Park closes Sun Road on West side; evacuates campgrounds near Lake McDonald
Smoke from the Sprague Fire hangs over Lake McDonald Saturday morning.
Glacier National Park has closed the Going-to-the-Sun Road from the south end of Lake McDonald to Logan Pass and ordered an evacuation of residences and buildings and campgrounds around the lake due to the Sprague Fire.
Logan Pass is open from the east side of the Divide.
The closure includes the Lake McDonald Lodge, Kelly Camp, concessions housing and the Avalanche and Sprague Creek campgrounds.
The closure is due to fire traffic in the area and was recommended by the overhead management team fighting the blaze.
Most of Glacier remains open, including Apgar Village, though the Park was swamped Sunday with smoke from fires not just in Glacier, but from across Montana and the western U.S.
The Park couldn’t say when the Sun Road from the west side would reopen.
Firefighters put down hose lays at Lake McDonald Lodge yesterday and structure protection fire engines were also put in place.
The Sprague Fire is now more than 5,100 acres and is burning the mountains and woods just above the lodge on Mount Brown, Lincoln Peak, Mount Edwards, the Belton Hills and Lincoln Peak. It has also moved down into the Lincoln Creek drainage. The fire on Thursday gutted the Sperry Chalet.