Park reopens west side of Sun Road to private vehicles

The west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road has reopened to private vehicles. The road has been closed since Aug. 12 due to the Howe Ridge Fire. Rain and cooler weather has quelled fire activity.

Because of the fire, the west side of the road had been open just 50 days this summer.

Drivers will not be able to stop along the road between Lake McDonald Lodge and the Avalanche Creek developed area. Avalanche is open for day use recreation, including day use areas, restrooms, the Trail of the Cedars, and the Avalanche Lake Trail. Flattop Trail and The Loop Trail are also reopening.

Winter weather has begun in some areas of the park. Intermittent snow has fallen at Logan Pass. Visitors should come prepared for changing conditions and pack extra layers in the event that they encounter cold conditions as they travel throughout the park.

However, the west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road will closely down entirely again Oct. 15-19 as crews add another culvert to a problem area of the highway.

Last year the park undertook a culvert replacement initiative at the same location, installing two large box culverts. However, drainage is not behaving as anticipated, and the park is installing a third large culvert.

Access to Apgar Village and the Apgar Visitor Center will still be available during the October closures. The closure is timed to coincide with the third Monday of October, the day the Going-to-the-Sun Road typically closes in the alpine section for the winter.

Hiker-biker access between Oct. 15-19 is not anticipated. Administrative and local resident traffic will be permitted from 7 a.m. - 7:30 a.m., from 3:30 p.m. - 4 p.m, and after 6 p.m. daily during construction.

On Oct. 20, access to Avalanche will once again reopen, fire conditions permitting, and will remain open until the gate closes at Lake McDonald Lodge for the winter on or before Dec. 15. Hiker-biker access will resume above the Avalanche gate on Oct. 20. Standard hiker-biker restrictions will be in place as road winterizing procedures begin to ensure pedestrian and work crew safety.

Oct. 14 will be the last day that visitors are able to drive to Logan Pass from both the east and west side as the park road crew begins to winterize the road, including removing log barriers to protect them from avalanche hazards, removing directional signs, and installing snow poles.

In the fall, construction on the roads in front of the Many Glacier Hotel and the upper parking lot will begin. This is part of the larger rehabilitation project for the section of the Many Glacier Road from Babb to the park boundary, and from the Many Glacier entrance station into the Many Glacier Valley.

The St. Mary Entrance Station will also undergo additional changes this fall and into the spring following its construction last year to extend the building height for oversized vehicles. No significant traffic delays are expected with that work.

Looking ahead to 2019, the park expects to undertake a significant routine pavement preservation project. Pavement preservation lays layers of a protective coating over the road, extending the life of the pavement substantially. The preservation work includes the entire Going-to-the-Sun Road, Chief Mountain Road, a portion of the Camas Road, Apgar Village Loop, and other minor areas. The work requires dry and moderately warm conditions to cure. The park expects some Going-to-the-Sun Road closures related to this work. Further details about pavement preservation in 2019 will be released this winter.

The park will also repair portions of the Inside North Fork Road. The Anaconda area in need of substantial repair will not be addressed within the scope of this more minor repair. However, construction will occur at “Lover’s Leap” and Logging Creek. When completed, visitors will be able to drive the Inside North Fork Road to just north of Anaconda Creek from the Polebridge entrance, and the Dutch Creek trailhead from the Fish Creek Entrance.

Funding dependent, sections of Camas Road may also undergo rehabilitation. Additional details will be available in 2019 if this project is scheduled.