Jackson Glacier Overlook.

Hikers and bikers continue to have exclusive use of Sun Road on the west side beyond the vehicle closure at Avalanche Creek.

There will be hiatus in "pioneering" work - blazing an initial bulldozer path through deep snow - as the park's plow crews have mandatory safety training during the first part of next week. Pioneering work will resume Wednesday.

Elsewhere in the park, the Two Medicine Road and the Many Glacier Road are now open to vehicles, and the gate at Polebridge was opened to allow vehicle access about seven miles north, into the Big Prairie Area.

From there, visitors can hike or bike to Bowman or Kintla lakes.

The Apgar Lookout Road and Kelly Camp Road are now open in the Lake McDonald area.

The Apgar Visitor Center is scheduled to open today, and the Apgar Campground, as usual, will be the first campground to open in the park on Friday.

Starting Monday, the park's entrance fees will increase from the $10 winter rate to $25 per vehicle.

A popular and economical option is purchasing an annual Glacier National Park pass for $30. The pass is valid for a year beyond the date of purchase.