Larry Leger and Sharon Knight, of Louisiana, came up Glacier National Park on a tour of the West. With the Going-to-the-Sun Road closed over Logan Pass at the time, they decided to extend their stay, traveling to Canada and then Yellowstone National Park.

“We delayed our departure by three days,” Leger said. “It was worth it. This is impressive.”

Leger was standing next to the Big Drift on the Going-to-the-Sun Road when it opened to vehicles July 13. A hundred feet of snow towered behind him.

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The Going-to-the-Sun Road opened Wednesday at 7:41 a.m., and the entire 50-mile length of the road is now open to vehicle and bicycle traffic for the summer.

“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,” said Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright.

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From the Daily Inter Lake . . .

Glacier National Park is still on track to open Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass sometime on Wednesday.

Park officials have not yet announced exactly what time the road will open. Those planning to travel the road should check the park website, www.nps.gov/glac, or call the road report at 888-7800, then press 2.

It will be the latest Sun Road opening ever.

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Here’s the meat of the Glacier Park press release . . .

Glacier National Park officials announced today that the entire 50 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road is anticipated to be available for vehicle traffic on Wednesday, July 13th. Opening the upper section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road is always a challenge, but this year was compounded by extremely heavy winter snows and unseasonably cool spring weather. Snow continued to fall at high elevations well into June. A flyover of the Big Drift, on June 4th, revealed a snowpack that looked more like April than June. On July 6th the Superintendent and Chief of Facility Management visited Logan Pass and stood on The Big Drift roughly 30 feet above asphalt. This amount of snow at this time of year is unprecedented.

“Plowing this road is a dangerous job and the safety of our staff is of paramount concern. We are very proud of the hard work the road crew performed this year” said Superintendent Chas Cartwright.

Visitors will discover a snow-covered landscape at Logan Pass. All of the trails in the area are still covered with many feet of snow. Visitors should exercise caution when hiking on snow and be aware of unseen holes and snow bridges that exist. The Highline Trail remains closed at this time and there is no current projection of an opening date.

Access to Logan Pass will also allow contractors to resume work on new restroom facilities. Areas around the construction will be closed to public entry. Portable toilets will be available but there will be no potable drinking water at Logan Pass. Staff will be on duty to assist visitors and to direct people to areas open for recreation.

Road rehabilitation work on lower sections of the Going-to-the-Sun Road will create some short traffic delays. From 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., travelers should expect delays of up to 20 minutes at each construction site, for a total of no more than a 40 minute delay between Big Bend and Siyeh Bend.

On the west side of the park, a night closure will be in effect Monday evening through Friday morning, between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., from The Loop to Logan Pass. There will be a 15-20 minute window for passage through the construction at 2:00 a.m., allowing travel to and from Logan Pass. There are no night closures east of Logan Pass.

With the opening of the entire length of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, the park’s free shuttle system will expand service to Logan. The shuttle system stops in 16 different areas along the Going-to-the-Sun Road and runs from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Shuttle passengers should catch the bus at either the St. Mary Visitor Center or the Apgar Transit Center as parking is extremely limited at Logan Pass, Avalanche Creek and Sunrift Gorge.

For current information on park roads and weather conditions, and visitor services throughout the park, visit Glacier’s website www.nps.gov/glac, dial 511 anywhere in Montana (select option 5) or call park headquarters at 406-888-7800.

Glacier National Park will be hard-pressed in avoiding a record late opening of Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass, but the park is gearing up its free shuttle service for expanded service this weekend beyond the vehicle closure gates at Avalanche Campground.

Despite having rotary plows and other heavy-duty snow removal equipment, road crews have found this year’s persistent snowload to be daunting.

Besides a July 15 inaugural opening in 1933, Sun Road’s latest opening over Logan Pass was June 10, 1943, when the park was short-staffed because of World War II.

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Park Officials announce the Going-to-the-Sun Road Transit System will begin operation on July 1 through September 2, 2011. Limited shuttle routes, stops and times are offered. Additional openings for the holiday weekend are horse rides at the Lake McDonald Corral and camping at Quartz Creek primitive campground. Granite Park Chalet will begin operation on July 2. Chalet guest can access the trailhead utilizing the Going-to-the-Sun Road transit system.

Due to high water a few closures exist. Currently, the Avalanche Creek Trail is closed due to the creek running over the trail. Trail crews are attempting to mitigate the flooding so the trail can be reopened this weekend. Visitors are asked to inquire about current trail conditions at a visitor center or ranger station to receive the most up to date information. The Quarter Circle Bridge Road is closed due to water over the road; this is caused by high water flows on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. Logging Creek Campground will open on July 8 at the earliest due to water in the campground. The Inside North Fork Road remains closed at Fish Creek and Logging Creek due to flood damage in three separate areas.

In past years, on the 4th of July, the Two Medicine Rangers have been able to provide additional picnic areas to meet increased holiday demand. This year, due to lingering snow in Two Medicine, there will be fewer picnic sites available for July 4th. Most of the campground will be available for camping.

