Logan Pass opened on July 13, 2011
The Going To The Sun Road closed to through traffic at midnight 9-18-11.

Glacier National Park Going To The Sun Road
plowing started April 1, 2011
~ plows reached Logan Pass on 6-28-11
Logan Pass is closed from west side as of 9-19-11.

Vehicle access to Logan Pass will be available from the east side of the park through Sunday, October 16, 2011 weather permitting.
Well looks like weather permitting didn't happen. Logan Pass is closed from both sides as of 10-17-11.

Recent Events and Updates as of 1-30-12
Since July 4th of 2011 this site has had visitors from 100 countries.
(My visitor data for the previous five years is not as easy to track.)

The winter of 2011/2012 continues on with brief transitory bits of winter weather in the lower elevations, followed by above freezing temperatures and rain.
Well winter like weather has finally arrived in Northwest Montana.

NPS press Release 1-15-2012
WEST GLACIER, MONT. – Glacier National Park, Flathead County Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue Team and Kalispell Regional Medical Center's A.L.E.R.T. Air Ambulance responded to and rescued a couple of cross-country skiers that were lost and stranded overnight in the North Fork area of Glacier National Park. Two individuals from Kalispell, a married couple, male age 46 and female age 39, sent a 911 message using a spot messenger device as they were lost and stranded in Glacier National Park. Flathead County Dispatch received the message at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday night indicating the message originated from a remote location approximately one mile north of the Akokala Creek Trail in the North Fork area of park, approximately six miles north of Polebridge. Park rangers were immediately notified and an incident team was organized. Due to bad weather, downed trees, difficult trail conditions, darkness and overall unsafe conditions for ground or aerial searches, it was determined that a response would need to take place early Sunday morning. Sunday morning park rangers and members of the county's rescue team began traveling to find the couple via snowshoes and cross-country skis. As weather conditions allowed, A.L.E.R.T. flew the area and were able to identify tracks. The helicopter landed briefly and dispatched two crew members on the ground. The crew members reached the couple after hiking about one half mile and treated them on the scene. The helicopter then returned as weather cleared and retrieved the couple. They were transported to a landing area near the Polebridge Mercantile where park rangers met them and transported them to the Polebridge Ranger Station. The couple returned home via their own vehicle at approximately 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

The info below is from Spot's Web page.
"pair your smartphone with SPOT Connect, and get connected to a global satellite network that lets you send messages and GPS coordinates from virtually anywhere on the planet. Update Twitter and Facebook. Send email and text messages. Request non-emergency help from professional service providers. And in the case of a critical emergency, send an SOS message requesting emergency assistance."

For the record 99% of Glacier National Park does not have cell phone coverage.

From news reports Alaska is getting all the snow this winter.

On 1-4-2012 Montana temperatures were twice that of Florida!
On 1-4-2012 a large wildfire started outside of Browning with fire companies coming from as far a Columbia Falls. Unlike Texas wildfires in January are very, very rare. High winds in January on the east side of the park are a given and this fire was driven by winds gusting up to 70 mph. Over 16,000 acres were burned in this winter wildfire.


Snowy Owls, also known as, Arctic Owls are making their somewhat irregular migration, actually an irruption, to Northwest Montana. So far have seen the snowy owl on the last three trips, as is the norm the closest and most spectacular was when I was least prepared, didn't even have my camera but was using my daughter-in-laws new camera, different brand then mine, different controls and settings. Hopefully this Arctic Owl will stay around all winter.

Will be adding pics of these gorgeous owls soon!

Chilly weather to great the new year temps in the low teens on the first of 2012.


Windy - Logan Pass weather station reported wind gusts over 100 miles per hour for three days with one gust up 119 mph on 12-28-11.

Wet! WET! wet :( Winter in Northwest Montana so far is pretty miserable!

2011 is rapidly approaching it's terminus. While the winter of 2011/2012 remains almost fall like. Light snow followed by freezing rain not my idea of a fun winter.

Winter is here! Now the days start to get longer. Snow finally has made it's appearance in the valleys. The day length will once again start to increase by a few minutes every day. Currently there is little more then 8 hours of daylight in Northwest Montana. From a hiking standpoint the largest drawback to Glacier Park is that almost all of the longer trails are still snow covered on the longest day of the year. 2010/ 2011 was a record breaking snow year so far 2011/2012 is not!

