Glacier notes fall construction limits St. Mary access
Mist hangs in a grove of larch trees along the Middle Fork of the Flathead.
If you want to access the St. Mary area of Glacier National Park, you’ll have to do it by foot or bicycle this fall. The Park is reminding visitors that the Going-to-the-Sun Road is now closed to motor vehicles just beyond the east entrance gate, as work continues on constructing a new east entrance station to the Park.
The work will continue into next May.
There is no parking at the St. Mary Visitor Center. Hikers, bikers, and campers accessing the Going-to-the-Sun Road or the St. Mary Campground should park in available roadside spaces along the Going-to-the-Sun Road or at the 1913 Ranger Station.
Campers will need to hike or bike to the campground from their parking spot. The campground is in primitive status. Loop C is open and has a functioning pit toilet year round. Camping fees are $10 per night thru Oct. 31. Starting Nov. 1, camping is free with a valid entrance pass.
Glacier is also seeing other construction, including:
• At the Avalanche Creek area, visitors can use the boardwalk portion of the Trail of the Cedars leading to the Avalanche Lake Trailhead. However the south portion of the trail is closed to improve safety and construct a new pedestrian bridge over Avalanche Creek. Additionally, a restroom along the Trail of the Cedars will be rehabilitated to meet accessible standards. A portion of this project is being funded by the Glacier National Park Conservancy.
• At Many Glacier Hotel, work continues on the 14.5-month rehabilitation project. One of the historic features, the helical stairway, removed in the 1950s to allow for expansion of the hotel gift store, is being built this winter locally in Kalispell and will be installed in the spring. Plans are in place to reinstitute other historic features including restoring historic finishes, lobby lighting, and hallway transom lighting.
The Many Glacier Road will be closed to public vehicle traffic on or before the third weekend in November, weather dependent. Administrative construction traffic will continue through Dec. 31 as weather allows.
The spring and summer of 2017 will bring the final phase of the Going-to-the-Sun Road rehabilitation project.