Glacier road to Avalanche Creek could open soon

Plowing crews on the Glacier Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road had reached a section called "Moose Country" by Wednesday night. The hope is to have the road plowed to Avalanche Creek campground by the end of the week. Snow depths are running two to four feet. The road, however, has less ice than previous years and looked bicycle-friendly, with some icy patches in between.

The road is still closed to vehicle traffic at Lake McDonald Lodge and usually doesn't open to Avalanche until all the ice melts. That usually takes at least two to three weeks. The Park doesn't use salts or other chemicals to melt the ice.

Biking and hiking the Sun Road in spring when it's closed to vehicles is a very popular activity in Glacier. The Park has also plowed out the Camas and Fish Creek roads to Fish Creek Campground.

In the photo, a pair of Buddhist monks from Southern California walk the Sun Road on Wednesday afternoon. (Chris Peterson photo)