For those of you looking for gifts for hikers I highly recommend Doug Chadwicks book "The Wolverine Way".

It is a sad commentary on the world that when you search on Wolverine Books the first 20 or so listings are about comic book characters.

There was a moonset eclipse this morning. Foggy in lots of spots for moonset as opposed to moonrise. Wish I could have been in St Mary's for a chilly moonset. Northwest Montana continues to have a low snow late fall.
It's winter here above 6,000 feet while the lower elevation is still enjoying a late fall.

The entry road to Many Glacier is closed for the winter.
The entry road to Two Medicine is closed at Running Eagle Falls.
Snow season off to a slow start this winter. 11-12-11 snowing in Northwest Montana. St Mary's and Two Medicine have snow at the valley level while for the moment Lake McDonald is snow free with snow on Apgar. 21.0 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road are open for travel.
On the east side of Glacier Park The Going To The Sun Road is now closed at Rising Sun.
Snow started falling in most of the valleys on 11-8-11, the snow started about sunrise. St Mary is still snow free.
Camping at Two Medicine and Many Glacier campgrounds is closed as of 11-1-11.
Chief Mountain Road is closed for the winter.
Cold weather has made it's presence know in Northwest Montana, with daytime temps in the low 20's.
10-24-11 Snowing at Two Medicine.

10-20-11 more wet weather forecast for this weekend.

Accuweather long range forecast calls for lots of snow this winter in the northwest mountains!

Saturday 11-15-11 at noon Apgar web cam is showing snow - St Mary is sunny on the east side of the divide and high clouds to the west side.

Glacier Park's Road Status is showing that Logan Pass is closed from both sides as of noon 11-15-11. Most likely closed earlier but they don't date the closing date and unless your actually there when it closes there is no realistic way to determine the actually closing time. So that's all for Logan Pass for 2011.

Last chance is now gone as Logan Pass is closed.

Two more weeks of camping at Two Medicine and Many Glacier both campgrounds will close starting 11-1-11.

Another week of cool wet weather is in the forecast for this week 10-10-11.
Well it looks like that forecast was overly optimistic regarding sunshine.
Weather shows it's sunny on the east side, however webcam shows total high cloud cover.
Sunshine forecast for Thursday, Friday and Sunday on the east side of the park.
Sunday 10-9-11 McDonald Valley shrouded in low lying clouds, St. Mary Valley broken high clouds.

Abstract of 10-7-11 NPS News Release
WEST GLACIER, MONT. - Glacier National Park Rangers and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists captured and euthanized a black bear in the Polebridge area on Wednesday, October 5, after numerous incidents in which the bear broke into vehicles, raided trash storage areas and caused damage trying to access a residence. The bear broke vehicle windows and pulled off car door handles to gain access into at least four cars and trucks, including a vehicle in the park. The bear obtained a food reward in most of these incidents. The female bear was six years old and weighed 241 pounds, and had been previously captured in downtown Kalispell in June of 2008, after it was seen in the Woodland Park area.

Currently wet and chilly with sunny weather forecast for this weekend.
Ptarmigan Tunnel - Tunnel is CLOSED for the season 10/4/2011
Weather forecast for next seven days is mainly rain, except for the weekend.
Day time temps are going down rapidly during the first part of October.

Temps got down to freezing in the valley the past few nights, rain forecast for the first Saturday in October.

Red Rock Falls Trail: Plank bridges: Removed 9/30/11
Iceberg Plank Bridge: Bridge removed 9/29/11
Morning Eagle Falls plank bridge: Removed 9/28/11.
Feather Plume Suspension Bridge: Removed 9/28/11
Cataract Creek Suspension Bridge: Removed 9/28/11
Granite Park Trail
Loop - Granite Park Chalet/ 4.0 mi.
Trail DEPOSTED: 9/27/11

The section of the road (GTSR) between Avalanche and Logan Pass is closed due to construction. The fall road closure for construction will be on the west side between Avalanche and the west side of Logan Pass. Logan Pass can still be accessed from the east side through mid-October. The west side hiker/biker closure is 4.5 miles past the vehicle closure, at Logan Creek. There is no hiker/biker access west bound from Logan Pass. There are no hiker/biker restrictions while road crews are not working (typically after 6pm weekdays, 5pm weekends). source NPS Note

South Boundary Trail
Bridge scheduled for removal by 9/26/11.


