Park plows beyond Logan Pass

With a snowpack that was just 80% of average and avalanches that slid in March instead of later in the season, Glacier National Park plow crews were beyond Logan Pass on Monday.

Crews were working in the Big Drift area and near the east side tunnel, not that you would know it. The pass was largely socked in by clouds and visibility at times was just about zero.

“It’s going well, we’re actually fairly early. There was a little bit below average snow pack this year,” Work Leader Christian Tranel said. “Crews are down here at the Big Drift right now, then we’ll get to the east side down below that. And we still have a lot of cleanup to do, then we’ll put in the guard logs.”

This year they’ve had some huge rocks to deal with. One came off the side of the mountain and bounced off the highway after crews had plowed near Haystack Creek, leaving a gouge in the historic highway.

In addition, another one was blocking half the road.

A crew member was drilling into it Monday and they would use explosives to blast it out on Tuesday.

It’s all part of the job.

Roads Supervisor Brian Paul said it’s not an uncommon occurrence.

“Rocks are the biggest cleanup thing that we have up here,” Paul said. “... It’s an opportunity for our blasters to look and get experience. They often get certified once a year and that’s a good opportunity for them to do that.”

It will probably be a few weeks before the road opens across the pass to motorists. There’s still plenty of small rocks to clean up and hundreds of log guardrails that have to be bolted on the highway. 

They’re taken off each fall and put back on each spring to save them from avalanches.

Even the road at Logan Pass isn’t plowed to full width. Snow conditions in Glacier mirror last year’s, with little snow below 6,000 feet and plenty of it above 6,000.

In addition they have to clear the snow from the visitor center. Also, there’s some rock wall repair needed. A mason was working on repairs to a wall over a small creek at lower elevations Monday.

Hikers and bikers can go as far as Packer’s Roost when crews are working and near Road Camp when they’re not.

Most secondary roads are open and the Looking Glass Highway 49 outside the park is also open for the season.

Taylor Inman contributed to this story.