It's my fourth trip to Glacier and I absolutely must do the Siyeh Pass "loop" this time. With the extra snow this year, I'm worried about whether it will be passable by the end of July. Anyone been up there in the last few days? If not, any informed opinions? Voices of experience? We have microspikes and hiking poles, but not crampons and ice axes.
I am sure that Pete and others on the Chat who have done Siyeh more than I have can give you a better and more current idea but my general impression is that Siyeh pass is usually quite accessible by late July. My son and I did an out and back from Siyeh Bend to the Pass the latter part of July in 2005 (can't recall if that was a heavy snow year or not) and there was no snow on the trail at all on that side. I doubt that there was any snow, or any dangerous snow, on the remainder of the trail down to the gorge.
The only other time I did Siyeh Pass (the complete loop) was in August years ago and there was no snow on the trail then.
It is certainly a great hike and I hope you get to do it this year. And I hope my family and I are able to do it on our next visit to Glacier. In 2005 my wife was nursing an injury from a fall on some sharp rocks on the Grinnell Glacier trail a few days earlier so she and my daughter decided to spend the day at the beach at Apgar while my son and I went to Siyeh.
Thanks, Lyman.
They just posted a trail status update that sounds very promising compared to the July 3 report. There's still snow, but it's passable with caution and hiking poles.
Typical of me to worry needlessly.
It's hard to imagine there being a problem hiking that in the end of July. People were making it through Swiftcurrent Pass in the end of June. I think the deep snow is more in the Two Medicine area. They still had snow in the picnic area July 1st.
The NSA...the only people in the government who listen.
Did this hike today with no problems. Took a hiking pole and never used it to cross the few remaining snow areas. It was a beautiful day and really great hike.
shadowdan wrote:Did this hike today with no problems. Took a hiking pole and never used it to cross the few remaining snow areas. It was a beautiful day and really great hike.
Thank you so much for that kind update!
Now I can concentrate my worry on the Ahem Drift.