Park's Highline Trail opens to hikers

Two of the most popular hikes in Glacier National Park finally opened last week. The Highline Trail from Logan Pass to Granite Park Chalet opened July 27, and the Ptarmigan Tunnel Trail also opened.

The Highline Trail runs from Logan Pass to Goat Haunt, near the Canada border, but the most popular section is from Logan Pass to Granite Park. The trail north of Granite Park remains treacherous where a large snow drift remains near Ahern Pass. That section requires blasting out a route through the snow, which hasn't been done yet.

The Highline Trail typically opens by late June or early July, but with record snowpack this season, the trail opened nearly a month later - and only after trail crew members shoveled and blasted out sections of snow.

Members of the Over-the-Hill Gang pitched in as well on July 27. The group of locals hike or climb in the Park every Thursday and for several years have volunteered to shovel out the Highline Trail.

Hikers are urged to use caution, as several steep sections of snow remain on the trail.

The Ptarmigan Tunnel in the Many Glacier region goes through the Ptarmigan Wall and connects Many Glacier with the Belly River area. Each year, trail crews typically shovel out the doors to the tunnel, and every fall they close the doors to keep the tunnel from filling with snow.

Most low-elevation campgrounds in the Park are now open, while many high-elevation campgrounds remain closed due to snow or ground saturated by snow melt. Fourteen high-elevation campgrounds are currently closed, including popular places like Granite Park, Sperry, Lake Ellen Wilson, Oldman Lake and Upper Two Medicine Lake.