Park plows approach Logan Pass

The Daily Inter Lake

Glacier National Park snowplows have advanced to areas just below Logan Pass, setting the stage for the annual assault on the Big Drift.

But the plows won't be working today through Monday, so hikers and bikers have exclusive access this weekend to Going-to-the-Sun Road beyond the gates at Avalanche Campground and the Jackson Glacier Overlook.

Crews working west of the pass have been working in the Rimrocks area, just below Oberlin Bend. Another crew has been working in the East Side Tunnel area east of the pass.

The final major obstacle in the road-clearing effort is the Big Drift, a wind-formed snow slope that was 45 feet deep last year. Before the road can open at Logan Pass, however, crews must clear the visitor center parking lot, install guardrails and signs and finish general cleanup on the road.

Aside from the upper portion of Sun Road, most of the park's major roads are open, but the National Weather Service's recreation forecast for Glacier Park is calling for volatile weather over the weekend.

Rain and mountain snow showers are likely today and Sunday, and high temperatures are expected to reach the upper 50s. Monday's forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies, a chance of rain, and highs in the mid-50s to lower 60s.

Last year's May 22 opening of Sun Road at Logan Pass was one of the earliest on record, but it was soon followed by temporary closures caused by bad weather.