Glacier National Park: Big Drift

Every April, snowplows take on the huge task of clearing the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. As the plows climb up Logan Pass, they reach the infamous "Big Drift," a 50-80 foot snowdrift that forms every year and hangs over the road. The Big Drift is definitely the crux of clearing the historic road.

Plowing the road begins the first Monday of April and lasts through the first weeks of June. Do not be surprised if the road doesn't open until after Memorial Day. The earliest the road has ever opened was May 16, 1987. The latest the road has ever opened was June 28, 2002 when spring storms kept crews repeatedly digging out the same section of the road. Each year, locals place bets on when the road will be opened.

Snowplows remove an average of over 100,000 cubic yards of snow off the road each year. This process is very dangerous with avalanche threats and late spring storms. Snow conditions can change from day to day due to wind, snow, fog, and temperature. However, the road crew has an excellent safety record, and includes avalanche experts as part of the team. Clearing out the Big Drift is a dangerous process as road crews have to first dig a shelf above the road and then work down a 35-40 degree slope to the roadbed itself. A lot can go wrong.

The park uses over 20 different machines to clear the road. Bulldozers, sweepers, excavators, bobcats, snow blowers, and huge plows are all part of the action, and all are necessary. The blades on some of the snowplows are over 6 feet tall. Even with all this heavy equipment, clearing 350-650 inches of annual snowfall takes a lot of patience, hard work, and precision.

To inform visitor and locals of road clearing progress, Glacier National park has set up a website complete with photos and video segments of the project.