Sun Road plowing on schedule :^)

[Chewy]

Yippee, the GTTSR plowing will not be delayed by sequestration!


From the Missoulian-

WEST GLACIER — Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road will be plowed on schedule because of funding from the Glacier National Park Conservancy.

Park officials had planned to delay the opening of the road, which bisects the park, due to automatic federal budget cuts.

But park officials said in statement Tuesday the money from the conservancy and salary savings from unexpected staff departures will allow it to avoid the delay.

The cuts reduced the park's base budget of $13.5 million by $682,000.

That means visitor centers and campgrounds will close earlier this season. Park officials also will delay hiring some permanent positions and eliminate or reduce the length of employment for some seasonal positions.

Park officials also have reduced travel, training, overtime, vehicle leases and supply and equipment purchases.

[Jen]

Three Cheers for Glacier Conservancy!!!!!

[toddnick]

Good news!!!



On the downside, I hope that MG Campground doesn't "go primitive" earlier....

I wonder when new "revised" campground schedules will be released...

[pitamakan]

Definitely good news for early-season visitors ... but at the same time I kind of hate to see the Conservancy spend its hard-raised money on something with such a short-term benefit.

Anyhow, here's an abbreviated version of the specific changes the park announced, along with a revised campground schedule.

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Apgar Visitor Center: Seven-day operations delayed by two weeks in spring and transition to weekend only operations five weeks earlier in the fall and reduced daily hours of operation.

Logan Pass Visitor Center: Close two weeks earlier in the fall. No water available when visitor center closes, vault toilets available.

St. Mary Visitor Center: Close approximately one month earlier in the fall and reduced hours of operation in the evening.

Bowman Lake Campground: Services reduced one week earlier in the fall and primitive camping may be limited.

Cut Bank Campground: Close one week earlier in the fall.

Kintla Campground: Open three weeks later and reduced services one week earlier and primitive camping may be limited.

Many Glacier Campground: Open one week later in the fall and primitive camping will be limited in the fall.

Rising Sun Campground: Close one week earlier in the fall.

Sprague Campground: Delay 10 days in spring opening and close one week earlier in fall.

St. Mary Campground: Services reduced one week in spring and one week in fall.

Two Medicine Campground: Close one week earlier and no primitive camping in the fall. Picnic and day-use areas available through end of September.

Goat Lick: Close three weeks earlier in the fall.

----------

Glacier National Park

Campgrounds and Visitor Centers -- 2013 Opening and Closing Dates

Apgar: May 3 – October 13. Primitive camping in picnic area October 14-31, and April 1-May 2. November 1-March 31: Free with valid entrance pass.

Avalanche: June 21 –September 2

Bowman Lake: May 24 – September 2. Primitive camping September 3- October 31 (weather dependent) $10 per night, November 1 through closure: Free with valid entrance pass.

Cut Bank: June 7 – September 8.

Fish Creek: June 1 – September 1. National Recreation Reservation System Campground.

Kintla Lake: June 14 - September 2. Primitive camping September 3- October 31:(weather dependent), November 1 through closure: Free with valid entrance pass.

Logging Creek: July 1 – September 22.

Many Glacier:May 24 – September 22. Primitive camping September 23 – 29 (weather dependent ), Close Noon September 30.

Quartz Creek: July 1 – October 30. Operated in primitive status all season, closes Noon October 31.

Rising Sun: May 24 – September 2.

Sprague Creek: May 20 – September 2.

St. Mary: May 24 – September 8. Primitive camping April 1-May 23 and Sept 9-October 31. November 1-March 31: Free with valid entrance pass.

Two Medicine:May 24 – September 8.


Apgar Visitor Center: Open weekends September 15 -May 17. Open daily May 18-September 15. September 16 – Mid May, weekends only.

Logan Pass Visitor Center: Opens When Going-to-the-Sun Road Access is Available- September 15. When visitor center closes vault toilets available, but no water available.

St. Mary Visitor Center:May 25 - September 15.

Goat Lick: May 1- September 9.

[Ear Mountain]

Three Cheers for Glacier Conservancy!!!!!

It sounds nice but the Glacier Conservancy will undoubtedly not fund other projects in order to help pay for road plowing. IMO the snow would melt anyway and I would rather see the Glcier Conservancy's fund go to what I feel are more important projects lke trail maintenance, campsite rehab, and the many other projects they are engaged in.

[toddnick]

Well, for me the only change that the altered schedule brings is staying at Bowman Lake Campground while it is in primitive mode...which up in the North Fork is hardly different from regular operation; just need to bring water...

[Chewy]

A more informative article came out this morning.

http://www.missoulian.com/news/state-an ... 963f4.html


I'm curious if local businesses have helped the conservancy pay for this. After all, they benefit the most from a timely opening. I know business and communities near Yellowstone have donated money to open at least two entrances on schedule.

The park campgrounds don't matter much to me personally (I camp on friends property outside of the park), but this is a bummer for those who do use them. Considering the cost of camping in the park, I always assumed the campgrounds were a money earner in the park. Guess I was wrong about that.
The article also states that entrance station hours will be cut back. This one confuses me. It would seem that reducing hours would reduce revenue.

The more I learn about this, the more confused I get.

Anyway, the on schedule opening benefits me personally and our local business community. I'm happy about that. Of course mother nature has the final say in all this. More snow increases clearing cost, less snow lowers the cost.

[daveparker]

Chewy,

I don't believe the campgrounds do much more than break even in any given year, they are actually pretty high maintenance features of the park.

With the reduction in entrance hours, I believe you might see more spot checks in the park by rangers to ensure that people have paid to get in, over the years at the various parks I have visited, I have been asked for my pass many times, in fact I got asked three different times by three different rangers at Logan pass one year, all in the same day!

[pitamakan]

Though I'm not certain, I believe I remember reading that the park is only allowed to retain a portion of the entrance fee money it collects ... so while the entrance gates may be lucrative overall, they may be of less direct benefit to the park than we think.

It looks like many of the cuts are designed to take place in the fall ... maybe the park is hoping that the sequester will be repealed by then.

And the more I think about it, the more I really hope the Conservancy isn't pulling money from its other projects to fund the plowing. Opening the road a few days earlier really seems so much less important than the other projects they support.

[flatlander]

Makes sense to me that local businesses dependent upon the GTTS opening may be providing funding through the Glacier Conservancy -- to get a charitable deduction for their efforts. At least I hope that is what is happening, so that 'normal' Conservancy funds aren't diverted to clearing snow.

[Snogger]

Three Cheers for Glacier Conservancy!!!!!

We are going to be there from June 22nd through the 27th..

I know we are pushing it for the Road to be open, but it is nice to know that if it isn't open it's Mother Natures fault, not the bleeps in Washington DC.

[daveparker]

If I remember correctly, the road was not schedule to open until mid June, which with the year we have been having, I would suspect it would be pretty much melted out by then.

[Selkie]

If I get to the Yaak for a scheduled Montana Hikes hike on June 23 (lot of "ifs" in there), it would be neat to drop by Glacier and see the beautiful park in early season.
Plus, I am now officially old and in the way, and so have in my possession a Pass the Turnstyle for Free card.

(I'll expect snow and ice, bears too!)