Glacier Park's Sun Road to open to Logan Pass
<p><strong>Starting Thursday,</strong> motorists should be able to drive to Glacier Park's Logan Pass from the west side. This photo taken Wednesday morning shows Going-to-the-Sun Road as it curves into Oberlin Bend just below the pass. (Matt Baldwin/Whitefish Pilot)</p>
The road to Logan Pass in Glacier National Park is expected to open to vehicles Thursday morning.
Motorists will be able to reach the 6,646-foot-high pass from the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road. Logan Pass is 31 miles from the west entrance.
Access from the east remains closed by road construction until June 19. The park’s shuttle system will not begin operations until July 1 and will run through Sept. 7.
Services at Logan Pass will include restroom facilities and potable water.
The Logan Pass Visitor Center will not open until June 19. At that time it will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A year ago, Sun Road opened to Logan Pass on July 3 following a heavy, lingering winter. In 2013 the road opened June 16.
There are two areas along Going-to-the-Sun Road near Rim Rock, just below Oberlin Bend, that visitors will need to drive with caution.
Approximately 200 feet of masonry guard walls were destroyed by avalanches this past winter and temporary barriers have been installed, creating a narrow two-lane roadway along that stretch of Sun Road.
Through June 19, crews will be working near Triple Arches approximately two miles below Logan Pass on the west side.
One-lane traffic will be implemented during this time. Flaggers will direct traffic during the day and traffic control lights will be used nights and weekends. Crews will be completing some of the detail masonry work on the footing areas.
Visitors will discover a snow-covered landscape at Logan Pass. Cold weather and wind, as well as icy conditions, may be encountered.
Snowbanks along the road in high-elevation areas could pose risks for those getting out of their vehicles, and park officials caution against hiking or walking on the snow.
For weeks, hikers and bicyclists have had exclusive use of Going-to-the-Sun Road beyond the gate at Avalanche.
Opening of the pass to vehicles will mark the end of exclusive hiker-biker access on the road. Beginning June 15 and ending Sept. 7, bicycles will be prohibited on the road between Apgar and Sprague Creek campgrounds from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition, bicycles are prohibited eastbound (uphill) between Logan Creek and Logan Pass from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Some hiking trails along the road are open, but the popular Highline Trail from the pass is still closed due to snow. For updated information on trail status, visit www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/trailstatusreports.htm.
For current information on park roads, weather conditions, and visitor services visit Glacier National Park’s website at www.nps.gov/glac or call park headquarters at 406-888-7800.