Park entrance fee will be waived for entry into Glacier National Park on Saturday, September 24 in recognition of Public Lands Day.

Weather for first weekend of Fall 2011 is forecast for hot and sunny days and cool nights.
The Missoulian on 9-20-11 has a fascinating article about a non-injury grizzly bear attack near Glacier Park.
Summer of 2011 is over!
Access to Logan Pass from West Glacier closed 9-19-11.
Shuttle Service is finished for 2011.
Glacier Boat last boat on Lake McDonald on 9-18-11 all other boats are finished for this season.
    (I switched tracking methods on 7-4-11 and the new one makes info much easier to see)
Siyeh Pass Trail and Siyeh Pass to Sun Road at Sun Rift Gorge/ 5.6 mi.
TRAIL POSTING: 9/17/2011 for bear freq.
Smoke from wildfires obscuring views of the mountains.
NPS Trail Crew Report: Highline Trail
Safety handline cable: Removed 9/12/11
Narrow Trail Advisory: Recent washout approximately 1/4 mile from the Trailhead at Logan Pass left a narrow trail about 100 feet in length. Use caution while traversing. Do not kick or dislodge rock.
A very short section of snow beyond the saddle. 9/12/2011
Piegan Pass Trail
Sun road at Siyeh Bend to Preston Park/ 2.7 mi.
Initial clearing scheduled for: 7/15/11
Trail is Clear 9/8/11
Preston Park Jct. to Piegan Pass/ 1.8 mi. Initial clearing scheduled for: 7/30/11
Trail has one snow crossing. 9/8/11
Grinnell Glacier Trail ~ Trail is clear of snow and trees, 9/5/11 (dated 9-5 but posted 9-9)
Loop Trail ~ Trail POSTED: for bear frequenting 9/7/11
Iceberg Lake Trail Trail OPEN but POSTED: for bear frequenting 9/5/2011
Hidden Lake Trail Trail OPEN: 9/7/11
Hidden Lake Overlook new deck and rail is nearly complete as of 9-5-11. Hidden Lake Trail as opposed to Hidden Lake Overlook Trail remains closed due to bears.

Vehicle access to Logan Pass will be available from the east side of the park through Sunday, October 16, 2011
weather permitting.   . . . the last day to access Logan Pass by vehicle from the west side will be Sunday, September 18. Vehicle traffic will be restricted on the west side at Avalanche Creek beginning Monday, September 19. 2011

NPS reports that on 9-2-11 Search personnel found the body of alpine hiker Jacob "Jake" Rigby at approximately 2p.m. today. The body was located on the mountain known as "8888" in the southern end of the park. An initial investigation indicates that Rigby may have fallen approximately 800 feet on the north side of the extremely steep mountain.

Glacier National Park seasonal employee missing . . . 8-29-11 (note the majority of Glacier National Park workforce are seasonal.)

Yellowstone National Park announced today, 8-29-11, that a second hiker has died this year, 2011, as a result of traumatic injuries from a bear attack. The first hiker died 7-6-11.

Inside North Fork Road open not sure when it opened but it was sometime late August 2011.

Wildflowers in bloom at Logan Pass 8-27-11
Hidden Lake Trail as of 8-26-27 Trail Closed due to bears
Bear grass in bloom on Grinnell Glacier Trail 8-26-11
Sperry Chalet Trail
TRAIL POSTED (again): for mountain lion frequenting 8/23/2011 Flush toilets in operation at Logan Pass 8-22-11

Grinnell Glacier Trail
NPS Report TRAIL POSTED:
822 Adams change the trail from closed to posted on 8/22/2011

