Glacier reopening Logan Pass on Wednesday

Glacier National Park plans to reopen Logan Pass to west-side traffic by 9 a.m. Wednesday, which also will give visitors access to the Highline and Hidden Lake trails.

St. Mary Campground also is expected to reopen Wednesday.

Going-to-the-Sun Road between Big Bend and St. Mary has been closed since the Reynolds Creek Fire erupted on July 21. The road will remain closed east of Logan Pass.

Scattered showers on Monday did little to aid firefighters on the 3,170-acre fire north of St. Mary Lake, incident management team spokesman Mike Cole said Tuesday, although a cold front and increased humidity kept the fire relatively quiet.

Winds have pushed the fire east since it first flared up, and only 0.02 inches of rain hit the eastern front of the fire while heavier rains fell farther north and east of St. Mary.

As of Tuesday night, 56 percent of the fire was contained after ground crews worked to connect fire lines between Two Dog Creek and the Rising Sun Motor Inn.

“They’re really taking their time and trying to pick up every spot as they’re building that line,” said Cole, adding that some of the crews must hike an hour up from the road each day before they can start work. “It’ll be another two to three days to have at least some type of identified line going all the way through.”

Winds gusted up to 20 miles per hour Tuesday, and are forecast to remain the same until Thursday, when temperatures could start picking up again.

“You just need a few days of some warm temperatures and it’s going to be smoking up again. There’s a lot of heat still left in that fire,” Cole said. “In mixed conifers, if you don’t get rain down to the ground, that stuff’s down there cooking and it’ll start popping up again.”

Helicopters assigned to the fire were once again dropping water Tuesday after thunderstorms rolling over the Divide kept them grounded most of Monday. Cole explained that the fixed-wing aircraft from Kalispell that directs air traffic was unable to break through the storms to the west. 

Helicopters so far have dropped one million gallons of water on the fire.

On the western flank of the fire’s sprawling perimeter, firefighters worked to extend the existing fire line to 100 feet, moving inward on the fire with water hoses to create a safe buffer. The day it began, the fire quickly spread over the road and west toward Piegan Pass, but ground crews have contained much of the fire’s western perimeter.

Other firefighters removed burned snags, fallen rocks and other hazards along Sun Road, but neither fire nor Glacier Park officials expect the full length of the 51-mile road to reopen in the immediate future.

“We’re not even there on the discussion part yet,” Cole said. “Even after the point where it’s possible to open the road, you’re going to have stuff coming down on it if it rains, or if the wind blows. ... That’s going to be a continual upkeep problem.”

The one exception involves park staff and utility trucks that are being allowed limited access from the east side of Glacier.

The Logan Pass Visitor Center is expected to open today, and the facility is normally serviced by a pumping truck that removes wastewater from the facility up to four times each day during the park’s busy season.

Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said the truck cannot navigate the winding, overhang-laden west side of the Sun Road. Over the past few days, firefighters have allowed limited access to park employees  to prep the center for reopening.

Logan Pass will be closed to overnight parking, and overnight parking along Going-to-the-Sun Road is not encouraged. According to a press release from the park, if Going-to-the-Sun Road becomes too congested, park rangers may turn vehicles around at Big Bend or Avalanche Creek.

Visitors will not be able to view the Reynolds Creek Fire from Logan Pass.

Other than areas between Logan Pass and St. Mary, the rest of Glacier Park remains open to the public.

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.