Glacier plows closing in on Logan Pass
A plow works in the Rimrocks area along Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park on May 31. (GNP photo)
Glacier National Park plow crews are closing in on Logan Pass on the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Crews were at the Rimrocks area on Friday, which is about a half-mile from the pass. From there, they still have to plow through Oberlin Bend to get to Logan Pass.
The bigger project comes when they’re beyond the pass — the Big Drift usually runs about 100 feet deep just beyond the pass on the east side of the highway. It usually takes about a week to get through the drift.
East side crews are at the east side tunnel, which is a couple of miles below the pass.
The weather this weekend in Glacier is expected to be hit-or-miss, with Saturday being the better day. Strong thunderstorms could happen Sunday, the National Weather Service is warning, with 60 mph winds.
Folks are urged to use caution around rivers and streams, as most are bank-full and running high with runoff.
In the backcountry, the higher elevations still have several feet of snow on the ground, though lower elevation camps like those in the Belly River and St. Mary Valleys are beginning to open up. Folks need a permit to camp in the backcountry.
The Flathead River Basin snowpack is currently 138 percent of average. The Flattop Mountain SNOTEL site in Glacier still measures 83 inches of snow on the ground at an elevation of 6,300 feet. To put that in perspective, Logan Pass is at 6,647 feet.
Most of Glacier’s secondary roads are now open, including the Cut Bank Road. The Quarter Circle Bridge Road is currently closed due to high water from McDonald Creek and the Inside North Fork Road is closed from Camas Creek to Logging Creek, but open to hikers and bikers.
The Sun Road is open to vehicles up to Avalanche Creek on the west side and to Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east side.
Hikers and bikers can go beyond that when plow crews aren’t working — later in the day on weekdays and on weekends. Glacier is also offering a free bicyclist shuttle service on weekends from the Apgar Visitor Center to Avalanche Creek.