Glacier's Highline Trail opens

The Highline Trail, one of Glacier National Park’s most popular trails, is now open to hikers, but as with other high-elevation routes in the park, it still has snow hazards.

Park officials say that there is snow on the trail beyond Haystack Butte on the way to Granite Park Chalet. Strong hiking and snow travel skills along with appropriate equipment are recommended.

The main portion of the Highline Trail takes hikers along the steep face of the Garden Wall for 7.6 miles between Logan Pass and the chalet. 

Elsewhere in the park, the Ptarmigan Tunnel is open but stock access on the trail is prohibited due to a temporary bridge that is not adequate to support stock.

Glacier has over 700 miles of trails, many of them at high elevations where there are snowfields and snow bridges that can hide an opening under the snow, presenting an unstable surface to cross. 

East of Logan Pass, hikers seeking to get to trails off of Going-to-the-Sun Road are encouraged to use the park’s free shuttle system because road construction activity has significantly reduced parking availability at the St. Mary, Virginia and Baring Falls areas. Sun Point is closed to all visitor access due to construction.

A nine-mile stretch of Sun Road east of Logan Pass is a rough gravel surface. Contractors have been working seven days a week on this project. 

Visitors can expect 30-minute traffic delays between Siyeh Bend and Rising Sun and no delays on the west side. It is anticipated that weekend work on Going-to-the-Sun Road will be completed by the end of July.

Hikers in Glacier Park are urged to hike in groups, carry bear spray that is easily accessible and avoid possible feeding areas for bears, such as berry patches, cow parsnip thickets or fields of glacier lilies. Hiking early in the day, late in the day or after dark is not encouraged.

For more information about Glacier National Park, visit www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm or call 406-888-7800.