Shuttle Service started July 1, 2011.
Stops September 5, 2011
First Shuttle up is at 7:00 AM
Last Shuttle down from Logan Pass
is at 7:00 pm

Logan Pass Opened July 13, 2011.

The Going To The Sun Road closed to through traffic on 9-19-11. You can still get to Logan Pass from the St Mary entrance hopefully ntil the middle of October but that date is weather dependent.

I'm estimating that Logan Pass will open on or around July 13, 2011. Based on were the plows are today, June 24 2011 and were the plows were last year on June 4 2010. (fourth)

The Going to the Sun Road will be closed from 9 PM to 7 AM during the summer between The Loop and Logan Pass, except for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights! Plan accordingly.

Were to hike this year during the early hiking season is one of the most common questions. Glacier Park considers the early season to be from May 1 to June 30. This year a more realistic definition would be from May 15th to July 15th 2011. I have added on the Day Hikes Sections information regarding the best trails to hike at this time in Glacier Park.

Within each day hike guide section there is a brief description of the trails elevation gain, distance and degree of difficulty. For most of the trails that I have hiked there is a more detailed web page with further details regarding the hike, together with photographs taken along the hike.

Be sure to stop at one of the visitor centers in the park, East Glacier Visitor Center is open till 8 pm West Glacier Visitor Center closes at 5 pm. Ask for the 'Day Hikes in Glacier' and the "Ranger-Led Activity Schedule'. 'Day Hikes in Glacier' contains trail maps and info regarding 68 hikes in the park. Ranger-Led Activity Schedule gives the times and locations for some 20 Ranger-Led hikes in the park plus other ranger-guided activity. YOU have to ask for these guides by name, usually they are available at the entrance stations. (starting in 2010 most entrance stations have the guide)

The Going To the Sun Roads opened July 13, 2011. When it does open the road will be subject to construction delays and nightime closures until September 18, 2011 when it will close for the season. Due to budget cuts the Glacier Shuttle (I can't call it a hikers shuttle anymore due to the shorter hours) for 2011 operates from 7 am to 7 pm. In 2007 it operated from 7 am to 9:30 pm. As a result the Glacier Shuttle is no longer a viable option for long hikes. Shuttle Service starts on July 1st this year.


Summer Season Construction With Visitation Traffic 3 Segments: Big Bend to Logan Pass and Logan Pass to Siyeh Bend . . . each with 20 mins. daytime delay (June 17 to Sept 19) and Haystack Creek to Big Bend. . . construction forecast to begin late summer following completion of Logan Pass to Siyeh Bend . . .. Summer Season Nighttime Delays Expect nighttime closures from 9PM Monday through 7AM Friday between the Loop and Logan Pass. A 15-20 minute window for vehicle passage will begin at 2:00PM nightly. From USDOT Were USDOT says June 17, 2011 substitute actual opening date of TGTSR which is currently UNKOWN.

Going to the Sun Road opened for the season on June 24, 2010, only open for 24 hour operation on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Monday through Thursday the Going to The Sun Road closes at 9 pm and reopens at 7 am between The Loop and Logan Pass. Glacier National Park is a hikers park. The day hikes in Glacier Park vary from easy to brutal. Luckily there are plenty of day hikes that fall in between. One of the things I've discovered over the last twenty years of hiking in Glacier is how many people return year after year to hike these mountains. Of the National Parks that I have hiked, Glacier National Park has the best trail system for day hikes. With the advent in 2007 of the free park shuttle service, hiking on trails that start at one trailhead and end at another has gotten much easier logistically. Note: Shuttle stops at 7 pm in 2011 so long hikes are trickier when using the shuttle.

The hiking season for Glacier National Park is fairly short. 2011 will be a very short high altitude hiking season. 2010 joined 2008 as a short season high altitude hiking season. Many popular trails didn't open until late July and some of those still had significant snow cover. The actual length of the hiking season varies from year to year based on snow accumulation from winter. Lower elevation trails become accessible to hiking sometime in April. The trails will usually be very wet in early spring and frequently will have dead falls across the trail from winter storm activity. The benefits of starting early are early wildflowers plus U.N. peopled trails that can be enjoyed in solitude. If you combine biking with hiking then your options are even greater for spring hiking. The park starts plowing Going to the Sun Road April 1st and restricts traffic on the newly plowed sections of the road to bicycles and pedestrians. On the west side of Glacier National Park the road is plowed and open all year to Lake McDonald Lodge. The parking area for Lake McDonald Lodge is next to the trailhead for several west sides hikes. On the east side of Glacier National Park the road is open to St Mary campground, which is open year round. On the east side the Going to the Sun Road is currently open to Jackson Glacier Overlook as of June 24, 2011. A new avalanche path has opened up just below Jackson Glacier Overlookon the opposite side of the road to the toilet building parking lot. As of June 7, 2011 thre were plenty of trees sticking out of the bank of snow from the avalanche.

The hiking season for Glacier National Park for higher elevation trails is much shorter. Trails that start or go above 6,000 feet usually have snow until early July. It can snow any time during the summer but these trails tend to be open from early July till late September. Some years I'm able to hike at the upper elevations until mid October. Many of the day hikes in Glacier National Park are very crowded. Most of the crowds don't get on the trails until midday. For the longer hikes an early start is essential but it can be of equal benefit on the shorter trails if you are looking for tranquility.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”     Mark Twain