Trail closures increase as Glacier fire grows

This map shows trail closures as of Aug. 12 in Glacier National Park due to the Thompson and Reynolds Creek fires.

This map shows the area burned by the Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park. As of Aug. 12, the fire had burned 14,900 acres.

by The Daily Inter Lake
| August 13, 2015 8:21 AM

This map shows the area burned by the Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park. As of Aug. 12, the fire had burned 14,900 acres.

Continuing growth of the Thompson Fire in Glacier National Park has prompted expanded trail closures in the south-central area of the park.

The fire has been expanding rapidly in the Nyack Creek area since it was first spotted on Sunday.

Trail closures due to the Thompson Fire have been extended into the Cut Bank Creek and Two Medicine areas.

Trail closures include:

Coal Creek Trail.
Nyack Creek Trail.
Cut Bank Pass Trail in the Nyack drainage.
Park Creek to Coal Creek cutoff trail.
Dry Fork Trail from Pitamakan Pass to Two Medicine Campground trailhead and Two Medicine Entrance.
Morning Star Trail from Cut Bank Auto Campground to Pitamakan Pass.
Atlantic Creek Trail from Cut Bank Auto Campground to Triple Divide Pass.
Medicine Grizzly Lake Trail.
Dawson Pass Trail/North Shore of Two Medicine Lake.
North Shore Two Medicine Junction to Dawson/Pitamakan.
Upper Two Medicine Lake Trail.

Several backcountry campgrounds also have been closed:

Lower Nyack.
Upper Nyack.
Beaver Woman Lake.
Nyack/Coal Creek Camping Zone.
Coal Creek.
Atlantic Creek.
Morning Star.
Oldman Lake.
No Name.

Upper Two Medicine Lake

In addition, the Cut Bank frontcountry campground has been closed and the Cut Bank Road is closed at the Glacier Park boundary.

These closures are in addition to previous trail closures due to the Reynolds Creek Fire farther north in Glacier Park.

The St. Mary Lake Trail and access to St. Mary, Virginia and Baring Falls remain closed. The Otokomi Lake Trail also is closed, as are all trails within the fire perimeter.

Rising Sun Campground and the Otokomi and Reynolds backcountry campgrounds are closed.

The Gunsight Pass Trail and the Gunsight Lake Backcountry Campground are open.

The Reynolds Creek Fire has covered 4,311 acres north of St. Mary Lake since July 21.

While burning continues in the upper reaches of the Reynolds Creek Fire area, 24-hour visitor traffic has been restored on the east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road. Firefighters and equipment will continue to be staged along the road; smoke may be visible and may reduce visibility at times.

Beyond these fire-related closures, the majority of Glacier National Park is unaffected and is available for recreation use.

For the most up-to-date information on the expanded trail and area closures, visit http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/infobull/closures.cfm.