Park crews tackle slides on Sun Road

The Daily Inter Lake

Two weeks ago, Glacier National Park crews were clearing snow from Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Now they're clearing rocks and mud.

Park workers returned to the west side of Sun Road on Monday to tackle landslides that came down during last week's rainstorms.

They cleared 22 dump-truck loads of material off the road on Monday, Glacier public-affairs officer Melissa Wilson said, in addition to clearing clogged culverts.

The road crews worked toward Big Bend and so far have found no major damage to the road, Wilson said. Ten different slides had blocked Sun Road last week.

One major section remains for the road crews before park officials decide when to open the west-side road to Logan Pass.

Motorists can reach the pass from St. Mary on the east side and the visitor center is open on Logan Pass.

Wilson said Glacier would open up the final section from Avalanche Creek to Logan Pass "as soon as safely possible."

While debris clearing is under way on Sun Road, hikers and bicyclists are allowed to travel only as far as Logan Creek on the west side and Logan Pass from the east side. Motorists can drive as far as Avalanche Creek.

Late last week, the park road crews had been diverted from Sun Road work to address flooding problems at lower elevations in Glacier.

On Monday, one crew continued to do flood work near Polebridge while the other crew returned to the upper reaches of Sun Road.

The only other road currently closed in Glacier is the inside North Fork Road, closed between Logging Creek and Fish Creek.

Kintla and Bowman Lake campgrounds up the North Fork have reopened. They had been closed Friday because of high water.

The popular trail to Avalanche Lake on Glacier's west side also has reopened.

Despite the weather delays in opening all of Sun Road, plenty of Glacier Park is open, Wilson said.

"As much as it is a great road, you can go and see other areas of the park," she said, adding that Glacier has started its full complement of ranger-led interpretive programs for the summer.