Glacier Park is more than just Going-to-the-Sun Road

Last winter’s extraordinary, lingering snowfall has yielded some scenic side effects in Glacier National Park this summer, including spectacular waterfalls, stunning beargrass and other wildflowers and more wildlife at lower elevations.

While park crews continue to clear snow from the upper reaches of Going-to-the-Sun Road (the park’s main thoroughfare), Sun Road is really just a sliver of the pie in Glacier, said Bill Hayden, an interpretive specialist for Glacier Park.

“The Sun Road is not the complete Glacier National Park experience,” Hayden stressed. “There’s horseback riding, boating, the Red Buses are running. There’s still a ton of things for people to do here.”

Ranger-guided hikes have started and all of the nature trails except Hidden Lake Overlook at Logan Pass are open.

Beargrass is peaking in West Glacier right now, Hayden said, noting that wildflowers generally are blooming a couple of weeks later than normal because of a late spring.

A modified shuttle system is carrying visitors throughout the park. On the east side, the shuttle is on its regular schedule, making all stops from St. Mary to Sun Point. Vehicles can go as far as Jackson Glacier Overlook.

On the west side, the shuttle goes once an hour from Apgar to the road gates at Avalanche Creek, with smaller shuttles taking visitors to The Loop for viewing and hiking. The westside shuttle runs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last bus returning at 5 p.m.

Currently, 29 miles of Going-to-the-Sun Road are open for travel.

An added benefit of curtailed traffic on the closed portion of Sun Road is more room for bicyclists, Hayden said. Hiker/biker access on the west side is to Bird Woman Falls Overlook, 11 miles past the vehicle closure. On the east side hiker/biker access is allowed to Siyeh Bend, 2 miles past the vehicle closure.

Streams and creeks continue to run high because of the snowmelt and “the waterfalls are spectacular,” Hayden said. St. Mary-Virginia Falls is one of the few places in the park where visitors can view waterfalls by hiking only a short distance, first to Baring Falls then to the two perpendicular falls forming St. Mary Falls. The hike can be extended into a longer, 3-mile round-trip walk to include Virginia Falls.

Park officials can’t say yet when Sun Road will open over Logan Pass.

On Wednesday, crews were plowing the Big Drift just east of Logan Pass and the parking lot at Logan Pass Visitor Center.

Hayden said about a third of the visitor center still is covered in snow so hand-shoveling is required. The park will use employees from its trail and campground crews to augment the plowing staff this week.

Business owners along the Glacier Park corridor on U.S. 2 are anxious for Sun Road to open, but they, too, are letting visitors know about all of the other attractions and services available in the park.

Chuck Seward, owner of Glacier General Store on U.S. 2 East between Coram and West Glacier, said the wildlife has been “phenomenal” in recent weeks at lower elevations. Wolf and grizzly bear sightings have been regular occurrences on Camas Road and near Polebridge, and black bears have been hanging out on the roadside in several areas of Glacier Park.

Seward said he has had a number of cancellations for cabin rentals because of the late Sun Road opening. In addition to persistent media reports about the late road opening, a key weather website showed 10-foot snowdrifts lingering in the park, erroneously noting the snow was at West Glacier.

Still, he’s working to put a positive spin on the variety of amenities and scenery available in and around the park.

“There’s so much lush vegetation,” he noted.

Dee Brown, owner of Canyon RV Campground & Cabins, said her business also has been struggling this season.

“My people are sitting in RVs in Yellowstone or in Washington or other places, waiting for the [Sun] Road to open,” she said.

Interrupted Amtrak rail passenger service because of the flooding in North Dakota also has affected her visitor numbers, she said.

For up-to-date information about Glacier National Park, go to the website at www.nps.gov/glac.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com

Of particular interest is the “Current conditions and Busting Myths” section, which debunks various “myths” visitors may have about the park. For example:

n Myth: Because the Going-to-the-Sun Road isn’t open, Glacier is closed.

n Busted: The first part is completely a myth ... Glacier National Park is always open. It is open 365 days a year, 24/7. Services and facilities are open right now and there is a lot to do.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com