Glacier National Park Braces for 2 Feet of Snow, Potential Road Closure

Photo: NPS

Just days after its celebrated summer opening, Glacier National Park's iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road might be forced to close again—not from rockfall, but from a full-on winter storm. On the first official weekend of summer, Mother Nature is throwing a serious curveball at Montana, with a potent storm system threatening to dump up to two feet of heavy, wet snow on the park's highest terrain.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the region, effective from Saturday morning through Sunday at noon for elevations above 5,000 feet. The forecast is calling for "extreme impacts," with a high probability of 5 to 12 inches of snow above 6,000 feet and a 30 percent chance of isolated totals hitting a staggering two feet in the highest elevations around Logan Pass.

Park officials are preparing to temporarily close the stunning alpine stretch of the road between Avalanche and Rising Sun if conditions get as bad as predicted. The storm is also expected to bring 2 to 4 inches of rain to lower elevations, increasing the risk of rock and debris slides on the road's famously steep sections.

For anyone in the area, the NWS warning is blunt:

Temperatures are expected to plummet into the low 30s at elevation, creating legitimately hazardous conditions. Park officials are urging any visitors planning a trip this weekend to consider delaying backcountry travel or come prepared for rapidly changing, severe weather.

This is a potent reminder that in the high Rockies, winter is never truly over.

Photo: NPS

To get real-time road status updates from the park, you can text GNPROADS to 333111.