Sun Road fully reopens through Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road fully reopened for the 2021 visitor season on Friday morning. Motorists now can travel the road all the way through the park between the West Glacier and St. Mary entrances.

With the road fully reopened, park officials said they would further increase the number of tickets available under the park's new entry reservation system.

Tickets are required to access the Sun Road via the Camas Road and the West Glacier and St. Mary entrances between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily through Sept. 6. They can be purchased for $2 apiece at recreation.gov, where batches of tickets are made available at 8 a.m. Mountain time each day.

In a news release, park officials said visitors "should expect long lines and delays" if entering the park at 5 p.m. when the reservation system no longer is in effect.

Reservation tickets are not required elsewhere in the park, though visitors still need a standard per-vehicle park pass.

"These areas are congested, and visitors can expect traffic restrictions by mid-morning," officials said.

The park's shuttle service also is operational. Tickets can be purchased at recreation.gov and must be validated at the visitor center selected when making the reservation — at either Apgar or St. Mary. The reservation tickets needed to access the Sun Road in private vehicles are not required to use the shuttle service.

Bicyclists may ride the Sun Road between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The Highline Trail from Logan Pass remains closed due to hazardous snow conditions. Up-to-date information can be found on Glacier's trail status webpage.

Vehicles and truck-trailer combinations longer than 21 feet or wider than 8 feet are prohibited on the Sun Road between the Avalanche campground and Rising Sun. Vehicles taller than 10 feet may have difficulty traveling west from Logan Pass due to rock overhangs.

Park officials said visitors should watch out for falling rocks on the Sun Road, particularing in the Rim Rock area about a mile west of Logan Pass, and should not stop or slow down along that stretch. Rocks and other debris continue to fall throughout the summer, requiring daily cleanup.

Various portions of the road also are undergoing construction and maintenance this year. In addition to masonry work at multiple locations, crews are installing a new vault toilet at Big Bend and a new shuttle shelter at Logan Pass. Because of the construction, Big Bend will have less parking available, although the trail to the waterfall will be accessible.

"Visitors need to be on the lookout for these work zones, slow down, and give the construction workers a wide berth," officials said.

Services at Logan Pass will include restroom facilities and potable water. Visitor information will be provided outside the Logan Pass visitor center from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The Glacier National Park Conservancy bookstore will operate inside the visitor center, with access at the upper level. The bookstore will limit occupancy due to COVID-19.

The park and the conservancy also have launched an "idling awareness" campaign that urges visitors not to leave their vehicles running for more than 2 minutes when stopped in Glacier's parking lots, at scenic viewpoints and trailheads, and while stuck in traffic to limit pollution from exhaust fumes.

Officials also urge visitors not to throw food waste — including apple cores, orange peels, sunflower seeds and unwanted beverages — out of car windows while waiting in lines, which attracts wildlife to the roadways and gets animals killed. All food should be discarded in bear-proof garbage cans.