Sun Road will open to Logan Pass west side tomorrow

The wait is over.

Glacier National Park will open the west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road tomorrow morning.

Park road crews have finished snow removal, debris cleanup, guard rail installation, and facility preparation, as well as assessing snow conditions. Vehicle access to Logan Pass from the east side of the park is scheduled to be available June 19 due to road rehabilitation work.

The June 11 opening is about average for the road over its history. Last year’s July 2 opening was one of the latest ever.

This year snowpack was below normal, particularly at low elevations. There was virtually no snow on the road at low elevations when Park plows started in April.

Services at Logan Pass will include restroom facilities and potable water. The Logan Pass Visitor Center will not be open until June 19. At that time it will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., including a bookstore managed by the Glacier National Park Conservancy.

There are two areas along the west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road near Rim Rock, just below Oberlin Bend, that visitors will need to drive with caution. Approximately 200 feet of masonry guard walls were destroyed by avalanches this past winter and temporary barriers have been installed creating a narrow two-lane roadway.

Through June 19, crews will be working near Triple Arches, located approximately two miles below Logan Pass on the west side. One-lane traffic will be implemented during this time. Flaggers will direct traffic during the day and traffic control lights will be used nights and weekends. Crews will be completing some of the detail masonry work on the footing areas at the massive rock wall near the arches.