Glacier Park facilities open for Memorial weekend

Many services and facilities in Glacier National Park will be open for Memorial Day weekend.

Plow crews continue to work at clearing Going-to-the-Sun-Road, which remains closed to vehicles between Avalanche Creek on the west side and Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east side. Plows were working beyond the Triple Arches area earlier this week on the west side, and near Siyeh Bend on the east side.

Hikers and bikers on the west side may travel beyond the closed gate as far as conditions allow on weekends and holidays and after 4:30 p.m. On the east side, hikers and bikers will have access beyond the gate during the Memorial Day weekend as far as conditions allow.

Visitor centers are open at Apgar and St. Mary.

Park officials are warning visitors to use extreme caution near water and steep terrain. Rivers and streams are running very high, and snow depths are higher than average this spring. Hikers and bikers traveling to alpine avalanche terrain are advised to visit the Flathead Avalanche Center website to learn about spring avalanche conditions.

This year, Sun Point has reopened after being closed for many years while serving as a staging area for road construction. Sun Point can be accessed through the St. Mary park entrance this weekend.

The Trail of the Cedars at Avalanche Creek is fully reopened as a loop trail following foot bridge construction this winter. The footbridge will be opened later this year after once additional boardwalk is constructed. Visitors in the Avalanche Creek area should use the restroom at the picnic area as the restroom along the trail is currently closed while it is rehabilitated to be accessible to persons with disabilities.

This year, only hand-propelled watercraft is allowed on park waters. Waters on the west side of the park are open. Waters on the east side of the park will open June 1. Motorized watercraft and boat trailers will continue to be restricted for the summer following the detection of aquatic invasive mussels within the state last fall. Boaters with human powered watercraft visiting lakes on the west side of the park over Memorial Day weekend must stop at the boat inspection station located in Apgar Village to receive a free permit prior to launch.

Some campgrounds are already open for the season, including Apgar Campground, which is the largest in the park. Limited campsites are open at Two Medicine due to snow.

Most campgrounds in Glacier are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Reservations are available for Fish Creek, St. Mary, and Many Glacier Campgrounds beginning June 1 and June 15 for Many Glacier.