Park plows through Big Drift

Glacier National Park plows are through the Big Drift, though Glacier National Park officials weren’t making any projections on when the Going-to-the-Sun Road would open just yet.

Getting through the drift is the last big obstacle in plowing the highway. Park spokeswoman Margie Steigerwald said crews were working on ice that was on the highway below the drift. About 18 inches of ice was on the road from overnight freezing and thawing.

In addition they were putting in temporary guardwalls below Rimrocks, which is just below Logan Pass. The May 23-24 storm that brought additional snow to the high country also brought several avalanches to the road, knocking out a big section of stone wall.

The wall was just rebuilt a few years ago as part of the Sun Road reconstruction project.

She said the wall will be permanently repaired this fall.

The weather has helped the plowing effort since the late May storm. Sunday saw a record high of 90 at the Glacier Park International Airport. Monday it was 91 — one degree shy of the 1977 record.

The end of this  week promises much cooler temperatures, with highs in the 60s and 70s and a chance of rain each day, the National Weather Service is predicting.