The Going-to-the-Sun Road will be open on Saturday morning, June 23, in its entirety to motorized vehicle travel, according to a press release from Glacier National Park.
Visitors will be able to drive the entire 50-mile length of the road, and access Logan Pass. Park work crews have finished snow removal, assessed current snow conditions, removed rocks and other road debris, installed guard rails, and prepared Logan Pass facilities for visitor use.
Services at Logan Pass include restroom facilities and potable water. The Logan Pass Visitor Center is open daily from 9 am to 7 pm through September 3. The visitor center offers information about the park, ranger-led programs, and a Glacier National Park Conservancy bookstore.
Interpretive bus tours on the Going-to-the-Sun Road and in other areas of the park are available through Sun Tours and Glacier National Park Lodges. More information on these services can be found on the park’s website.
Vehicles and vehicle combinations longer than 21 feet, and wider than 9 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.
The spring hiker-biker shuttle service has ended operations for the season. Bicyclists are reminded that bicycle safety restrictions on the Going-to-the-Sun-Road are in effect, and remain in effect through Labor Day, September 3. Bicycles are prohibited between the Apgar turnoff near the Apgar Picnic Area and Sprague Creek Campground from 11 am to 4 pm. Bicycles are prohibited eastbound (uphill) between Logan Creek and Logan Pass from 11 am to 4 pm. Information on bicycle restrictions and average bicycle times may be found in the park newspaper available at park entrance stations, or online on the park’s bicycle information webpage.
The park’s fare-free summer shuttle system will begin operating on July 1, and will run from approximately 7 am – 7 pm, seven days a week, through Monday, September 3. From September 4-23 the shuttle will run on a reduced schedule from 9 am – 5 pm seven days a week. The shuttle system provides two-way service along the Going-to-the-Sun Road between the Apgar and St. Mary Visitor Centers, including a hiker express shuttle departing from both visitor centers at 7 am during peak season.
There will also be a commuter shuttle running from Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Hungry Horse to the park.
At Logan Pass, visitors will see lingering winter snow, and should be prepared for cold temperatures, wind, and icy conditions. Standing or walking on snow along the road and nearby trails is strongly discouraged. Be aware of snow walls along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, and hazardous snow bridges that could collapse next to the road, particularly near Big Bend, the Big Drift, Lunch Creek, and Siyeh Bend.
While driving along the road, particularly through the Rim Rock area (approximately one mile west of Logan Pass), visitors should be aware of possible rockfall. Rocks and other debris continue to fall throughout the summer, requiring daily clean up along the road.
The Highline Trail from Logan Pass is still closed due to hazardous snow conditions. For up-to-date information on trail conditions and clearing activities, visit the park’s trail status webpage
Rehabilitation work on Going-to-the-Sun Road scenic pullouts will continue this year on the west side of the park from the West Entrance Station to Avalanche Creek. Roadbed and paving work at the West Entrance and Apgar Curve areas is complete. Going-to-the-Sun Road access on the park’s west side is no longer being detoured through Apgar Village. Crews will also complete stone masonry repairs near Logan Pass. Visitors should expect up to 30 minute cumulative delays on the west side of the park throughout the summer and fall.
In other areas of the park, some road work will also be ongoing, including repairs to the Bowman Lake Road in the North Fork area. Short-term Bowman Lake Road closures will be associated with that work, beginning in mid-July.
Current information about park roads, weather conditions, and visitor services can be found by visiting Glacier National Park’s website or by calling park headquarters at 406-888-7800. Updates on parking and road congestion can be found on the park’s Twitter page.
(JUNE 8, 2018) Thursday was a big day in Glacier National Park for crews who have been plowing both sides of the Going-To-The-Sun Road since early April. The west side and east side crews met at the Big Drift.
Park officials aren’t saying exactly when the road will be open — after all, we could still see a major snowstorm. But a historically warm spring has allowed the plows to make significant progress"
"It is always difficult to say right up until that last minute. You know, we get a lot of storms in June — particularly — that can really impact what happens even up until that last day," said Glacier National Park spokeswoman Lauren Alley.
Plow crews cleared snow around Logan Pass on Thursday but perhaps Mother Nature helped the most with the month of may bringing rapid snowmelt due to warm temperatures and wet storms.
"There were a couple of days it was rated high and that was because we were entering a transition from a dry snowpack to a wet snowpack," said Erin Peitcszh with the U.S. Geological Survey who’s an expert in avalanches.
West Side Road supervisor Stan Stahr says in his two decades there haven’t been any incidents along the road. He explained what crews are doing to help get the Going-to-the-Sun Road ready for tourists.
"There’s a crew — a pioneering crew — and then we have a clean-up crew and a crew that follows behind and starts doing clean-up, log rails," Stahr explained.
"It’s almost 500 logs. And it takes a solid two weeks to put in," said Treyson Hopkins who was part of the crew that spent Thursday installing guardrails along the historic road. "They were craning the log into place and then they have got to bolt it to these pedestals.
The installation of the guardrails is one of the final phases before the Going-to-the-Sun Road can officially open. You can check the latest on the roads at Glacier National Park by clicking here.
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