Glacier's Sun Road opens over Logan Pass
Daily Inter Lake | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 6 months AGO
<p>Jane and Desmond Hunter sled down the Hidden Lake Trail. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p><strong>A group</strong> hikes up the Hidden Lake Trail above Logan Pass on June 17, the first day the pass was open to visitors at Glacier National Park. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p>Jeff and Maryanne Milos of Massachusetts take a break from hiking the Hidden Lake Trail to enjoy the scenery above Logan Pass at Glacier National Park on Friday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
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<p>Jerry Gamble, of Las Vegas, Nev., looks at a helicopter as he takes pictures on the Going-to-the-Sun Road just east of Logan Pass on Friday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p>Firefighters inspect the Logan Pass Visitor Center on Friday, after staff arriving in the morning discovered a battery acid leak in the building's power system. Park spokeswoman Margie Steigerwald said Friday afternoon that earlier plans to open the Logan Pass Visitor Center on Saturday will be delayed. While park rangers had been restricting visitors to the parking lot on Friday, she said there wa no official trail closure was in effect for Hidden Lake Trail. "It's probably related to the issue inside the building, where out of an abundance of caution they're clearing a perimet…
<p>Mike Jacobsen of Phoenix, Ariz., illegally walks his dog Jack at the Oberlin Bend Overlook on Friday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p>A group sits atop a red bus in the Logan Pass Parking Lot on Friday. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
Glacier National Park opened the full 50-mile length of Going-to-the-Sun Road to vehicle traffic Thursday night, although the Logan Pass Visitor Center’s planned opening today will be delayed.
Staff arriving at the visitor center Friday morning discovered a battery acid leak from the power system, prompting a cleanup response from park firefighting crews.
Glacier spokeswoman Margie Steigerwald said Friday afternoon the Visitor Center would remain closed until cleanup is complete, but restroom facilities and potable water are still available at Logan Pass.
The popular trail to Hidden Lake Overlook was temporarily closed on Friday, but Steigerwald said no official closure is in effect for the trail.
Visitors should prepare for cold, wintry conditions at Logan Pass, according to a news release from Glacier Park.
When the Logan Pass Visitor Center opens, its hours will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sept. 5. The center offers visitor information and ranger programs, and includes a bookstore managed by the Glacier National Park Conservancy.
Visitors will need to drive with added caution along Rim Rock, just below Oberlin Bend on the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road, where concrete barriers are temporarily serving as the guard rail.
About 65 feet of the stone guard wall was destroyed by an avalanche following a late-May winter storm and the concrete barriers further tighten the already-narrow two-lane roadway. The long-term repair for this section of masonry guardrail along with several other portions of the road is currently scheduled for September.
Bicycle safety restrictions on Going-to-the-Sun Road are in effect through Labor Day, Sept. 5. Cyclists are prohibited between Apgar Campground and Sprague Creek Campground from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition, bicycles are prohibited eastbound between Logan Creek and Logan Pass from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
At Logan Pass, visitors will discover a snow-covered landscape and should be prepared for low temperatures, wind and icy conditions.
Standing or walking on snow along the road is strongly discouraged, as snow walls and hazardous snow bridges could collapse next to the road near Big Bend and the Big Drift.
Trails near Logan Pass will be covered in snow and visitors should exercise caution when hiking. Unseen holes in the snow and snow bridges may be present, and hikers are encouraged to avoid crossing steep, snow-covered slopes where a fall could be disastrous. Visitors should have the appropriate equipment and skills if hiking on snow.
The Highline Trail from Logan Pass is closed due to snow conditions.
The park’s free shuttle system will begin operations on July 1 and run through Sept. 18. The transit system provides two-way service along Going-to-the-Sun Road between the Apgar Visitor Center and St. Mary Visitor Center, including a hiker express shuttle departing from both visitor centers at 7 a.m.
For updated information on park roads, weather conditions and visitor services, visit www.nps.gov/glac or call the park’s headquarters at (406) 888-7800.
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