Glacier Park begins snow removal Monday

The annual snow removal effort on Going-to-the-Sun Road and other routes in Glacier National Park gets under way next week, park officials announced Wednesday.

The park's west-side road crew is scheduled to start plowing Monday near Lake McDonald Lodge, and a crew on the park's east side will go to work on the Chief Mountain Road. Plowing has started in the Many Glacier Valley.

Glacier Superintendent Michael Holm said the park will not announce a tentative plowing schedule for park roads, as it has in the past.

"This year, we want to alleviate the pressure created by a hypothetical timetable and instead focus on working as quickly and safely as conditions allow," he said. "Actual opening dates of all roads will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending upon snow and road conditions, safety and resource concerns."

Holm said the mountain snowpack is the heaviest since 2002.

"As we begin the massive undertaking of plowing park roads, it is important for the public to recognize that conditions we currently face are very different than those in recent years," he said. "However, snowpack alone isn't the only factor which will impact plowing progress. It is also impacted by the weather in April and May."

Plowing progress also is influenced heavily by avalanche potential.

"Avalanches also pose a potential hazard to visitors," Holm said. "The snowpack in avalanche start-zones must be allowed to slide down steep mountain slopes before the upper road can be opened for public use."

Steps have been taken in recent years to address safety concerns associated with plowing Sun Road. Experienced avalanche technicians provide daily snow analysis and avalanche hazard forecasts. Two remote weather stations, at Logan Pass and the Garden Wall, also have been added to provide weather data above 6,000 feet.

As conditions permit, Holm said, plow work will carry on seven days a week, making use of seasonal crews that begin work during the first week of May.

Pedestrian and bicycle use again will be allowed on park roads before the roads are opened to vehicles, except in places where crews are working or where hazards exist.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.