NPS Report TRAIL POSTED:
Hidden Lake Trail Trail OPEN: 9/7/11
TRAIL CLOSURE (Hidden Lake): From overlook to the lake for bears. 8/26/2011
822 Adams change the trail (Hidden Lake) from closed to posted on 8/22/2011
TRAIL CLOSURE: From overlook to the lake for bears. 8/21/2011
Mount Brown Trail clear of snow 8-21-11
Hidden Lake Overlook deck, steps, railing removed as of 8-20-11.
Hidden Lake Overlook Trail finally shovelled to a safer surface as of 8-20-11

Mother and Son Rescued from McDonald Creek 8-17-11.
A.L.E.R.T. Air Ambulance transported the mother to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.
Mother and son survived.
Bear attacks make international headlines but drowning remains the number one killer in Glacier National Park.
Water temperatures even in August are near freezing.
Rocks near water in Glacier Park can be as slippery as ice covered rocks.

Saturday 8-20-11 marks the end of the second month of summer, days are getting shorter, nighttime temperatures are dropping into the near freezing range, snow is still melting on some of the trails in Glacier Park and the Grinnell Glacier Trail opened for the 2011 hiking season on August 22, 2011 with a TRAIL POSTED: 822 Adams change the trail from closed to posted on 8/22/2011.
Doesn't look like Grinnell Glacier Trail will open before late August 2011 (if then).
Sperry Chalet Trail clear of snow as of 8-17-11
Cracker Lake Trail clear of snow as of 8-15-11
Ptarmigan Tunnel TRAIL POSTED: for bear frequenting 8/17/2011
TRAIL has been REOPENED: 8/16/2011 TRAIL CLOSED: for bear frequenting 8/10/11
opened July 29, 2011
Iceberg Lake Trail TRAIL POSTED: for bear frequenting 8/17/2011
TRAIL has been REOPENED: 8/16/2011 TRAIL CLOSED: for bear frequenting 8/10/11
Upper Two Medicine Trail  8/6/11: Trail clear.
Running Eagle Falls Bridge installed 8-8-11.
Loop Trail to Granite Park Chalet clear of snow as of 8-8-11
Highline Trail opened July 29, 2011. Highline Trail 95% clear of snow as of 8-8-11.

NO drinking water at Logan Pass, on 8-18-11 Glacier Park announced that there won't be any drinking water at Logan Pass this year. The flush toilets will open on Monday, August 22 , 2011.

It's mid August in Northwest Montana and I'm posting trail reports that normally would be posted in late June or early July. A few of the higher elevation trails still have snow but most, not all, are clear of snow at this point. High water creek crossings remain a risk on some trails. Bear closures are occurring around the park so what trails are open change daily!

Check with the three visitor centers for the latest trail status reports. The Logan Pass Visitor Center does have some limited trail information. The reality is if you want information regarding east side trails go to the St Mary Visitor Center, the same goes for west side trails go to the Apgar Visitor Center for North Fork Trails go to the Ranger Station at the Polebridge Entrance for Two Medicine go to the Ranger Station at Two Medicine Lake for Many Glacier go to the Ranger Station near the Many Glacier Campground. Remember even though a trail is not closed due to bears this does NOT mean that you will not run into a bear.

At Logan Pass the snow is gone until you go up a hundred feet in altitude on the Hidden Lake Trail. Then the eastern facing slopes are still partially snow covered while the western facing slopes are mainly snow free.

A lone hiker was mauled by a grizzly bear on Friday, August 5, 2011, while hiking from Many Glacier to Piegan Pass on the Piegan Pass Trail. According to press reports the hiker was able to hike back to Many Glacier after notifying a park naturalist about the grizzly bear attack.
Hiker was treated and released the same day and resumed his vacation.
Inner North Fork Road might open by end of August 2011

8-14-11 still no word on Grinnell Glacier Trail opening date.
TRAIL CLOSED: 8/2/11 due to bear frequenting. Update: Grinnell Glacier Trail opened 8-22-11
One snow field remains the last 1/4 mile from the picnic area to the glacier overlook. 8-26-11
Trail below that is cleared and the 5 snowfields remaining are dug out. 8/12/11

Access to Logan Pass will remain open until September 18, 2011.

If you want to stop at Logan Pass take the shuttle, Logan Pass parking lot gridlock has once again returned with a vengeance this year! As a result of were traffic delays are occurring due to road construction these parking lot delays are also resulting in Going To The Sun Road gridlock.

