Park plows at the pass

Plowing crews on the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park have reached Logan Pass and now need to start burrowing through the Big Drift.

On the east side, the other plowing crew is at the Big Drift but hazardous conditions on the overhangs and crevices above require them to wait until progress from the west side before they can proceed.

In the meantime, some snow-clearing work is underway on the Logan Pass parking lot.

Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said rain and snow in the last couple of days have created poor visibility at the 6,640-foot high mountain pass, slowing the crews’ progress.

After cruising through lower-than-average snow depths at lower elevations, plows have encountered normal high-elevation snow depths.

Before the western access to Logan Pass can open to vehicles, crews still have to chisel through the Big Drift, clear the parking lot and walkways at the visitor center, clean up debris on Sun Road, finish installing guardrails and remove snow from pullout areas.

The east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road will not open to motorists until June 19 at the earliest because of construction between Siyeh Bend and St. Mary.

West-side vehicle access currently ends at Avalanche Creek 14.5 miles up the road from Apgar. Past the vehicle closure, hikers and bikers may travel as far up the road as they want on weekends and before or after crews are working during the week. While crews are working, hiker/biker access is restricted to Logan Creek.

Germann urged those using the road to exercise caution, especially if traveling on bicycles.

“Remember biker etiquette, stay to the right and if people are coming down the road on bikes their speed increases, so be conscious of where families and everyone else is,” she said, adding that parking fills up quickly at Avalanche, but motorists should not park on the side of the road.

Updated road status can be found by visiting www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/goingtothesunroad.htm.

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