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...