Going-to-the-Sun Road’s High Country Reopens to Vehicle Traffic
A winter storm shut down a 20-mile section of Glacier National Park's famed alpine highway during the first official weekend of summer, restricting vehicles from Avalanche to Jackson Glacier Overlook
By Beacon Staff
Going-to-the-Sun Road has reopened after park officials preemptively closed it June 20 due to forecasts of heavy rain and snow, conditions that make the scenic highway’s alpine section susceptible to mudslides, rockfall, and icy conditions.
“Park rangers accessed the roadway and after evaluating today’s weather forecast, opened the road around 10:30 a.m. this morning,” according to a Monday press release. The road had been closed from Avalanche to Jackson Glacier Overlook.
The closure took effect just days after the full length of the Sun Road opened to motorized traffic on June 16, with visitors flocking to Logan Pass as the week delivered sunshine and warm temperatures.
By June 19, however, the National Weather Service had issued a winter storm warning for the weekend that called for heavy and wet snow at elevations above 5,000 feet, including up to a foot of snow above 6,000 feet and the possibility of 2 feet of snow and wind gusts up to 40 mph in the highest terrain.
On Monday, weather instruments showed significant weekend accumulations of precipitation, including 3.9 inches at the Noisy Basin SNOTEL and 2.3 inches at the Flattop Mountain SNOTEL, and 3.9 inches at the Stahl Peak SNOTEL site.
Check the park website for updated trail status information. Visitors are encouraged to prepare for inclement weather if they plan to travel to the park this week.
Check the weather forecast and park road status before you visit, dress for varying degrees of weather, carry the ten essentials, and be on alert for potential hazards on roadways and trails.