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In Case You Didn't Hear: Going-to-the-Sun Road In Glacier National Park Open End-to-End

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on July 14, 2011 - 1:38am

The Hidden Lake Trail at Logan Pass was still snow-covered on Wednesday, but that didn't stop visitors from heading up it. NPS photo by Sarah Grieb.

In case you're wondering and haven't heard, the entire length of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park is now open to wheeled traffic, and is expected to stay open for the foreseeable future, barring snowstorms.

The route opened to traffic about 20 minutes before 8 Wednesday morning. No report on who was the first to traverse the entire road.

And with the road opening, so, too, has the Logan Pass Visitor Center. For the rest of the summer the visitor center is scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. That said, park officials note that "water will not be available at Logan Pass for several weeks due to the restroom rehabilitation work, so visitors should be prepared to bring their own potable water."

Additionally, the Highline Trail is closed due to snow hazard from Logan Pass to Granite Park Chalet. The opening date of this trail is not yet determined. The Hidden Lake Nature Trail, however, is open. The entire hike will be on snow and hazards do exist, so you might want to come prepared with a good hiking stick or two.

“The opening of the Sun Road was extremely tough this year. We appreciate the hard work of our road crew, employees and the patience of the public,” Glacier Superintendent Chas Cartwright said in a prepared statement. “We hope the visitors enjoy the snow, the scenery and the beauty the road has to offer.”

Now, in light of continued restoration work on the Sun Road, there are some restrictions in effect that you should take note of:

Bicyclists are reminded that bicycle restrictions are in effect on the Sun Road due to traffic congestion through Labor Day, September 5, 2011. Bicycles are prohibited between Apgar Campground and Sprague Creek Campground from 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. In addition, bicycles are prohibited eastbound (uphill) between Logan Creek and Logan Pass from 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. For information on bicycle restrictions and average bicycle times, check the park newspaper, the Waterton-Glacier Guide.

Construction work on the Sun Road continues during the day and some nights. During the day, visitors can expect up to 40 minute delays on a one way trip through the Sun Road. Night work continues on the Sun Road in the Big Bend to Logan Pass construction segment. Visitors should expect the Sun Road to close at the Loop and Logan Pass from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday night through Friday morning. There will be a brief window to travel through the night closure from 2 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. nightly. Logan Pass will be accessible from St. Mary without closures every night. Travel on the Sun Road, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, will be free of closures.

Comments

Submitted by Tony Bynum on July 14, 2011 - 4:28pm.

It was a fantastic day on the pass. The east side opened just before 8am. I arived on logan pass (third car in the lot) to the most classic setting for glacier park, wind and fog. After about an hour the sun burned off the clouds and it was a spectacular sight. Tons of snow. One word of caution if you go up, be careful on all that snow, there's lots of ways to make mistakes if youre not experienced with spring snow in the backcountry. Cheers!
Tony