Plowing continues on the Going-to-the-Sun Road (Sun Road). On the west side, crews have reached the Logan Pass and are at the Big Drift. The Big Drift is the last snow obstacle to be cleared on the Sun Road and this year the drift is estimated between 50-60 feet, a depth normally seen on Memorial Day weekend. Today, crews from the west side will begin to pioneer the Big Drift so they can be joined by the east side crews to “punch through” the last section of the Sun Road.

Motorized vehicle access beyond the Avalanche Creek closure to the Loop will be provided only by the Going-to-the-Sun Road Transit System. Parking is limited at Avalanche Creek, therefore it is recommended to access the transit system from the Apgar Transit Center. On the east side, the transit system will operate from the St. Mary Visitor Center to Sun Point. Visitors are reminded that until the Sun Road is open in its entirety, the shuttle system schedule will be modified. Visitors should inquire at a visitor center, ranger station or transit center to obtain more information. Hiking and biking beyond the vehicle closure is allowed from Avalanche Creek to Bird Woman Falls, approximately 11 miles on the west side and from Jackson Glacier Overlook to Siyeh Bend, approximately two miles on the east side for the holiday weekend and the following week. Hikers and bikers should be alert for transit shuttles and construction vehicles when traveling beyond the vehicle closures. Construction work will resume on Tuesday July 5. Night work, from Big Bend to Logan Pass, continues Tuesday night through Friday morning from 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. and no travel will be allowed through the construction zone.

Park Officials announce the Going-to-the-Sun Road Transit System will begin operations on July 1. On the west side of the park a modified shuttle schedule will operate daily, from 7:00am to 5:00pm, until the entire Going-to-the-Sun Road is open to vehicles and the full transit schedule can begin. On the east side of the park, shuttles will service all regular stops between the St. Mary Visitor Center and Sun Point at 30 minute intervals from 7:00am to 7:00pm.

Starting Friday, shuttles will operate between the Apgar Transit Center and Avalanche Creek every hour, with stops along the route in Apgar, Sprague Creek Campground, and Lake McDonald Lodge.

Starting Saturday, enhanced visitor access to the Going-to-the-Sun Road, beyond the vehicle closure at Avalanche Creek, will be provided through an expansion of the shuttle operation. In addition to the shuttles operating between the Apgar Transit Center and Avalanche Creek, shuttles will depart from Avalanche Creek to “The Loop,” every 10 to 15 minutes.

During this modified schedule the last bus to “The Loop” from Avalanche Creek will depart at 4:00pm. The last bus from the Apgar Transit Center, that will make it to Avalanche Creek in time for the 4:00pm departure to “The Loop,” leaves the transit center at 3:00pm. The last return bus will be at 5:00pm.

Visitors are encouraged to park at the Apgar Transit Center, as parking at Avalanche Creek is extremely limited.

Also, hikers and bikers may still enjoy the lower section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road past Avalanche Creek. Construction vehicles and shuttles may also be using that section of the road so caution is advised. On Friday, July 1 the hiker/biker closure will be located 3½ miles beyond the vehicle closure at Avalanche Creek. Starting Saturday the hiker/biker closure will be located 11 miles beyond Avalanche Creek, near Bird Woman Falls Overlook. Adjustments to these closures may be prompted by changing weather and road conditions.

Glacier National Park plow crews are closing in on Logan Pass, but they still have a good week of work ahead of them. As of presstime, crews on the west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road were just below Logan Pass near Rimrocks.

On the east side, plow crews were at the base of the Big Drift, a huge snowdrift just east of Logan Pass that can reach 100 feet deep. Cutting through the Big Drift and clearing the Logan Pass parking lot usually takes several days. Plow crews are working five 10-hour days per week.

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Plowing and rehabilitation work continue on the Going-to-the-Sun Road (Sun Road) and currently there is no estimation on when the upper sections will be cleared of the winter snow. Glacier National Park officials anticipate being able to announce a plan for additional visitor access beyond the current vehicle closure at Avalanche Creek.

Unprecedented winter snows and late spring snow storms slowed plowing progress on the Sun Road this spring. Plowing has been completed on the lower section of the road, which has allowed contractors working on the Going-to-the-Sun Road Rehabilitation Project to resume paving work between Logan Creek and the West Tunnel. Once the paving work is finished, increased access to areas of the Sun Road, beyond Avalanche Creek, may be allowed. Park officials hope to define what access would be available, sometime next week. However, until the full length of the Sun Road is plowed and open to traffic, the west side vehicle closure will remain at Avalanche Creek.

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Yellow bulldozers and rotary plows have been breaking trail on Glacier National Park’s Going to the Sun Road but an historic snowpack has delayed the road’s opening.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation website the earliest the road could have opened was June 17, but as of late last week, plow crews still had four miles of road to plow up and over Logan Pass. Ellen Blickhan, acting public affairs specialist for the park, said that until they finish plowing no date will be set for the road’s opening.

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