Parking area for Siyeh Bend is closed
due to construction again this year!
NPS Trail Crew report as of 8-17-11
Sun road at Siyeh Bend to Preston Park/ 2.7 mi.
Trail has been REOPENED: 8/10/11
Featherplume plank bridge not in, knee deep crossing required.
A few snow fields remain, cautious footing required.
One ford of Cataract Creek required, knee deep. 8/10/11
Trail CLOSURE: 500yds from Piegan Pass due to bears 8/5/2011
Initial clearing scheduled for: 7/15/11
From Siyeh Bend/Jackson spur Jct. to Preston Park trail is 100% snow covered.
Route finding may be difficult. 7/10/11
Preston Park Jct. to Piegan Pass ~ 1.8 mi.
Initial clearing scheduled for: 7/30/11
Trail is 10% snow covered.7-29-30
Two steep, high angle snow drifts.
Ability to self arrest recommended.
7/28/11
Trail is 80% snow covered. 7-1-11
Steep high angle slope with long runout.
Ability to self arrest recommended. 7/1/11
schedule for Preston Park 2011
Sun Road at Siyeh Bend to Preston Park/ 2.7 mi.
Initial clearing scheduled for: 7/15/11
Featherplume Falls Jct. to Piegan Pass/ 4.2 mi.
Initial clearing scheduled for: 8/11/11
Morning Eagle Falls and Feather Plume Planks: Install scheduled for 7/15/11
Feather Plume Suspension Bridge: Install scheduled for 7/15/11
Trail 100% snow covered, 6/1/11
The above Trail CLOSURE was due to a bear attack on the Piegan Pass Trail on 8-5-11.
Glacier Park has a new Press Agent who seems to forget to post press releases to the parks web site.
Don't expect the Piegan Pass Trail to be open before mid August of 2011. Preston Park will be accessible by late July 2011 but there will be snow on the trail. Potential for Lots of wildflowers in August. Mountain wildflowers start to bloom within a few days after the snow melts.
For the 2011 hiking season, logistically it will be easier to approach this trail by car from the East Entrance of Glacier Park. Park at Jackson Glacier Overlook and then catch the shuttle to Siyeh Bend. From the West Side there will be two long construction delays one before you get to Logan Pass and the other just after Logan Pass. 2011 Shuttle schedule is 7 am to 7 PM seven days a week. Logan Pass is open from 7 am to 9 PM Monday through Thursday. On Friday Saturday and Sunday nights Logan Pass is open 24 hours.
When I first stood in the parking lot at Siyeh Bend and looked up to Piegan Pass Trail traversing Cataract Mountain, I didn't have a warm & fuzzy feeling. Piegan Pass Trail is one of those trails that looks tougher then it is, of course it didn't help that the day I first hiked it the view was obscured by heavy smoke. From the pass to Feather Plume Falls, the Piegan Pass Trail is the only trace of civilization. Logistically it's easier to hike to Piegan Pass and then return to Siyeh Bend.
Preston Park were the trail junction for the Piegan Pass Trail and Siyeh Pass Trail intersect is famous for wildflowers. Snow was melting from that area rapidly as in early July last year so push those dates back a month for this year.
This is an excellent trail to get a sense of wilderness. Most hikers seem to stop at the Siyeh Trail intersection, the hike beyond that point to Piegan Pass is very gradual and fairly easy when the trail is free of snow. High wind can make this trail dangerous, so common sense and paying attention to the weather is important to safely get to Piegan Pass. Even if your not going to make the logistically challenging hike to Many Glacier Hotel, it is worth the effort to go a short way beyond the pass as the views and the terrain change rapidly. Make sure you bring a windbreaker with you on this trail. There is NO parking at Siyeh Bend this year 2011, the shuttle stop is still operating. Note this is the east side NPS shuttle and the time between shuttles is much longer then the west side shuttle, officially being one half hour between shuttles.
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The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance," 1841
