I don’t know where else to turn for this question, and there seems to be some Montana folks around, so maybe you can help me.
The family and I are taking a long vacation starting on Saturday. On Friday, June 1, we had hoped to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. On the park website they say that as of yesterday (5/22) they had plowed on one side to the East Tunnel and on the other to Rim Rock (neither of these landmarks is on the park map). The web site does not have any information on when the road will open.
However, given that information, is there a chance in Hell the road will be open by next Friday? If not, it’s not the end of the world–we’re excited about exploring other parts of Glacier, too. However, it would be too cool if we could drive the road in its entirety as well.
Palandine, whose Midwestern mind boggles at the idea of 50 feet of snow covering a road…
Former Montanan checking in. I live in Idaho now, but Glacier is only 150 miles away.
I don’t think there is a chance of your getting over Going to the Sun road this early. They just started plowing it a couple weeks ago.
Not to worry though… this is a great time to visit. While Going to the Sun is awesome there are many accessable places in the park and surrounding country.
Things to bring though: wildflower guide books, birding books, binoculars and lots and lots of film.
Speaking as a present Montanan, no, you most likely won’t get to go over the pass. For a couple of weeks after the road is fully open, it’s open for bicycles only. Some friends of mine do the Going-to-the-Sun Road on bikes every other year or so.
That said, I second bare in saying that it’s still a way cool place to go. We go up there as often as we can, and there all kinds of cool things to see and do all over the area, not just in the park itself. However, for full accessibility, July is probably the best month (before the serious RV traffic starts).