Plows clearing park roads

Logan Pass expected to open on June 13

Spring road plowing is under way in Glacier National Park.

Road crews already are at work on the Chief Mountain Road in the park's northeast corner.

On Tuesday, plows will begin clearing snow on Going-to-the-Sun Road starting at Lake McDonald Lodge.

Weather permitting, plowing of other areas such as Many Glacier and Two Medicine also will start in early April.

"With plowing under way, this is a good opportunity to remind the public that the Sun Road is under rehabilitation," said Stephanie Dubois, the park's acting superintendent. "Visitors should only expect to drive as far as Avalanche and Jackson Glacier Overlook this spring."

Construction work requiring both lanes of the road to be closed just above the West Tunnel will continue through early June.

Depending on weather conditions, park officials plan to open the entire length of the 50-mile historic highway over Logan Pass on June 13.

Prior to that date, sections of road will be open exclusively to hikers and bikers.

On the park's west side, Sun Road is typically open to vehicles up to the Avalanche Campground area by late April. On the east side, the road will be opened in segments, first from St. Mary to Rising Sun and then to Jackson Glacier Overlook.

The Many Glacier Road typically does not open until later in April to avoid disturbance in a critical winter range habitat for wildlife. This year, park officials plan to open the road on April 19.

Several park roads - including the Camas Road, the Inside North Fork Road and the Cut Bank Road - are not plowed, but rather are allowed to melt out, with vehicles allowed on them only when they have dried.

Dubois said that because of construction activity on Sun Road, the park will not host the popular annual "Show Me Day" - an opportunity for the public to watch plows at work in the alpine section of Sun Road.