Going to the Sun Road Opening 2008 continues.......

The park crews trek continues on to clear the massive cover of snow and reach the spectacular summit of the Going to the Sun Road at Logan Pass. The crews have pioneered the big drift(made the initial cut across the drift) and have begun the slow process of working their way down to the pavement. Typically the big drift is 60 to 100 FEET deep and takes a lot of skill and guts to safely clear it.
The weather has been cooperating the past few days, however as you can see there is still a lot of snow to be moved. No opening date has been set as of yet.

This photo was taken in the Rimrocks area which is on the west side of the park. If you have never been here, this section of the road is bounded by rock walls on one side and sheer drop offs on the other. It is just before you enter the Oberlin bend area of the road, which is just below Logan Pass.



Here the crews work toward the Oberlin Bend area of the road. This final turn before the summit provides lots of viewing of Mountain goats and their young early in the season. This is also where the begining of the famous "Highline Trail" begins. Grizzlies are known to pass through this area when trying to get from one spot to another.


The Going to the Sun Road 75th year dedication ceremony is still scheduled to be held at Lake McDonald Lodge this Friday. Follow the link for more detailed information.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is currently open to vehicles for 16 miles from West Glacier to Avalanche and 13 miles from St. Mary to Jackson Glacier Overlook. Crews are working to provide additional vehicular access into the alpine section as soon as safely possible. Hikers and bikers may travel limited distances beyond the vehicle closures. There are many other scenic drives in the park. The drive from West Glacier to St. Mary on Highways 2 and 89 only takes about 2 hours and quite honestly is a spectacular drive in itself.

Good luck on planning your trip to Glacier National Park. If you have any comments or questions please ask.....Thats my two cents worth for today......Have a great day...

Going to the Sun Road spring (summer) opening??.....

Plowing of the Going to the Sun Road continues here in Glacier National Park. Conditions have improved as far as weather is concerned, the sun is out and temperatures are rising.


In talking with members of the opening crew, there is a lot of snow still up high that needs to either melt or come down. Progress has been and will remain to be slow. With all the new snow on top of the old snowpack, conditions for avalanches are ripe. Safety remains to be the primary concern as always with the park work crews and crew leaders. That is a good thing, as I have mentioned previously, politics both local and government has in the past played a big part to the push forward regardless. Perhaps common sense is prevailing and inquiring management minds will see the light....guess time will tell...I for one will not hold my breath..

When one thinks of the amount of money spent to open a road full of snow it is huge. That money perhaps could be better spent on backlogged maintenance and trail projects. Did I mention there is also a multi- million dollar road repair job also trying to go on at the same time. Of course all this snow has to be removed first. Hmmmmm...can anyone say "your tax dollars at work" and global warming in the same breath? Kind of ironic what and how someone sitting in an office far away from here can make decisions that affect so many people. Is it really worth it for visitors to be able to drive through this spectacular place. Some days I wonder if three months of expense and danger is worth maybe 3-4 months of use........Click to view an excellent June 6 video of crew working on clearing the road.

The delays are not only affecting the Going to the Sun Road this year, but also some trails. In talking with one member of the trail crew, they stated that there could very well be some trails which do not even open this summer due to amount of snow in high country. It will all depend on what hot temperatures and moisture we receive. It at best will be an interesting year all over Glacier National Park!

From the land of enchantment where all the people who live here year around.. love it, where the millions of people yearly come to visit and love it, and the wildlife love it for 9 months of the year. Thats my two cents worth for today......Have a great day...

Happy Father's Day

A beautiful day here.....bright sunshine and temps in the 80's.....Hope all father's out there had a great day with their families. I got phone calls from 3 out of 4 of my kids so..I feel very blessed.

Will try and have a normal(?) post tomorrow...Have a great rest of the day...

75th Anniversary of the Going-to-the-Sun Road dedication relocated

Due to continued winter conditions at Logan Pass and park crews not able to safely clear the winter snows deposits, Glacier National Park officials have just announced that the June 27 celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Going-to-the-Sun Road has been moved to Lake McDonald Lodge due to winter still hanging on at the pass.

With the arrival of over 2 foot of additional new snow, road crews will not work in higher elevations until conditions have settled and conditions are more stable. This decision is surprising at best, because in the past crews were directed to continue on with their work, with the primarily objective being to "get that road open." Local and political pressures typically dictated that "the road must be opened so the visitors can come and keep the economy running." It is refreshing to see that safety just might be a part of the new regime. I always felt that when "political figures and local powers" were allowed to override the safety of the crews working in the adverse conditions that exist something was wrong with that picture.


The men and women that operate the heavy equipment in those condition deserve all the respect we can give them. If you have never stood in their shoes you should try it some time. They put their lives on the line each and every time they go up there. It takes a special breed to work in that environment. I for one say

"Great job guys and gals"
Thats my two cents worth for today......Have a great day...

Progress on Going to the Sun Road

It is a beautiful day here in paradise.. finally..... the past few day showed us another taste of winter weather with the higher elevations receiving over 2 foot of new snow. The FLATTOP MTN. SNOTEL Data Report site is reporting still having 109 inches of snow on the ground at the 6300 foot level. This of course has moved the plows back down the road to lower elevations until conditions permit safe working conditions. The park had predicted that the road would open tomorrow June 13, 2008, However that is not even close. Only time will tell when that will happen.

There is a new Superintendent arriving in the near future at the park. Only time will tell how he will fit in. Currently and since the departure of Mick Holm into retirement, the deputy supt has been trying to run the park. Luckily it has been the quiet time of the year. Typically in past tenures other supts have been here as a last stop before retirement. Therefore more has been done to achieve their own goals and agendas than actually do something positive for the park.

Road construction is still ongoing again this year and the weather has slowed or stopped some aspects of their job. Paving that supposed to done this spring will most likely not happen because of the late spring weather.
The GTSR

Going to the Sun Road opening progress June 2008

What a difference a few months can make! This is a recent photo of the Weeping Wall in Glacier National Park.

Typically this area would now be a very busy place with visitors vehicles and the famous Red buses driving their passengers through the cascading waters which falls from the rocks in this historic location. As you can see that is not the case this year. Don't let this discourage you from coming to this wonderful place, there is still lots to see and do. Just bring your snow boots, wet weather gear and the desire to explore a great place.

Spring snow removal is progressing very slowly. Weather conditions and equipment issues, as well as a above normal snow pack could make for one of the latest openings for the world famous Going to the Sun Road in years.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road from the Lake McDonald Lodge to Avalanche is currently open to vehicles approximately 16 miles from West Glacier to Avalanche, with biking and hiking only allowed pass this point, if current conditions permit. On the east side you can drive in 6 miles to the Rising Sun area.

The Flattop Mountain weather station is reporting today that there is still over 90 inches of snow on the ground. ( that would be 7 and 1/2 feet of snow) This location is lower in elevation than Logan Pass Visitor Center, which should tell us what the pass looks like. With all the cool wet/snow weather we are having and the above conditions, the opening of the pass anytime soon appears to be out of the question. Stay tuned for any further updates.

Goat Haunt Returns

The Goat Haunt Web cam has returned once again as one of the many Glacier National Park webcams offered. Each spring the parks IT crew make the journey through the woods and across the borders to install this cam. These guys are awesome and are a very under appreciated group. Great job guys..we love it!!!!
This cam is located in one of the northern most reaches of Glacier National Park across Waterton Lake and the Famous Prince of Wales Hotel .
This remote webcam is powered by hydro-electric power which can only be placed in service after winter conditions have departed for the spring. It provides a stunning look at what life is like in a place most visitors will never go to. Enjoy this webcam and check back often.