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FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS MAY 7, 2014 | 9

pardon

Our

dust

Plowing operations along Going-to-the-Sun Road. COURTESY GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Plow Crews Inch Closer to Logan Pass

Glacier Park oicials hope

to open the Going-to-the-

Sun Road to Avalanche in

the coming week

By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon

Plow crews on Glacier National
Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road are slow-
ly clawing their way to Logan Pass in

their annual efort to open Northwest
Montana’s most notable summer attrac-
tion. As of May 5, the west side plow crew
had advanced to Russ’ Slide, just past
The Loop, about six miles short of Logan
Pass. Meanwhile, on the east side, plow
crews were wrapping up their work in

the Two Medicine Valley and expected
to start plowing the Sun Road east from
St. Mary this week.
Oicials hoep to open the road to Avalanche this week. COURTESY GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Park spokesperson Denise Germann
said while snow depths have been below lanches or small slides coming down on check out the park before the Sun Road
the record setting amounts in 2011, plow the road after they have plowed it. On a is completely open, but urged people to
crews are contending with another dan- few occasions they have actually had to be prepared.
ger: avalanches. There are more than 70 plow their way home at the end of the “The weather can change so much

avalanche chutes along the Sun Road.
day. Germann said that safety is always from the valley to the park, so folks need
“They’re seeing a lot of snow and a the most important part of clearing the to be prepared and dress in layers,” she
lot of slides this year,” Germann said. road and that an avalanche expert is on said. “Safety is always a concern for us
“But we’ve seen a lot of avalanche activi- hand working with the plow crew.
for both our employees and the public.”
ty all across western Montana this year.”
Currently, the Sun Road is open to Oicials say the earliest the entire
BNSF Railway’s main line was vehicle traic to the Lake McDonald route will be open is June 20, but the
closed twice in early March because of Lodge. From there, hikers and bikers west side of the road could open earlier,

massive slides near Essex. The Nation- can access another 10 miles of road, de- depending on the weather. Elsewhere in
al Park Service later issued the railroad pending on where the plow crews are the park, the Camas, Many Glacier and
a rare avalanche mitigation permit to working. On weekends there are no re- Two Medicine roads are all open. The
use a “daisy bell” suspended from a he- strictions for hikers and bikers. Plow Inside North Fork, Chief Mountain and
licopter. The “daisy bell” is a hydrogen crews are currently working 10-hour Cut Bank roads are currently closed.
combustion cylinder that ires pressure shifts Tuesday through Friday. There is For the latest on plowing inside Gla-
waves at the snowpack to trigger slides.
currently no vehicle or hiker and biker cier National Park, visit www.nps.gov/
Germann said in some instances access on the east side.
glac.

www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
plow crews have had to deal with ava-
Germann encouraged visitors to
[email protected]