It's a hot August in northwest Montana and the snow is melting fast. If you want to see Glacier Lilies at Logan Pass the get up there soon. Granted the snow melt is creeping it's way up the meadow and there will be areas with glacier lilies for a long time but not the dramatic impact of glacier lilies to the horizon. Just before sundown on 8-6-11 at Logan Pass I did see the usual assortment of Big Horn Rams and Mountain Goats licking up anti-freeze from the parking lot. This was the first time this season that I had seen Big Horn Sheep at Logan Pass.

Glacier Lilies are blooming at Logan Pass as of 7-28-11.Wildflowers are blooming along the Highline Trail up to Haystack when the trail becomes snow covered. Wildflowers are blooming along the trails in the Many Glacier area! Wildflowers are blooming along the Okotomi Lake Trail. This is a great year for wildflowers. Large patches of the meadow behind the visitor center are now free of snow. Glacier Lilies in bloom at Logan Pass behind the visitor center and at the start of the Highline Trail as of 8-3-11. Avalanche Trail is now mostly dry (if the temporary dam holds). Please keep in mind that it can be hot in the valley and winter at Logan Pass the same day.

Temperatures in the valleys have been in the 90's don't know what the temp is at Logan Pass but snow will be melting and settling rapidly at these temps. Weekend travel up to Logan Pass was pretty quick with minor delays due to one-way traffic. Monday - Thursday GTSR closes between Logan Pass and The Loop at 9 PM and re-opens at 7 am. In gov speak ~ Nighttime closures from 9PM Monday through 7AM Friday between the Loop and Logan Pass. ~ If your on the wrong side it's a LONG ride back to the west side of the park. There are NO SIGNS at Logan Pass about these closures!

After opening day on July 13, 2011 delays due to construction and traffic have dropped dramatically. July 14, 2011 late in the day I took a shuttle from Apgar to Logan Pass with only very brief construction delays. Confirmed that this had been the case the whole day. As expected it was winter at Logan Pass! The wind was blowing so hard that it was difficult to make headway on the Hidden Lake Trail. Since I had cut it too close to insure enough time to get to the Lookout I took photos of Logan Pass instead. As usual I did see a large number of visitors wearing flip flops slipping and sliding in the snow, many of them falling into meltwater as they lost what little footing they had to begin with.

Opening day resulted in long delays due to a combination of traffic and construction, getting to Logan Pass! 7-13-11

Latest opening and longest time to the Pass all in the same year. Remember it's still winter at Logan Pass. Unless your taking the shuttle to the Logan Pass, or getting an early start don't expect to find a parking space. Either go early or late but remember that the Alpine Section of the road closes at 9 pm Monday through Thursday nights.
Logan Pass on July 13, 2011 at the visitor center looked pretty similar to last year opening day of June 4, 2010. Rimrock area just below the pass has much deeper snow this year then it did last year on opening day.
This year the mountain goats are out no sign of big horn sheep.
The Big Horn Ram photo below was taken in the "rim rock" area on opening day last year on June 24, 2010. Anyway I went back to the NPS photos for 2010 and the plows were in the "rim rock" area on June 4, 2010.

So my prediction for opening date this year on The Going To The Sun Road to Logan Pass is July 13, 2011 by the Flickr® tea leaf reading method. (plus or minus 3 days) The summer of 2011 set a Glacier National Park record for latest opening. 2008 set a record when it opened on July 2, 2008 for the latest opening when the park was making a serious effort to open The Going To The Sun Road. Logan Pass opened sometime Wednesday morning July 13, 2011. Will post photos late tonight! Although plows reached Logan Pass as of 6-28-11 (actually bulldozers), The Going To The Sun Road was NOT clear of snow to Logan Pass on the west side. The bulldozers roughed out a snow covered route to Logan Pass parking lot as of 6-28-11.

Granite Park Chalet opened July 2, 2011.
Visitors to Granite Park Chalet get there by way of The Loop Trail. Snow line is currently at 6,200 feet. It's a great hike up to the snow line, after that you need winter hiking skills. Hiking across steep snow fields can be quickly fatal.

