Sun Road to reopen to Avalanche

Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road will reopen to Avalanche from the West Entrance at noon on Saturday, Oct. 21, park officials announced Friday.

Sun Road access from the St. Mary entrance is currently to Rising Sun. Logan Pass vehicle access from both the east and west park entrances has ended for the season.

The Sun Road had previously been closed at Apgar due to Sprague Fire, and then due to a large culvert replacement project several miles up the road.

Late-season hiker and biker access will be to The Loop on the west side beginning Oct. 21, and Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east side.

The full road is not available to hikers and bikers right now because of excessive rock fall and treefall following this week’s wind storm. Hiker and biker access changes regularly in the late fall, and will shift to ski access as winter progresses.

Visitors should be mindful that the Sprague Fire continues to smolder to the east of the road, and is relatively close to the road in some areas. The entire fire area remains closed, and threats to human life and safety exist. Visitors should remain in the road corridor or on open trails and abide by area closures at all times, the park stated in a press statement.

A significant amount of construction will still be occurring simultaneously with Saturday’s road opening, some of which was delayed during the Sprague Fire. Visitors can expect intermittent one-lane traffic and delays between Apgar and Avalanche.

A portion of the Trail of the Cedars boardwalk has been removed to allow equipment access to the pedestrian footbridge currently under construction. The bridge is being modified to fully comply with ABA/ADA standards. Walking the Trail of the Cedars loop is not currently possible. In addition, a tree has fallen across the boardwalk portion breaking it, so the boardwalk portion of the trail is also temporarily closed.

Avalanche Lake Trail will be open, though hikers can expect to see trail crew conducting routine maintenance activities. In addition, a wind storm this week has knocked down approximately 140 trees across the trail. The trail may close intermittently for tree clearing activities. Hikers should expect a much more difficult hiking experience than is typical due to trail condition.

Trails within the Sprague Fire burn area remain closed, including the trail to Sperry Chalet. The park estimates that nearly 2,000 trees have fallen over trail systems within the burn area. Hundreds more are expected to fall this winter with heavy snow. Significant tree fall hazards currently exist. The area closure is to protect human life and safety and violations carry federal penalties, the park warns.

Trail crews will assess and begin clearing trails within the burn area in the spring when the threat to human safety is lower.

In the coming weeks, previously scheduled construction work on the entrance road to Avalanche Campground will begin. This will involve significant road excavation. Parking access in the campground once this construction begins will not be possible, even on weekends. Visitors to the Avalanche area should park in the picnic area once campground road construction is underway.

A waterline will be installed between Sprague Creek Campground and Lake McDonald Lodge along the side of the Sun Road. Traffic delays will occur around this operation.

Lake McDonald Lodge parking area and pedestrian areas around the lodge will be closed for a period of time while the park completes flood risk mitigation activities following the Sprague Fire. Those activities include cleaning out culverts, pedestrian bridge modifications, and installing creek bank reinforcements in the Sprague and Snyder drainages.

Hikers, bikers, and vehicles may see more wildlife right now because the Avalanche area has been closed to the public in recent weeks. Bears are especially active at this time of year as they enter hyperphagia, a period when they seek large amounts of food before they den for the winter. All park visitors are advised to carry bear spray in a readily accessible location, should know how to use it, and should remember required safe wildlife viewing distances. Those distances are 300 feet for bears and wolves, and 75 feet for all other wildlife.

Due to the scope of construction activities in the road corridor, delays experienced due to the Sprague Fire, and approaching winter, it is possible that the Sun Road could re-close at one of the lower gates. Typically the road closes at Lake McDonald Lodge on the west side on or before Dec. 15, weather dependent.