Pass accessible, but only from East Side

| June 10, 2005 11:00 PM

Logan Pass opens from east side, with restrictions

Officials at Glacier National Park announce that

Logan Pass is again accessible from the east side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road; however, rock fall, snow slides, heavy rain, poor visibility

and a projected forecast for continued wet weather through the weekend has prompted a decision by park management to keep the west side approach to Logan Pass closed to vehicular traffic through the weekend, Park Superintendent Mick Holm today announced. Holm stated, â¤-The volume of rain and subsequent snow and rock slides this week between the Loop and Logan Pass has created hazardous, unsafe conditions along the western alpine section of the Sun Road. Safety is our utmost concern; therefore, we will not reopen between the Loop and Logan Pass until weather improves.

The eastern section reopened between Jackson Glacier Overlook and Logan

Pass at 12:45 p.m. Friday. That section will close at 4:30 p.m. each day

and will reopen each morning at 8 a.m., weather permitting. The Logan Pass

Visitor Center remains closed Friday afternoon, but starting Saturday, will

be open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, weather permitting.

A snow slide occurred Friday morning above the Triple Arches, approximately

one mile below Logan Pass to the west. The slide covers both lanes is

approximately 100 feet long and 6-8 feet deep. Several rock slides and rock

fall have also landed on the upper Sun Road in recent days. A large

car-sized boulder landed on the roadway above the Loop on Wednesday

afternoon and was removed Friday morning with dynamite.

The section of the Sun Road temporarily closed is approximately eight (8)

miles between the Loop and Logan Pass. The remaining 42 miles of the Sun

Road and all other visitor services along the Sun Road remain open between

the West Glacier park entrance and The Loop and between the St. Mary

entrance and Logan Pass.

The upper west side roadway will reopen when weather and road conditions

improve. Once the alpine section of the Sun Road re-opens across the

Continental Divide at Logan Pass (elevation 6,646 feet), visitors will

again be able to travel the entire 50-mile National Historic Landmark road

between St. Mary and West Glacier 24 hours a day, unless conditions prompt

temporary restrictions from hazardous road or weather conditions.

Winter conditions may exist along the Sun Road and snow, slush, ice and/or

rock may be encountered; therefore, travelers should be aware that short

traffic delays and/or short-term closures may occur as a result of

rockslides from extreme weather changes, from snow banks collapsing on the

roadway, or from other unforeseen events. Should this occur every effort is

made to clear and re-open the affected section of road as quickly as

conditions allow.

Visitor services and facilities are open throughout the park. The Avalanche

Campground opens for the season today as well as Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and

Campstore located in Many Glacier Valley.

For further information on road and weather conditions and visitor services

in Glacier National Park, visit the park's website (

http://data2.itc.nps.gov/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm) or call park

headquarters at

406-888-7800.