Tag Archives: snow removal

Glacier Park starts plowing out Camas Road first

Glacier Park has turned the snowplows loose, starting with Camas Road . . .

Spring in Glacier National Park means firing up snow plows in the annual effort to clear park roads of snow.

Park plow crews hit the road Tuesday, starting with Camas Road on the west side of the park. When that’s completed, they will start work on Going-to-the-Sun Road, park spokeswoman Denise Germann said.

On the east side, plow crews began work on the Chief Mountain Road. They will move on to the St. Mary, Many Glacier and Two Medicine areas next before heading up Sun Road.

Read more . . .

Note: You can keep an eye on plowing status and road openings by visiting this page: http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/goingtothesunroad.htm. Click on the “more…” link in the “Road Status” section. (Don’t try going to the “Road Status” page directly as it may not update correctly.)

Glacier Park still plans Going-to-the-Sun Road opening June 15

Glacier National Park says they are still on schedule to open Going-to-the-Sun Road by June 15 . . .

If the weather holds, Glacier National Park plows crews are expected to be at Logan Pass by May 25, and the Going-to-the-Sun Road should open all the way over Logan Pass by June 15, Park assistant superintendent Kym Hall said last week.

“We’re on track for a June 15 opening,” Hall said.

Hall made the announcement at a public meeting in Columbia Falls on May 16. Once the snow is cleared, it still takes a few weeks to clear the road of rocks and debris and to install removable guardrails at several locations, Hall said. The guardrails need to be bolted into place.

According to the Park’s contract with HK Construction, June 15 is the earliest the road could open…

Continue reading . . .

More roads open in Glacier Park

Glacier National Park is making steady progress opening roads this spring. The Inside North Fork Road is now open north of Logging Creek Ranger Station, making Bowman and Kintla Lakes accessible on the west side of the park. Also, another section of Going-to-the-Sun Road opened up, permitting public access as far as Avalanche on the west side and to Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east.

See the park’s road status page for details, as well as information on hiker/biker access.

Going-to-the-Sun Road now open as far as Avalanche

According to Glacier Park’s road status page, Going-to-the-Sun Road is now open to general traffic as far as Avalanche Campground on the west side and to Rising Sun from the east.

Here’s the official write-up:

Currently 21.0 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road are open for travel.

Visitors can drive 15.5 miles from the West Entrance to Avalanche, and 5.5 miles from the St. Mary Entrance to Rising Sun.

The section of the road between Avalanche and Rising Sun is closed due to plowing. On the West Side, Hiker/Biker access is to Packers Roost, approximately 6 miles from the Avalanche Gate – while the road crew is working. On the weekends, there are no restrictions. On the East Side Hiker/Biker access is to Jackson Glacier Overlook, approximately 8 miles from the Rising Sun Gate – while the road crew is working. On the weekends there are no restrictions.

Glacier Park plows nearing Logan Creek

Snow removal in Glacier Park seems to be proceeding nicely . . .

Glacier National Park plow crews made good progress last week, clearing the Going-to-the-Sun Road on the west side of the Park from Lake McDonald Lodge to beyond Red Rocks.

Hikers and bikers can use the full length of the plowed section when crews aren’t working. Last weekend, a number of visitors biked to Avalanche Creek and beyond. The road has a few icy patches but is mostly clear.

Continue reading . . .

For more information, see Glacier Park’s “Going-to-the-Sun Road Information and Transit System” web page.

Snow plowing under way in Glacier National Park

More information on this year’s snow removal challenges in Glacier Park . . .

The chorus of whirring snowplows in Glacier National Park joined western Montana’s spring interlude this week as crews began the annual work of forging through deep snow along Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Plowing on the 50-mile Sun Road began April 2, according to park spokeswoman Denise Germann. Crews immediately encountered between 12 and 30 inches of snow and up to a half-foot of ice on the first two miles of road beyond Lake McDonald Lodge . . .

“The region around Glacier National Park has definitely been making gains in the last month,” Domonkos said.

Measurement data show that as of April 1, basin totals for the entire North Fork of the Flathead River are 111 percent of average . . .

Continue reading . . .

Snow plows get started on Going-to-the-Sun Road

Glacier National Park is starting to dig out from under the past season’s snowfall . . .

Glacier National Park snow plows started churning their way through snow on Going-to-the-Sun Road this week.

Plows on the west side reached just beyond the Avalanche Creek area to the Red Rock slide.

Plows encountered 12 to 30 inches of snow on their path from Lake McDonald Lodge.

The road surface from the lodge to Avalanche remains covered with 2 to 6 inches of ice, while Camas and Fish Creek roads have 1 to 4 inches of ice . . .

Continue reading . . .

Glacier Park digs out slowly

Glacier National Park is making steady progress with snow removal, but this year’s substantial snowpack and the continuing avalanche danger are limiting road openings. On the North Fork side, the Camas Road is open, as is the Inside North Fork Road from the ranger station to Big Prairie. All other roads are officially closed to vehicle traffic. See this weekend’s press release for details.