Logan Pass opening likely to be after June 20

In all likelihood, the full length of Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road won’t open to motor vehicles until sometime after June 20, Park officials said during a tour of the plowing effort with media June 6.

Park plows were pioneering a route in deep snow at Oberlin Bend, about a quarter mile from Logan Pass, but crews still need to clear the entire Logan Pass parking lot and get through the Big Drift east of the pass. In addition, crews are putting up hundreds of removable railings along the alpine sections of the highway.

The plowing and the railing work are expected to take several weeks, Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said. Park superintendent Jeff Mow, however, said the Park could open the highway’s alpine reaches to vehicle traffic sooner, perhaps as far as Big Bend. On the east side, the Sun Road could be opened to Jackson Glacier Overlook, although no dates have been set.

Park officials hadn’t planned on opening the east side of the Sun Road until June 21 at the earliest because of ongoing road construction, and they said Logan Pass wouldn’t be open to visitors until the Big Drift is cleared.

Park road crew foreman Stan Stahr said the plowing effort so far has been “about average,” with few equipment problems and fairly good weather, but there is more snow than normal.

Snowpack in the Park this winter was about 130 percent of average, and portions of the Sun Road still have several dozen feet of snow. Plow crews spent a week and half getting through the Rimrocks area, about half a mile below the pass on the west side. Drifts there towered dozens of feet above the highway.

Hikers and bikers, however, could make it to Logan Pass this weekend if they want to. There are no biking restrictions on the west side on weekends, and the Sun Road is clear of snow and ice as far as the Rimrocks. Beyond there, bikers and hikers could find snow and ice on the road.

The Sun Road is currently gated to vehicles at Avalanche Creek The bike ride from Avalanche to the Pass is about 16 miles.

On weekdays, the road is open to hikers and bikers on the west side as far as The Loop. Most secondary roads in Glacier Park are open, except for the Cut Bank Road and the Inside North Fork Road between Fish Creek and Logging Creek.