Park flooding slows Sun Road opening
Photo by Shaun Bessinger, National Park Service<br>Damage to the rock guardwall on the alpine section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road is inspected by Park crews last week. The west side of the Sun Road could open to motor vehicles this Saturday — depending upon weather conditions.
Heavy rains last week forced Glacier National Park crews to delay road work on the west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road so they could concentrate on flood damage elsewhere in the Park.
The 24 hour recorded rainfall total at 8 a.m. Friday was 2.54 inches at West Glacier and 1.7 inches in the North Fork, resulting in road, campground and trail closures.
Bowman and Kintla Lake campgrounds were closed, and campers were evacuated due to flooding concerns at Bowman Creek Bridge. The roads to Bowman and Kintla Lake were also closed. The Inside North Fork Road was closed from the Logging Creek Ranger Station to Camas Creek due to flooding at Anaconda Creek. The Quarter Circle Bridge was also closed.
Additionally, the hiking trail to Avalanche Lake closed June 15. Several trails in the Many Glacier area had standing water. Lower-elevation flooding in the Park last week diverted workers from the Sun Road.
While Park crews were busy with flood-related work, rock and mud slides from the June 13 storm blocked the Sun Road. More than 10 different debris piles occurred in places along the road, including Logan Creek, Logan Pit, Lower Haystack, Weeping Wall, Big Bend, Triple Arches and the area between Grizzly and Road Camp. Some shoulder areas were impacted, and damage was reported to the rock wall near the "Slopes."
Park workers cleared 22 dump truck loads of rock and debris from the Sun Road on Monday, in addition to clearing clogged culverts. After working toward Big Bend, road crews reported finding no "major" damage to the road. Park officials said the road's west side would open to Logan Pass "as soon as safely possible."
Park officials say the west side of the Sun Road could open to motor vehicles this Saturday, weather permitting.
Visitors can access Logan Pass from the Park's east side, and the visitor center is open at the pass.
Visitors can find out about current road conditions on the Park's Web site at www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm or by calling 511, the Montana Department of Transportation Traveler Information System, or 1-800-226-7623.