Except for the Inner North Fork Road as of July 13, 2011 ALL Glacier Park Roads are open. (some restrictions apply to Logan Pass) The Going To the Sun Road is shedding it's snow cover, with the help of massive snow plows, the difference this year is the snow cover is deeper and was continuing to accumulate until a few weeks ago. June 11, 2011 was the last multi feet snow fall this year. The Going To The Sun Road is currently open on the west side of Glacier National Park to Avalanche. One the east side of Glacier National Park the road is open much further to Jackson Glacier Overlook. From a hiking perspective both sides of Glacier National Park road closure blocks vehicle access to one mid point hiking hub and for both the the final hiking hub of Logan Pass. Beside the West Glacier Entrance you can enter Glacier National Park at the intersection of the North Fork Road and Camus Road. Further north on the North Fork Road you will arrive at the small town of Polebridge. Cross the North Fork River across what used to be called Polebridge (now concrete) at the North Fork Entrance to Glacier Park. Bowman Lake and Kintla Lake both have campgrounds and striking views of Alpine Lakes and towering mountains. On the east side you have three entrances into Glacier National Park. From west to east they are Two Medicine, Saint Mary and Many Glacier. All have large lakes surrounded by even larger mountains. Wildflower season is just getting it's start, along with the wildlife coming down to browse the newly green meadows . The views of the lakes and mountains are breathtaking.

Summer is here with sunny skies! Bear Grass blooming alongside the entrance road to Fish Creek Campground and along the Rocky Point Trail. (6-21-1)

Sunny warm weather greeted a long starved Northwest Montana on June 22, 2011. Mount Henry Trail to Scenic Point in the Two Medicine Valley helped me to celebrate the start of summer for 2011, with bright blue skies and the first touch of truly warm weather this year.

Info above From USDOT web site. Were USDOT says June 17, 2011 substitute actual opening date of TGTSR which is currently UNKOWN. There is a Minus 50 percent chance that The Going To The Sun Road will open on June 17, 2011. After going back to the USDOT website and rereading the information it appears that Logan Pass will be open from the east side all summer.

As of June 5, 2011 the main entrances to Glacier Park are all open, you can drive to Many Glacier, and Two Medicine Lake. Many Glacier Campground to open June 17, 2011. Two Medicine Campground to open June 24, 2011. Most of the ground level snow is gone in Many Glacier while Two Medicine at Two Medicine Lake still has lots of snow as of June 15, 2011. Glacier Lilies are blooming along most of the park roads on the east side as of June 15, 2011. It's wet and muddy most everywhere in Northwest Montana with three days to go until the official start of summer.

As of June 10, 2011 late spring weather has been very wet in some of the valleys in the form of rain and in others as heavy wet snow. In the mountains snow continues to accumulate. On the west side of the park GTSR is open to Avalanche assuming the road doesn't wash out from spring flooding. Camus Road is open from Apgar to the park boundary. On the east side of the Park GTSR is open to Jackson Glacier Overlook. All other roads except for GTSR and the Inner North Fork Road are open as of June 10, 2011. Well that lasted about a day as the Cutbank Campground Road is closed due to mud as of June 13, 2011. As of June 10, 2011 biking is open in Glacier Park on the west side of Going To The Sun Road to Logan Creek, but is 'discouraged' by the NPS due to avalanche dangers. Snowfall reports from January 1, 2011 mountain snowfall was reported to be 64% greater then then same date last year. . . Snowfall did not let up during January of 2011, snowfall picked up again in April of this year.

Spring biking season on Going To The Sun Road at this time is weather dependant. The western part of Going To The Sun Road, as of April 12, 2011, is clear of snow and ice to Lake McDonald Lodge. GTSR is now gated to vehicle traffic at Avalanche on the west side and Rising Sun on the East Side. In the Two Medicine Valley the road is open to Running Eagle Falls for cars and hiking/biking the road is plowed to the foot of Two Medicine Lake. As of 5-22-11 Two Medicine Lake is still frozen. Many Glacier Valley road opened for vehicle traffic on 5-16-11. (Looking Glass Road open as of 6-15-11) Looking Glass Road is still closed at the turn off for Two Medicine Lake as of 5-22-11. Glacier Lilies are starting to bloom along the roadside in the Two Medicine Valley as of 5-22-11. Rt 2 from Marias Pass to Bear Creak is being resurfaced as of June 15, 2011. Potholes between the park boundary on rt 2 east of the Goat Lick and Marias Pass are treacherous.

