If Logan Pass is still on the family “to-do” list, there is little time left to drive the nearly 50-mile scenic journey from one side of Glacier National Park to the other on Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Construction on the Sun Road starts midnight September 20, 2009, Glacier National Park officials announced last week, limiting access to Logan Pass from the west side of the park. Logan Pass will be accessible by vehicle from the east side until the pass is closed for the season on Monday, October 19, 2009. This, of course, is weather permitting.
This fall, five separate west side Sun Road projects will be underway at various times including final paving above the Loop, rehabilitation of three miles from Big Bend to Logan Pass, repair of November 2006 storm damage above Logan Creek, structural improvements to the road near Upper McDonald Creek and transit improvements at the Logan Pass Visitor Center.
There is still a massive amount of park available for exploration. The 15.5 miles of the Sun Road from West Glacier to Avalanche has an abundance of hikes and is the perfect place to keep an eye on the changing colors while walking through the trees. Or get off the Sun Road altogether and visit the active glaciers of Many Glacier or Bowman and Kintla lakes near Polebridge.
How to get there: From downtown Kalispell, take East Idaho Street (U.S. Highway 2) east. Turn north on LaSalle Road (still Highway 2). Drive through Columbia Falls and Hungry Horse. Entrance to the park is on the left.