Flood washes out Sun Highway

Hungry Horse News

Glacier National Park has seen more rain in the past couple of days than it did all of July, August and September and that has caused flooding in several locations, including a severe washout of the Going-to-the-Sun Road on the east side above Jackson Glacier Overlook.

From Sunday until late Tuesday afternoon, West Glacier had seen 3.39 inches of rain, which was more rain than the west side of the park saw in the above-mentioned summer months.

The rain and warmer weather also melted existing snow in higher elevations, causing flooding and road closures.

The Many Glacier Road was closed, the Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed at Lake McDonald Lodge and about a mile above Avalanche Creek there was more than two feet of water running over the Going-to-the Sun Road.

The horse bridge that crosses upper McDonald Creek was also under water and the railing and deck had been destroyed.

The bridge going to Many Glacier Hotel was also said to be under about four feet of water and there may be water in the basement of the Many Glacier Hotel.

The Flathead National Forest was also reporting flooding on the West Side Reservoir Road. The road was closed about 29 miles up at Ben Creek because water was running over the road.

The East Side Reservoir road remains open, but folks are asked to use caution on that road as well. As it continues to rain, streams are expected to get higher.

The rain is expected to continue throughout the week into the weekend, but should change to snow at higher elevations, the National Weather Service is forecasting.

Even streams that haven't flooded are extremely high and caution should be used around them. Many streams that are usually trickles this time of year are raging torrents of mud.

The Flathead River in Columbia Falls went from clear Monday to a wall of mud by Tuesday morning.