Glacier Park visitors flock to reopened pass

After its weeklong closure to the public following the rapid spread of the Reynolds Creek Fire, Logan Pass opened early Wednesday morning to visitors who quickly filled the parking lot at the popular Glacier National Park destination.

The 3,000-acre fire still burning on the park’s east side wasn’t about to stop Ray Hustedt of Bourbonnais, Illinois, from making his annual migration to the beloved park with his girlfriend, Sherry Lung.

“We kept hoping, of course, that the weather would cooperate and help the firefighters,” Hustedt said. “It’s a shame, it takes forever to create something like this.”

Last July, he said he came to Glacier and estimated five feet of snow was still on the ground at Logan Pass. Like many other visitors, he was overjoyed by the quick return to normalcy at the 6,640 foot-high mountain pass.

“The drive up here is just beautiful, just fantastic,” he said. “We had to come back, this is probably the most beautiful park I’ve ever been to.”

The parking lot at the Logan Pass Visitor Center hit capacity shortly after the facility’s 9 a.m. opening, with cars backed up at Avalanche Creek and Big Bend and park rangers counting cars and holding up traffic to ensure congestion didn’t become too problematic along Going-to-the-Sun Road.

“It’s a unique situation because we’re at the peak of our visitor season and the east side has no access,” park spokeswoman Denise Germann said. “We highly encourage visitors to take the alternate transportation, the park shuttle or concessioner transportation.”

One of the main obstacles for park officials trying to open the visitor center was the high level of service required for the popular destination.

A waste pumping truck that clears out the restrooms up to four times each day during the busy season is too large to navigate the winding west side of Sun Road. The fire is mostly contained on the road’s east side, but falling trees and rocks loosened by the lack of vegetation on the slopes still pose serious risks to traffic.

Because of the service truck’s difficulty accessing the pass, visitors are being warned that restroom facilities might not be available by the time they arrive.

The park is still consulting with fire officials to determine when the full length of the scenic road can safely open.

Clad in yellow, flame-retardant shirts and answering questions for park visitors, two information officers from the incident management team battling the fire stood outside the visitor center on Wednesday.

“They want to know when the road is going to open” and if there is any possibility of the fire expanding, said Kim Smolt, one of the officers. “The main reason we’re here is to let people know why the road is still closed.”

Despite the road closure just past the visitor center, most of the visitors wore contented smiles as they planned their outings for the warm, sunny day in the park.

It was Aart Hooimejer’s first time at the pass, and the Netherlands resident he said he was relieved to have an opportunity to venture out on the popular trails at the pass.

“We’re excited, it’s one of the highlights of this side,” Hooimejer said. “We’ve hiked other trails, Trail of the Cedars and Bowman Lake.”

He and his wife had left Apgar Campground earlier Wednesday morning with their son and his wife, Helene Coleman of Shelton, Washington. Coleman said they had departed three days earlier for a two-week vacation, and news of the fire on the park’s east side hadn’t disrupted their plans.

“It’s a big park, and there’s lots to do and see,” Coleman said. “And if we couldn’t come [to the park], there’s a lot to do in the area.”

Also undeterred by the throngs of parkgoers was Susan Todd of San Antonio, who was preparing to embark on a Glacier Guides hike up the Highline Trail to Granite Chalet. Despite the congestion, she was quick to look on the bright side.

“I’m glad the weather’s nice and I’m glad there are people going on the trail before us to let the bears know we’re here,” she joked.

The Logan Pass Visitor Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, but Sun Road access east of the parking lot is closed until further notice.

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