Closures expected as Glacier National Park repairs infrastructure systems
HAILEY SMALLEY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 1 month AGO
Along the north shore of Two Medicine Lake near the Two Medicine Campground in Glacier National Park on Sunday, July 14. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Some of the Glacier National Park’s busiest hubs are set to be temporarily closed in coming years to overhaul the park’s outdated water and wastewater systems.
The project is expected to span three years, starting in fall 2025 with repairs in the Two Medicine and St. Mary areas. According to a story map published by the park, leaks in the outdated water systems in these areas cost thousands of dollars every year.
“The infrastructure is beyond its useful life and in need of repair and upgrade,” reads the story map. “Reliable, well-maintained, and properly designed water and wastewater systems are essential to protecting Glacier’s unique environment and supporting public access and recreation."
Officials expect to replace 29,000 feet of pipe at Two Medicine and St. Mary, along with several fire hydrants and septic tanks. Outdated equipment, such as unused water storage tanks, will also be removed.
To complete repairs, officials will close Two Medicine Road Oct. 1. The road will remain open to non-motorized recreation during the winter months and temporarily reopen to vehicles during the busy summer season. The road is expected to fully re-open in May 2027.
Two Medicine Campground will not open for the 2026 summer season, but officials said other amenities, including the boat launch and ranger station, will follow a typical seasonal schedule.
The construction will also delay the opening of St. Mary Campground next summer; visitors can expect a mid-June opening in 2026.
Similar improvements at Many Glacier, and Lake McDonald will begin in fall 2026, and a final phase of the project will address wastewater infrastructure at Logan Pass and Granite Park Chalet beginning in fall 2027. Details regarding the extent of the repairs at these locations and potential closures are not yet available.
The park will host a virtual public meeting on the proposal March 17 at 5:30 p.m. Comments on the proposal will be accepted through April 7. Information on these options, as well as a link to the project story map and opportunity to comment, is available at parkplanning.nps.gov/water-wastewater-improvements.
Comments can also be sent to Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Attn: Water/Wastewater Improvement Proposal, PO Box 128, West Glacier, MT 59936.
Reporter Hailey Smalley is available at [email protected] or 758-4433.
ARTICLES BY HAILEY SMALLEY
Thinning project on Big Mountain moves forward
Flathead National Forest approved a 200-acre fuels reduction project that may disrupt access to some trails on Big Mountain this summer.
Biologist reels in 36-year career with tribal fisheries program
Fisheries biologist Barry Hansen, 74, watched from a few feet away, arms crossed. He’s seen this same process unfold hundreds of thousands of times, but he can’t keep the pride from his voice as he holds up the finished product a few moments later.
State biologists seek answers to rut in South Fork elk numbers
When Franz Ingelfinger took over as the Kalispell area biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks four years ago, he kept hearing the same suggestion from hunters and outfitters: Check out what’s happening in the South Fork Flathead River drainage.