Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 4.22.15

14 | APRIL 22, 2015 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM Glacier National Park Campgrounds
Opening Amid Spring Thaw
Plow crews digging through 20 feet of snow in Big Bend area on Sun Road
By BEACON STAFF
The road to Two Medicine and a loop of the Two Medicine Campground opened April 18 while plow crews continue to make quick work along the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Services will be limited at Two Medicine, which is located on the east side of the park, approximately 13 miles from the community of East Glacier.
“We are pleased to have the Two Medicine area accessible to the public this early in the year,” Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow stated in a press release.
Mow said snow conditions across the park are var- ied and park personnel are busily working to provide public access.
Plow crews continue to work at the Big Bend area on the west side. Up to 20 feet of snow is being reported.
Currently 11.5 miles of the Sun Road are open for vehicle travel on the west side. Hiker and biker access is open to the Logan Pit Comfort Station, ap- proximately 10 miles past the vehicle closure, when plowing crews are not working during the day and on weekends, according to park officials.
Travelers are reminded to be prepared for ice on the road surfaces.
Plow clearing Going-to-the-Sun Road. COURTESY PHOTO
On the East side there is no hiker or biker access past St. Mary Visitor Center when road crews are working due to spring construction. After crews have finished for the day, and on weekends, hikers and bikers may travel further up the road. The St. Mary Campground can be access by foot via the foot bridge adjacent to the visitor center parking lot.
The Two Medicine Campground opened with limited sites, on a first-come first-serve basis. Wa- ter and restroom facilities will be available and the
nightly camping fee will be $20. The recreational ve- hicle dump station will not be available.
Two Medicine Lake is free of ice. The boat dock will not be available and boat inspections for Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) must be scheduled in advance by contacting the park at 406-888-7800. The rest- room facility near the lake will be open. The general store will not be open.
The St. Mary Campground, located on the east side of the park, is open for walk-in campers only and closed to vehicle traffic, through June 4.
The campground will remain in primitive sta- tus, with no flush toilets and no water during this time. The camping fee is $10 per night. Vehicles can be parked in the St. Mary Visitor Center parking lot and campers will walk approximately a half-mile to the campground. Vehicle access to the campground is closed due to rehabilitation work on the Going-to- the-Sun Road.
Primitive camping is available in the Apgar Picnic Area through April 30 on the west side of the park. The camping fee is $10 per night. The Apgar Camp- ground is anticipated to open May 1.
The Apgar Visitor Center is open weekends, 9 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m.
[email protected]
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