Glacier Park crews at Big Drift

Glacier National Park snowplow crews working on the Going-to-the-Sun Road are through the Big Drift just east of Logan Pass and are clearing it out into two lanes of traffic.

The Big Drift is the last hurdle in plowing the road. The Logan Pass parking lot is cleared of snow, and crews are working on putting up removable guardrails along the Sun Road.

Plows are about a month ahead of last year, when the road didn’t open until July 2.

The east side of the road won’t open until June 19 at the earliest, but Park officials have said in the past they will open the Sun Road to Logan Pass from the west side earlier.

The opening of the road marks the beginning of the summer tourist season in Glacier Park.

Most of Glacier Park’s secondary roads are open, except for the Cut Bank Road and a portion of the Inside North Fork Road from Fish Creek to Logging Creek. The Inside North Fork Road is dirt and has seen damage from braided streams and flooding.