Glacier road to open
Going-to-the-Sun Road is expected to open across Logan Pass at midday today, Glacier National Park officials announced Wednesday.
This will be the earliest opening of Logan Pass since 2006, when the alpine highway opened on June 23.
The 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun route over 6,646-foot-high Logan Pass connects West Glacier and St. Mary.
Visitors should use caution in the Logan Pass area since there are 10-foot-tall vertical snow banks and many trails are still snow-covered.
There currently is no drinkable water available at Logan Pass. Due to concrete work at the visitor center, portable toilets will be provided for visitor use. Once the road opens, the Logan Pass Visitor Center will be open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The popular Highline Trail is closed from Logan Pass to the Haystack Butte saddle and is projected to open the weekend of July 10 after snow hazards are cleared.
“In spite of a very wet June which caused many delays, this spectacular National Historic Landmark mountain roadway is now open for daytime travel between St. Mary and West Glacier unless it is temporarily closed due to weather,” remarked park Superintendent Chas Cartwright.
In addition to Sun Road, all other park roads are open except for the Inside North Fork Road.
Heavy rainfall on Monday caused flooding from Anaconda Creek that prompted the temporary closure of the Inside North Fork Road between Logging Creek and Fish Creek. The park received between 3 and 4 inches of rain in the past week.
Logging Creek and Quartz Creek campgrounds are scheduled to open July 1. Granite Park Chalet opens Tuesday, June 29, and Sperry Chalet opens Wednesday, July 7.
Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass will be closed from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays to accommodate major reconstruction work on the high-altitude highway. There is no night work scheduled for Fridays through Sundays.
During daytime hours, motorists on Sun Road may be delayed for up to 40 minutes by road work.
Major work zones are between Big Bend and Logan Pass and between Siyeh Bend and Logan Pass.
No passage will be allowed through the construction zone on the west side of Logan Pass during the entire 10-hour night shift. On the east side of Sun Road, there will be one short, 15-minute window for passage through the construction zone at 2 a.m.
The park’s free Sun Road shuttle service will begin operating to locations along Sun Road and Apgar Village on Thursday, July 1, and continue operations through Labor Day.
This free, step-on-step-off, no frills shuttle provides an alternative for visitors traveling the Sun Road. The last evening buses depart Logan Pass for points east and west at 7:15 p.m.
Weather always is a key factor in opening of Sun Road over Logan Pass.
The following table shows opening dates in recent years and weather and other factors that affected the road:
June 26, 2009: A historic Class V avalanche swept down 4,000 vertical feet from near the Continental Divide, leaving debris 35 feet high across approximately 500 feet of the Sun Road in two separate locations on the west side below Logan Pass
July 2, 2008: Heavy snowpack and 2 to 3 feet of new snow fell the week of June 10 .
July 1, 2007: Washout and road damage repairs were necessary from record rains and flooding in November 2006.
June 23, 2006: Logan Pass nearly ready for opening June 14 but a rainstorm caused 10 washouts and substantial rock debris on road. Heavy rain and flooding on June 16 delayed road opening.
June 13, 2005: Logan Pass opened on June 3; closed June 7; reopened June 8 and closed two hours later; east side reopened June 10; Sun Road entirely reopened June 13
July 1, 2004: Logan Pass opened May 30; closed June 7; reopened June 8; closed June 30; reopened July 1.
June 3, 2003: Logan Pass opened May 30; closed June 2 due to substantial rock fall; reopened June 3.