Logan Pass opening worth wait
<p>Five-year-old Simon Fortin, of Columbia Falls, skis up toward the Hidden Lake overlook above the Logan Pass parking lot on opening day of the Going-to-the-Sun Road on July 13.</p>
Larry Leger and Sharon Knight, of Louisiana, came up Glacier National Park on a tour of the West. With the Going-to-the-Sun Road closed over Logan Pass at the time, they decided to extend their stay, traveling to Canada and then Yellowstone National Park.
"We delayed our departure by three days," Leger said. "It was worth it. This is impressive."
Leger was standing next to the Big Drift on the Going-to-the-Sun Road when it opened to vehicles July 13. A hundred feet of snow towered behind him.
"Now we'll go home and add up the credit card bills," Knight quipped.
Thousands of people like Leger and Knight flocked to the Park last Wednesday to see the snow in mid-July. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper in the alpine section, as people not only stopped for photos but were delayed by construction zones.
This year's opening of the historic highway was one of the latest since 1933, when the pass opened July 15. This year, Park plow crews were hampered by a record snowpack that took more than three months to plow off the highway.
"The opening of the Sun Road was extremely tough this year. We appreciate the hard work of our road crew, employees and the patience of the public," Park superintendent Chas Cartwright said. "We hope the visitors enjoy the snow, the scenery and the beauty the road has to offer."
Despite the crowds and the traffic, visitors were in high spirits. Brett Allred and friend Rex Jorgensen rode their motorcycles to the Park.
"It's where God comes when he's on earth," Allred remarked are he snapped photos, stuck in a traffic jam at a construction zone.
At the Logan Pass parking lot, Tonyah Stuck of Pennsylvania was taking in the views with her family.
"No humidity. No snakes. No poison ivy," she remarked. "It a place to live."
Summer is now in full swing in Glacier Park and visitors need to keep a few things in mind while traveling the road. For one, construction is continuing in the higher elevations. Visitors can expect delays of at least 40 minutes on a one-way trip across the 52-mile long highway.
The Sun Road will be closed from the Loop to Logan Pass from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday night through Friday morning to allow construction crews an opportunity to work at night. The road will be open from the Loop to Logan Pass at night on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. There are no nighttime vehicle restrictions on the east side from St. Mary to Logan Pass.
In addition, the road is closed to bicyclists between Apgar and Sprague Creek campground and from Logan Creek to Logan Pass because of traffic congestion.