Photo above of one of the model T's participating in the "Montana Majestic Mountain T Tour".

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 was a cloudy, misty day, Logan Pass was in the clouds, the drivers and passengers in their model 'T' were not phased by the inclement weather. I will be adding more photo's of Model 'T' in Glacier Park later this week. Including a nicely restored Depot Hack which was not part of the tour. The model 'T' shown above is a fairly recent purchase for it's current owner. Will also be adding pics of this model 'T' coils, and engine. One of the obvious things watching these old cars climb up towards Logan Pass is that the Going To The Sun Road was designed with these cars climbing ability and width.

The Going To The Sun Road has new night time travel restrictions. Monday night through Thursday, on the west side of Logan Pass, motor vehicle travel will be restricted between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. between Big Bend and Logan Pass. The same restrictions will apply on the east side except for a 15 minute 'window' at 2 AM. The 'window only allows travel between Logan Pass and the east side. There will be NO CROSS traffic between the east side and the west side after 9 PM Monday through Thursday. If your planning on hiking across the divide MAKE contingency plans.


Glacier Park has clarified the closing times in the latest news release, the current rules will make hiking across the divide easier as there is now a Three Night window to cross over Logan Pass. Under the currently posted restrictions the Going To The Sun Road will be open at night on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from West Glacier to St. Mary. There will still be delays as the road is one lane in two places between Big Bend and Logan Pass, but these delays are usually minor. Update 6-26-10 traffic delays on weekends in the park are minimal. East side is two way from Logan Pass. West side has two short one lane sections.

If your going to spend an hour and a half to get from Big Bend to Logan Pass then at least be lucky enough to be stuck behind a 1927 Chevy. I've seen many a new car that had problems getting up this road, this '27 Chevy took the road without any trouble.

The 1928 Chevrolet Convertible Sport Cabriolet is painted the same red as the Jammers and was a few cars behind me on opening day 2010 for The Going To The Sun Road on Glacier National Park's 100th Anniversary.

     Bighorn Ram © Shawn Coggins

Day Hikes

This guide is limited to day hikes that are a total of fifteen miles or less.

The Highline Trail and the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail start at 6,600 feet. Many of these day hikes traverse mountains essentially untouched by man, bring the proper rain gear. Plan your Glacier National Park lodging well in advance. on some of the trails in Glacier Park the trail itself is the only sign of civilization, other more popular trails are often crowded with a wide variety of 'hikers'.

Day Hikes in Glacier, available at the entrance stations to Glacier National Park, and the Visitor Centers in West Glacier and Saint Mary, lists sixty-one hikes that you can take without a passport. The 2011 version includes information on the free Glacier Park Shuttle, get a copy of the latest Glacier Shuttle Guide as the Glacier Shuttle has changed routes and hours of operation since it's opening. As long as the hike starts on the Going to the Sun Road and ends somewhere else on the Going to the Sun Road the Park Shuttle works great. It is truly a pleasure to use, but if your hike starts on the Going to the Sun Road and then ends in Many Glacier your options are much more limited.

Glacier Park is a great place to learn how to use a compass, the trails are generally well marked, topo maps are readily available. The book Wilderness Navigation covers the things you need to know to find your way around using a compass.

Unique view of the Going To The Sun Road from the top of Mount Oberlin USGS 1953

Located in Northwest Montana, Glacier National Park is truly a magical and breathtaking jewel. Glacier National Park is a hikers park, a wildflower park. 2009 was a great wildflower year, bear grass experienced one of its major bloom cycles. On July 17, 2009 the glacier lilies were once again blanketing the alpine meadows at Logan Pass. If you want to see wildlife in Glacier National Park follow the glacier lilies. Glacier lilies are a major food source for grizzly bears, big horn sheep, squirrels and other assorted wildlife. Glacier National Park extensive hiking trails provide easy access to wilderness areas. After only a few minutes on the Loop Trail to Granite Park Chalet civilization is out of sight and out of hearing, since the Trapper Peak Fire of 2003 it provides an up close view of the effects of forest fires.

