Glacier Park feels effects of rough weather

Old Man Winter was hard on Glacier National Park this year, with park officials continuing to deal with problems caused by cold and snow.

This week’s weather isn’t helping, either. The park was under flood watches and warnings Tuesday that were expected to last through Thursday morning.

Total precipitation is expected to reach 3 to 6 inches in the mountains and 1.5 to 3 inches in the valleys. The National Weather Service was forecasting that snow accumulations above 6,500 feet could reach one to two feet.

Jennifer Lutman, a park public affairs officer, said a snowplow crew that had been working on the Big Drift east of Logan Pass encountered heavy rain and snow on Going-to-the-Sun Road Tuesday morning. Plowing was halted at the drift because of low visibility and poor safety conditions, but work to prepare the road for opening over Logan Pass continued at lower elevations.

The Big Drift is estimated to be 80 feet deep this year — deeper than most years — and once the drift is removed, it’s expected there will be a thick layer of ice on the road surface.

Montana 49, also known as the Looking Glass Highway, was closed on the Blackfeet Reservation just outside the park due to water and rocks on the road.

Even before this week’s weather, park staffers were evaluating damage to trails and backcountry campgrounds due to snow slides and large amounts of avalanche debris.

The Ptarmigan Falls Bridge and Twin Falls Bridge had to be removed due to winter damage and hazardous conditions. Temporary bridges are expected to be installed by early July.

The Iceberg Lake Trail is closed to stock use until permanent repairs to Ptarmigan Falls Bridge are complete. Repairs to both bridges are expected to begin this fall.

Extensive avalanche debris covered a portion of the Trout Lake Trail and park officials are discouraging hikers from using the trail.

Frozen and damaged sewer and water lines caused some delays in opening facilities in the park.

The Rising Sun and Swiftcurrent cabin area had damaged water lines. The Apgar and Lake McDonald area had issues with frozen sewer lines and broken water lines. The Cut Bank, Many Glacier and Two Medicine campgrounds experienced delayed openings due to abundant snow and slow snow melt.

An avalanche wiped out about 20 to 30 feet of rock guard wall along Sun Road in the Alps area just below Logan Pass.

Park officials are planning to extend vehicle access on the east side of Sun Road to the Jackson Glacier Overlook, but that will be entirely dependent on weather conditions.