Glacier Park Announces Partial Sun Road Opening

Glacier National Park’s iconic alpine highway, the Going-to-the-Sun Road, will open to motorized vehicles from the west entrance to Logan Pass and as far east as Rising Sun beginning July 13, pending any last-minute changes due to weather, park officials announced late Thursday.

Due to the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council’s resolution restricting non-essential travel on the reservation, which borders the park’s eastern boundary, the east entrance at St. Mary remains closed. Visitors will need to enter and exit Going-to-the-Sun Road via the west entrance. Traffic will be allowed as far as Rising Sun on the east side, where vehicles must turn around.

This week, the park also resumed collecting fees at the gate, officials said, urging visitors to allow for extra time in case of long lines.

Park road crews have completed the monumental task of snow removal, officials said, and have assessed current snow conditions, removed rocks and other road debris, installed guard rails, prepared Logan Pass facilities, and started the water system for visitor use.

There will be sporadic work zones on Going-to-the-Sun Road with traffic control and flaggers, including on-going spillway work along Lake McDonald, guard wall repair near Triple Arches, and seepage repair at Siyeh Bend. Visitors need to be on the lookout for multiple work zones.

Services at Logan Pass will include restroom facilities and potable water.

Visitor information services will be provided outside of the Logan Pass Visitor Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The Glacier National Park Conservancy bookstore will be operating inside of the Logan Pass Visitor Center, with access at the upper level. The bookstore will be accepting credit cards only and will limit the number of people inside at any one time to enable appropriate social distancing.

Services at Rising Sun Motor Inn will include the campstore and public restrooms from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Two Dog Flats restaurant will be providing “on-the-go” food service from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. A water bottle filling station is available. However, the overnight lodging and public showers are closed for the season. The Rising Sun Campground is currently closed. Visitors should also leave West Glacier with a full tank of gas, as there are no gas services at Rising Sun.

There will be no bus tours on the Going-to-the-Sun Road or in other areas of the park this year due to COVID-19. This includes interpretive tours by Sun Tours and Glacier National Park Lodges (red buses). The park’s fare-free summer shuttle system is also not available this year.

Vehicles and vehicle combinations longer than 21 feet, and wider than 8 feet, are prohibited on the Going-to-the-Sun Road between Avalanche Campground and Rising Sun. Vehicles over 10 feet in height may have difficulty driving west from Logan Pass due to rock overhangs.