Snowfall during the winter of 2009/2010 was below average, particularly in the lower elevations. Snowfall during the spring of 2010 was well above average. Except for the Hidden Lake Trail most high altitude trails will be closed most likely till the second week in July. 2010 hiking season is off to a good start between frequent snow and rainfall during June of this year. Snowshoed into Hidden Lake Overlook on opening day of Logan Pass this year. My hiking season during 2009 was very limited. The most memorable thing about hiking during the very short season due to heavy snowfall of 2008, was the abundance of bighorn sheep. During 2008 bighorn sheep were plentiful in Many Glacier and along the Going to the Sun Road. During the 2007 hiking season I saw more than a hundred bighorn sheep in multiple locations throughout Glacier National Park. This bighorn ram posed for me at the parking area for Hay Stack Peak on the west side of Going to the Sun Road in 2005. Even though the bighorn ram was nearly surrounded by people and I was on the other side of Going to the Sun Road, he kept his eye on my telephoto lens. On a trip to Many Glacier in mid June of 2008 there were numerous big horn sheep near the Many Glacier Hotel enjoying the green grass around the hotel.

Bighorn Ram

The thing I find most striking about the big horn sheep, aside from the horns on the rams
is their eyes. According to the Montana Field Guide ~ Big Horn Sheep are the 'Most sociable of Montana's big game species; herds segregate according to age and sex; ewes, lambs and yearling males band together; adult males band in herds spanning 2 or 3 year classes. . .' Note 01

USGS Photo 1911 Glacier National Park, Montana. U.S. Geological Survey party in camp at Jefferson ranch, probably Sullivan Meadow. Left to right: J.Elmer Thomas, J.R. Hoats, dog "Bumsky", Charlie McCarthy, W.C. Alden, Thomas Jefferson (the prospector), his dog, and Archie Hurtebese. 1911

When I first started hiking in Glacier National Park in 1990 I huffed and puffed my way up the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail. Twenty years later the altitude still gets to me but it usually only takes the first hike of the season from Logan Pass to Hidden Lake Overlook to get readjusted to the altitude. I was able to hike over one hundred fifty miles in 2007 in Glacier National Park. That includes the Loop - Swiftcurrent Pass Trail that I told my youngest daughter 10 years ago that I would never be able to hike. In 2008 I hiked Cracker Lake Trail, and the Mount Brown Lookout Trail among others not quite so daunting.

Bears both black and grizzly are a fact of life in Northwest Montana. I've encountered black bears on my front porch. I've even had Fish and Wildlife bang on my front door to tell me there was a grizzly bear in my yard. Until I started hiking in the Two Medicine and Many Glacier areas of Glacier National Park I had more bear encounters while hiking the Danny On Trail on Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana. Always hike with bear spray! I always hike with bear spray in my hand it doesn't do you any good in your backpack. A few years ago a study by Katherine Kendall of the Northern Divide Grizzly Bear Project was done in Northwest Montana and included Glacier National Park, this DNA study of grizzly bears counted some 563 unique grizzlies.

A hiking vacation in Glacier National Park is something you should prepare for, as the lowest starting point for any hike is 3,000 feet. Extra care should be taken when hiking on snow covered trails. The winter of 2009/2010 was a low snow winter, the spring of 2010 is famous for heavy snow accumulation and lots of rain. The winter of 2008/2009 was a heavy snow year. According to Montana Fish and Wildlife the low level snow accumulation exceeds that of the heaviest snow year on record during the winter of 1996/1997.

Logan Pass opened in late May in 2005. Photo of the parks snowblower at Logan Pass was taken May 23, 2005. That year proved to be a very Big Horn Ram year for me. The glacier lilies were in full bloom on the Logan Pass meadows on May 30 of 2005.

A slow hikers guide™ Text & photos copyright 1990 - 2011 © Shawn Coggins You can copy the images on this site, BUT you CANNOT remove or obscure my copyright info. If you use any of these images on the web you MUST provide a link to www.glacierhikers.com

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