**Sigh** From the Hungry Horse News . . .
Glacier National Park’s Inside North Fork Road probably won’t open in its entirety until at least the end of this month, Park spokesperson Denise Germann said last week.
The road has been closed from Fish Creek to Logging Creek because of a slump and washout damage, Germann said. Crews are still waiting for water levels in some streams to drop so the damage can be repaired, she said.
This item from the Daily Inter Lake looks pretty interesting . . .
Registration is open for “Discovery in the Crown of the Continent: A Glacier National Park Experience,” a four-day excursion Sept. 23-26.
Participants will be guided to remote locations within the park to study wildlife habitat, Native American history, climate change, forest fires and physical geography.
The excursion will be spent at two locations in Glacier National Park: the forests of the McDonald Valley and the North Fork of the Flathead River.
If you are concerned about invasive plant species — noxious weeds — there are plenty of opportunities to do something about it within the next few weeks.
The North Fork Landowners’ Association has two “weed roundup” events scheduled. The first, on Tuesday, July 26, will concentrate on the area from the border to Ford Station; the second, Friday, August 19, will work from Ford to Polebridge. See the NFLA online calendar for details.
Glacier Park is also kicking off their second annual Noxious Weed Blitz on Thursday, July 28th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the West Glacier Community Building. You get training on weed identification, surveying and mapping. You also get a free lunch out of the deal. Here’s the core part of the press release announcing the event:
Participants will spend the morning learning how to identify five targeted invasive plant species. After lunch attendants will learn how to conduct invasive plant surveys and map the locations of invasive plants using GPS units. Attending the Blitz will give you the option to continue as a citizen scientist weed warrior during future hikes. The event is free and open to all ages. Lunch will be provided for those who sign up for the event. Please bring gloves for hand pulling weeds, footwear for hiking, and drinking water. To sign up or to find out about other invasive plant opportunities, please contact the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at (406) 888-7986 or glac_citizen_science@nps.gov.
Read the full press release for more details.
From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .
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.
From today’s Daily Inter Lake . . .
Granite Park Chalet in Glacier National Park opens Saturday despite deep snow surrounding the rock structure.
Sperry Chalet, however, may not open until late July because heavy snow caused more damage than initially suspected.
Here’s the meat of today’s “weekend update” from Glacier National Park . . .
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.
From a press release posted today on the Glacier Park web site . . .
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.
From today’s Hungry Horse News . . .
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.
From a press release posted today on the Glacier National Park web site . . .
Aggressive behavior has been displayed by a mountain lion in the Upper McDonald Creek Valley near areas highly frequented by visitors. Rangers are requesting visitors to be on alert for mountain lions and report all sightings to the closest National Park Service (NPS) facility.
On Tuesday June 23, a woman and her niece were confronted by an adult mountain lion, dark in color on the Sperry Trail near the Lake McDonald Lodge. The lion was crouched adjacent to the trail with its ears back when the visitors saw the lion. The visitors spoke firmly to the lion and eventually the lion left the area. On Sunday June 26, rangers received another report of a very large hiking group that encountered a mountain lion with a similar description on the Upper McDonald Creek Trail, between the North McDonald Road and the horse bridge across Upper McDonald Creek. The lion was spotted less than five feet off the trail and did not show any signs of being frightened by people.
Rangers are actively patrolling these trails and are requesting visitors to report all sightings immediately to the closest NPS facility or Park Ranger. Visitors are also reminded that unlike bears, if an attack seems imminent, act aggressively, do not crouch or run away. Park Officials advise hiking in groups and do not recommend solo travel on trails. More details on mountain lion sightings in Glacier National Park is available in the park newspaper or online at http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/mtnlionsafety.htm.
Glacier National Park posted their weekend update today. The bulk of it discusses the ongoing work to get Logan Pass and the remainder of Going-to-the-Sun Road opened up. There’s still lots of snow to plow and no official opening date yet . . .
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.