Glacier Park Reopens Entire Length of Going-to-the-Sun Road
A spate of winter weather closed the scenic highway’s alpine sections on Oct. 4, but officials announced Wednesday the road was open from West Glacier to St. Mary. Closures on the Highline Trail were also lifted.
By Beacon Staff
Glacier National Park officials on Oct. 8 reopened the Going-to-the-Sun Road “in its entirety” from West Glacier to St. Mary, lifting partial closures they’d enacted Oct. 4 after winter weather pounded the scenic highway’s alpine section over Logan Pass.
The initial closure implemented at 5 p.m. Saturday restricted motorized public access to the heart of Glacier National Park from Avalanche Creek on the west side to Rising Sun east of the Continental Divide. Park officials had gradually reduced the scale of that closure throughout the week as temperatures warmed, lifting all restrictions at 9:21 a.m. Wednesday.
Officials also lifted a partial closure of the Many Glacier Road, reopening it from the T-intersection at the Many Glacier Hotel into the Swiftcurrent area, and they reopened the Highline Trail between Logan Pass and Grinnell Glacier Overlook junction, which they’d closed Monday due to icy trail conditions. The Highline Trail is among the park’s most popular, tracing an airy route along the Continental Divide that can become hazardous when slippery. The trail’s entire length is now open, but remains posted due to bear frequenting.
Although the Going-to-the-Sun Road typically closes for the season in mid-to-late October, and it is not uncommon for winter weather to prompt temporary road closures before a season-ending storm, the National Park Services is operating with a dramatically reduced staff amid the ongoing shutdown of the federal government, which on Wednesday entered its eighth day.
Communication from Glacier National Park staff has been limited to automated text messages, and while the park’s interactive “road status” map has been updated to reflect the closure, it does not include any more detailed information.
