Logan Pass East Side Access from Going to the Sun Road Closes on September 23

This is directly from the National Park Service - Glacier National Park. 

Going-to-the-Sun Road Construction Notice – Beginning September 23, 7 a.m. the road will be closed to vehicular traffic between Logan Pass and the foot of St. Mary Lake (adjacent the St. Mary Campground entrance) for the remainder of the season to facilitate accelerated road rehabilitation. Logan Pass will only be accessible from the west side beginning September 23.

 

Fall hiker-biker access will be allowed between the vehicular closure at St. Mary and Rising Sun and between Logan Pass and Siyeh Bend. There is no pedestrian or biking beyond Siyeh Bend or Rising Sun. Restroom facilities are only available at Logan Pass and the Rising Sun Picnic Area. There are no facilities at Siyeh Bend.

 

Backcountry trail users should be aware that the east-side road work precludes roadway access and specific trail segments may be closed.

 

Please visit http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm or contact (406) 888 7800 for trail access information.

 

View the latest travel and construction information and mapping on the Western Federal Lands Highway website at http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/gtsr/

 

Rising Sun Camp Ground closed due to grizzly and black bear encounters

Just a "public" service announciment . . .   Reposting the Press Release from the NPS - Glacier National Park. . . 

Rising Sun Campground Closed Temporarily

Rangers to Conduct Aversive Bear Conditioning      

 

WEST GLACIER, MONT. –Recent bear incidents at the Rising Sun Campground, located on the east of the park, have prompted the temporary closure of the campground.  Early Monday morning the upper loop of the campground was closed, and the lower loop was only open to hard-sided camping.  As of Tuesday, August 6, the entire campground will be closed to all camping.  All campers are being provided an opportunity to relocate to another campground within the park. 

 

Early Sunday morning a bear, believed to be a small sub-adult black bear, approached and laid on a corner of a tent that was occupied by sleeping campers.  The campers awoke and started yelling, and observed a black bear running from the tent.  There have been two other incidents in the campground and surrounding area within the past month, all believed to be with the same bear.  One incident involved the bear snatching a pillow from a sleeping camper, and the other incident involved the bear going through some clothing that was located along the lakeshore.  The incidents included no injuries. 

 

It appears that the bear is not looking for a food reward, or that it has received one, but it is learning to approach and handle human materials.    Park rangers and wildlife managers will conduct aversive conditioning, or negative reinforcement, to attempt to modify the bear’s behavior.  This will include trapping the bear, tagging the bear, and conducting hazing techniques using bean bags, rubber bullets, and/or noise stimulus.  It is anticipated that these conditioning actions may take a few days. 

 

A grizzly bear has recently been sighted in the area as well.  Since a trap will be used, and it may trap the grizzly bear, the entire campground will be temporarily closed for visitor and bear safety. 

 

The nightly Rising Sun Campground Programs will be moved to the St. Mary Campground during this temporary closure.   Visitors for the program that are not camping at the St. Mary Campground are encouraged to park at the St. Mary Visitor Center and walk a short distance across the footbridge for the program. 

 

The Rising Sun Campground has 83 sites and is a first-come first-serve facility.  It is unknown the duration of the campground closure.  For updated information about access, please visit the park’s campground status page at http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/cgstatus/cgstatus.cfm or contact the park at 406-888-7800. 

Glacier National Park - New Wildlife Viewing Rules

They say the rules are the same as in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National park.  . .  I can't confirm that as I never checked. But, after reading Tony Bynum's article about the new Wildlife Viewing Regulations in Glacier National Park, I'm not sure it makes any difference.

If you plan to visit Glacier National Park you should read: Montana Photographer, Tony Bynum - Glacier Park New Wildlife Viewing Policy .

Tony lists the new policy and explains why in his view it's unrealistic and could even contribute to additional wildlife human issues . . .

Oil Train Explosion - Could it Happen in Glacier National Park?

The truth is we all use oil. It also is true that trains are more efficient and economical than trucks when it comes to long hauling goods across our continent.

Accidents happen, no doubt! In this post I wanted to let people know that the same trains and cars recently involved in the explosion in Quebec that killed 5 while 40 are still missing, also run between the oil rich Bakken, though Glacier National Park, in route to refineries in the Puget Sound (related story).

Could the type of explosion, that happened in our neighboring country to the north happen in Glacier Park, East Glacier, West Glacier, or Browning?  Seems plausible to me . . . What's in place to stop it from happening here? As a member of the East Glacier Volunteer Fire Department I can not recall anyone from Burlington Northern ever talking to us about oil trains and emergency response . . .

 Here's to making sure that kind of accident does not happen again - anyplace!

Long "oil-train" hauling crude toward Glacier National Park and across the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Northwest Montana. ©tonybynum.com

Sincerely,
Tony Bynum

Fireworks and Glacier National Park - Independence Day in East Glacier Park, Montana

©TonyBynum.com - Fireworks over East Glacier Park Village, Glacier National Park, Montana. July 4, 2013. 

Great summer on hand in Glacier National Park. The fireworks were as good as ever over East Glacier Park, Montana.