West Side Sun Road Construction Area

[Pocketlint]

Here's a couple videos from June 21st when I drove up to Logan pass to hike.
The first is begins at the construction area on the upper part of the road and ends at Logan Pass
The second is driving down the road from Logan Pass and ends at the Weeping Wall.

The videos will be utterly boring for 99 44/100% past visitors to the park...but might be interesting to those who haven't yet visited Glacier National Park.
Driving the West side of the GTTS road is a much different driving experience, especially from the Loop to Logan Pass...than driving on the East side of Logan Pass. The road is much narrower and the construction areas require extra caution. Lots of stuff going on, machinery and people moving around, which can be distracting. You need to keep a sharp lookout. Please be careful in these construction areas.

I mentioned "high profile" vehicles at one point. An example would be those big pickup trucks with the large slide in camper shells. If driving a vehicle like that be very careful, especially when coming down the West side when you will be against the wall. Last year I saw a guy get too close and he clipped the rock with the top of his camper shell. As you'll see in the videos, it'll be a very tight fit in some spots where there's only one lane due to the construction. Be very careful in those larger rigs.

This is going up to Logan and runs about 12 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdVJvPDw_sY
This one is a little bit coming down from Logan. It gives a little different perspective. Runs about 4 minutes
The Weeping Wall often nearly dry in August but it's really "weeping" at this time of year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9HSu_nHhP4

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[flatlander]

Pete, thanks for taking us along for the ride; I always enjoy my first trip up the GTTS! But one question: who is watching the road while you are aiming your video camera out the side window-?

[Pocketlint]

Pete, thanks for taking us along for the ride; I always enjoy my first trip up the GTTS! But one question: who is watching the road while you are aiming your video camera out the side window-?

Hehehe
I learned that technique in 1997 with my good old Sony Handycam while videoing and driving on the one lane mountain roads of Northwest coastal Scotland....in a right hand drive car with a stick shift

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[pitamakan]

Those Google Street View guys got nuthin' on you, Pete!

[llholmes1948]

Link to an article in the Inter Lake about the road work:

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/loca ... 963f4.html

[Pocketlint]

From the newspaper article:

Visitors can expect up to 30-minute traffic delays due to road rehabilitation from Avalanche Creek to Logan Creek (3.5 miles) and from Haystack Creek to Big Bend (2 miles). There are no traffic delays on the east side.

So far...and I want to emphasize so far the delays I have personally experienced haven't been too bad.
At present, they don't seem to be doing much on the section between Avalanche and Logan Creek. I see that the turnouts are being rebuilt/resurfaced. Most look like they need final paving and they'll be done. Then I suppose they'll begin work on the road proper...but that's conjecture on my part.

And again, so far, the delays I've experienced on the upper section have been around 10 minutes or less in the early morning. Afternoon delay times while heading back home have been longer, but so far not excessively long. My driving time back to Whitefish from Logan Pass last Saturday afternoon was about 20 minutes longer than driving time in the morning coming up to Logan Pass.
Split times going down from Logan Saturday are as follows:
1634 leave Logan Pass Parking
1640 Stopped at Weeping Wall to wait for "follow Me" vehicle
1649 Moving again
1714 arrive at the Loop
1720 Arrive at Avalanche (they weren't working at all on the lower section Saturday)
1723 Stop at overlook to make a video clip
1732 Moving again
1738 Lake McDonald Lodge

Roughly an hour to Lake McDonald from the pass so you can see the increase in driving time over the morning drive....
Saturday morning driving time up to Logan pass from the the West Glacier Gate was almost exactly 1 hour, including an approximate delay of 10 minutes on the upper section....which went by nicely as I chatted with the cute flag girl
Took me exactly 90 minutes to drive from Whitefish to Logan Pass Saturday AM.
Total time driving back to Whitefish from Logan Pass Saturday PM was just under 2 hours.
Not too bad considering the increase in traffic.

As the season progresses into July and August, I suspect traffic will get heavier and driving times on the West side will get somewhat longer.
I've beat this drum before, but I'll do it again.
You'll be glad if you get on the road early, especially if you are trying to get to a trailhead on the Sun Road, or a parking space at Logan...or a parking space anywhere for that matter.

The East side was nice. The road is in good condition, especially the new part. I think they've done a good job with the guard rails and overlooks.
Here were my split times going down the East Side Saturday afternoon. Traffic was relatively light imo.

1411 leave Logan
1417 Siyeh Bend Stopped for maybe 1 minute for pics
1422 Jackson Overlook/Gunsight TH
1424 St Mary Falls parking
1428 Sunrift Gorge (crowded)
1434 Wild Goose Island overlook
1436 Rising Sun Campground
1443 St Mary entrance
1445 Park Cafe
1450 Two Sisters and a medium rare buffalo burger

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