Glacier Park Officials Brace For Hard Winter After Early Storm Closes Roads
The rumor swirling around Glacier National park, is that Montana will have a hard winter this year. Glacier National Park Public Information Officer Tim Rains says a winter storm blew through on Sunday and may be a sign of what is to come.
"This recent winter storm went through the area and closed [a portion] of the Going-to-the-Sun-Road," Rains said. "We were looking at snow and ice up there almost an inch thick a mile down from each side, from that storm that came in pretty quickly on Sunday and Monday and we are still working to get the Sun Road open. That ice is still lingering in the shadows and I think it's just a portent of what we can expect this winter.
Rains says that many park residents are eager to see snow, or as the ranger’s call it, “termination dust.”
"I don't know if its just locals, or rumor mill, or everyone wants a good winter, what I'm hearing is that we're going to have a hard winter ahead of us, lots of snow and cold temperatures," Tim Rains. "What will that mean for those of us at park? We'll just have to wait and see. We typically see what we call 'termination dust' this time of the year, around labor day, but this was a little more, maybe it was just a quick reminder of the name of the park."
Ice isn’t the only thing closing off portions of the park, the grizzly bears are entering a state of aggressive eating, called hyperphagia before they bed down for the winter. Many areas and trails are posted or closed due to grizzly activity.