The east side of Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road is scheduled to open Saturday, June 15, allowing visitors to drive the scenic byway from the St. Mary entrance to Logan Pass.
All 50 miles of the Sun Road will not open until June 21 at the earliest, park officials said, though visitors can currently access the Sun Road from the west side and travel as far as Avalanche Creek.
Restrooms at Logan Pass will be open Saturday but potable water is not available until next week. The Logan Pass visitor center remains closed.
Opening the uppermost sections of the winding Sun Road is an annual challenge for Glacier Park’s fleet of plows, and park officials said visitors should expect a snow-covered landscape at the 6,647-foot Logan Pass. Winter weather may be encountered with cold temperatures, wind, ice, and freezing temperatures at night.
Sturdy boots and warm clothing are necessary when spending time in Glacier Park’s upper reaches. The trails are buried in snow and may be difficult to follow, and unpredictable weather may cause falling rock and snow debris. Visitors should use caution when traveling the road, park officials said.
There are no restrictions for hikers and bikers on the Going-to-the-Sun Road this weekend. However, beginning Monday, June 17, hikers and bikers cannot access the road between Avalanche Creek and Logan Pass due to road construction. For current information on hiker and biker access on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, please visit the park’s road status webpage at http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm.
Warm weather conditions and funding from the Glacier National Park Conservancy contributed to the timely accessibility of Logan Pass this year. Funds from the Conservancy were used to pay plow operators overtime hours.
Additional information on park roads, weather conditions, and visitor services can be found on Glacier National Park’s website, http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm or by calling park headquarters at (406) 888-7800.
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