Popular pass leads to road delays
<p><strong>A full parking</strong> lot and plenty of people have been the norm at Logan Pass this week, prompting Glacier Park officials to encourage visitors to pursue recreational opportunities elsewhere in the million-acre park. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
With delays mounting for travelers on the west side of Glacier National Park, park officials urge visitors to consider going elsewhere in Glacier.
Traffic delays of two to three hours are common since Going-to-the-Sun Road is open only to Logan Pass from the west side of the park. In addition, parking is limited at the pass.
The east-side section from Logan Pass to St. Mary is closed due to firefighting efforts on the Reynolds Creek Fire burning across more than 3,000 acres on the north side of St. Mary Lake.
To reach Logan Pass, visitors are encouraged to use alternate transportation options such as the park’s free shuttle system or concession-operated interpretive tours (conducted by park concessioners Glacier National Park Lodges and Sun Tours).
Or park visitors can go somewhere else in Glacier’s 1 million acres.
Only a small portion of the park’s 700-plus miles of trails are closed in the fire area and there are plenty of recreational opportunities in the North Fork, Many Glacier, Two Medicine and Apgar areas of the park.
All campgrounds except Rising Sun (in the middle of the fire area) are open in Glacier. The St. Mary Campground and St. Mary Visitor Center, as well as trails in the Red Eagle Lake area, are open and services outside the park at St. Mary are in full operation.
Park rangers are stationed along Going-to-the-Sun Road managing traffic to Logan Pass.
“We strive to provide a quality visitor experience at Glacier National Park, so we need to communicate the delays that may be encountered in accessing Logan Pass,” Glacier Superintendent Jeff Mow said in a news release.
Mow said that record visitation and the east-side closure have led to delays and road congestion.
The east-side road isn’t likely to open soon since the Reynolds Creek Fire, which started July 21, is still actively burning along a substantial stretch of Sun Road.
“East-side access to Logan Pass will remain closed as long as there is fire burning and firefighters working in close proximity to the Going-to-the-Sun Road,” Mow said.
The news release noted that Glacier Park and surrounding area offer visitors many outstanding recreational opportunities.
To learn more about visitor opportunities in Glacier, visit www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm or stop by a park visitor center or ranger station.