Sun Road opens to vehicles to Avalanche Creek

Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road is now open to Avalanche Creek to motor vehicles. Hiker-biker access beyond that is to Logan Pit, but unrestricted when plow crews aren’t working on weekends and later in the day on weekdays.

On Glacier’s east side, the Sun Road is open to vehicles to Rising Sun, with hiker-biker restrictions beyond St. Mary Falls when crews are working.

The Camas, Two Medicine and Many Glacier Roads are also open. The Inside North Fork Road is open north to Doverspike Meadow. Three motor campgrounds are also open — Sprague, Apgar and St. Mary. The Many Glacier campground has been closed due to high water and the Two Medicine campground still has a lot of snow.

Park snowplows are at the Weeping Wall and Big Bend area, which is about 3 miles from Logan Pass on the west side. On the east side, plows are at Siyeh Bend.

Glacier Park’s free bike shuttle will operate every 30 minutes beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday and will start from the Apgar Visitor Center and make stops at Lake McDonald Lodge and Avalanche Creek. The last shuttle departs Avalanche Creek at 5:15 p.m.

The shuttle will operate until Going-to-the-Sun Road opens fully to vehicles.

Last year was the first year of the hiker-biker shuttle, and the park will continue to monitor shuttle use and effects on springtime parking congestion. This year, the park has additional bike racks and one additional bike trailer.

The hiker-biker shuttle is made possible in part through donations from the Glacier National Park Conservancy.

People biking the road are urged to use caution in avalanche-prone areas and to be on the lookout for falling rock and other debris.

The weather this weekend in Glacier is expected to be raw and wet, with highs only in the 40s and 50s and a chance of rain each day.