Date: May 30, 2008
Contact: Melissa Wilson, 406-888-7895
WEST GLACIER, MONT. – A week after a storm made for a soggy Memorial Day weekend at Glacier National Park, officials are pleased to report that park operations quickly returned to normal, and that additional roads/road segments and campgrounds are now available to visitors, providing increased access to recreational opportunities.
On the Going-to-the-Sun Road, vehicles may travel east approximately 16 miles from West Glacier to Avalanche and 13 miles west from St. Mary to Jackson Glacier Overlook. In addition, the Camas Road, the Chief Mountain Road, the Many Glacier Road, the Two Medicine Road, and the Inside North Fork from the Polebridge Ranger station south to Logging Creek and north to Kintla Lake are also open to vehicle traffic. (Note- the Akokala Creek Bridge en route to Big Prairie and Kintla Lake has a total vehicle weight limit of ten tons.) The Bowman Lake Road is also open. The Cut Bank Road from the park boundary, the Quarter Circle Bridge Road, and the Inside North Fork Road from Fish Creek to Logging Creek remain closed.
The Apgar Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The St. Mary Visitor Center is being renovated and is expected to reopen on June 13. In the interim, there is a temporary visitor information station at the St. Mary Fire Cache; signs will direct visitors to its location. The station, open 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., provides general information, park brochures, and backcountry permits. The orientation film can also be viewed in the station.
Full-service camping is available at Apgar, Many Glacier, Rising Sun, and Sprague Creek campgrounds for $20/night and at Bowman Lake Campground for $15/night. Full service camping is also offered at the St. Mary Campground for $20/night through May 31; beginning June 1, the cost is $23/night. Kintla Lake Campground remains in primitive status (no water provided, $10/night) due to a waterline problem; it is being repaired and will open as a full-service campground for $15/night as soon as possible. Cut Bank and Two Medicine campgrounds are currently closed. It is expected that Two Medicine will open next week.
Beginning June 1 and continuing through September 1, Fish Creek and St. Mary are open and operate as full-service reservation campgrounds for $23/night. Campground sites at these two locations may be reserved through the National Recreation Reservation Service website at www.recreation.gov, or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Campers without prior reservations are also welcome, if space is available, for $23/night.
Visitors can verify the status of Glacier National Park’s campgrounds online at: https://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/cgstatus/cgstatus.cfm.
Glacier National Park entrance rates are $25/single vehicle and $12/per person (hiker/biker/motorcyclist). An annual pass, good for unlimited entry to Glacier National Park for one year from the date of purchase, is $35. Even when the entrance stations are not staffed, entrance fees are still required. Follow the posted instructions to pay the entrance fee at the self-pay stations at each entrance.
Park visitors are reminded that all park animals are wild, unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Feeding of any park wildlife is against the law and is subject to fines. Visitors are urged to keep a safe distance from all wildlife and to report any bear and/or mountain lion sightings to a park ranger as soon as possible.
Visitors should also watch for avalanche slides, falling rocks, and debris. Visitors are also reminded to use extreme caution near water.
Current road conditions are available on the park’s Web site at https://www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm. Road conditions are also available by calling 511, the Montana Department of Transportation Traveler Information System. If your phone does not support 511, call 1-800-226-7623. Both numbers are toll-free. Select “Glacier Park Tourist information” from the main menu to hear Glacier’s road report. Glacier’s automated telephone system, 406-888-7800, also provides road status information- select extension 2.
Additional park information can be found on Glacier National Park’s Web site (www.nps.gov/glac) or visitors can call 406-888-7800.
- NPS -
