fbpx

Glacier Park Plows Reach Logan Pass

Additional snow removal and other tasks remain before entire Sun Road can open

By Tristan Scott
Crews work to remove snow from Going-to-the-Sun Road near Oberlin Bend on May 11, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Plow crews this week reached the top of Logan Pass and are hewing through the final obstacle on Glacier National Park’s iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road – the Big Drift.

Before all 50 miles of the road can open, the crews must clear the colossal snow drift and finish debris cleanup work, clear the parking lot and walkways at the visitor center, finish installing guardrails, remove snow from the vehicle pullout areas and assess any new snow conditions.

While crews have been making rapid progress this spring, dispatching the below-average snowpack with aplomb, they’ve encountered normal high-elevation snowpack at the Continental Divide, which Logan Pass straddles at 6,640 feet.

Park officials said rain and snow have also created poor visibility at the higher elevations and hindered progress.

Officials have been hesitant to say when automobiles may be able to reach the top. However, if everything goes according to plan, visitors would likely access Logan Pass from the west side much earlier than last year, when the road opened on July 2.

Park officials said that it usually takes about two weeks after the east and west side plow crews meet for them to open the higher reaches of the road. Among the many chores that have to be completed after the road is cleared is the instillation of guardrails between The Loop and Logan Pass.

Due to ongoing roadwork on the east side of the road, the earliest visitors will be able to access the St. Mary to Logan Pass section of the road will be June 19.

While the road past Avalanche is still closed to vehicles, hikers and bikers are able to use it on weekends and evenings. For the latest on plowing and the road status, visit www.nps.gov/glac.

Click here to view the historic opening dates for the Sun Road.