Plow crews reach Logan Pass

Glacier National Park plow crews have reached Logan Pass and are now working at the Big Drift, a deep snowbank that accumulates just east of Logan Pass. The drift is 80 to 100 feet tall.

Late last week, plows had reached the Big Drift from the east and west sides of the Continental Divide and were also clearing out the Logan Pass parking lot.

Snow depths have been “about average, maybe a little more,” road crew foreman Stan Stahr said last week during a media tour of the plowing effort.

Stahr said his plowing crew has been down to two men this year — one retired and another passed away. Due to federal budget sequestration, he wasn’t immediately able to hire replacements. He said one piece of equipment was sitting idle because there wasn’t anyone to run it. The Park has since given the OK to hire replacements, but the job is almost done now.

Stahr said there weren’t any big avalanches on the road this year and no big equipment breakdowns. He estimated it would take a couple more weeks to finish the plowing.

Road crews don’t just plow the road. They have to clean it up and install guardrails as well. Last week, crews were removing loose rock from the highway with shovels and rakes. Meanwhile another crew was installing 400-plus removable guardrails. Each guardrail has to be re-bolted to its steel base. 

Using a small crane and air wrenches, crews can install about 40 of the 600-pound rails a day, crewman Rick Hoylman said. The road reconstruction has added many more removable rails to the road. Each fall, crews unbolt them and store them in turnouts and sheltered areas where they won’t be swept away by avalanches.

The road itself seemed to have weathered the winter well. There didn’t appear to be any significant damage from avalanches this year.

Park officials have said that if the road is ready and cleared from the east side, access to Logan Pass will be allowed from the east prior to June 21. Road reconstruction from Avalanche Creek to Logan Pit prevents opening the Sun Road on the west side before June 21. The contractor has full access to the highway until then.

This weekend, hikers and bikers have full access to the road from both the east and west sides.