Violating This Glacier NP Order Could Mean Jail Time

The changing weather might have you dreaming about the unique opportunity of biking over the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

But Glacier National Park has the road completely closed right now to all bikes and pedestrians because of the continuing high avalanche danger.

That's going to be disappointing for people looking for their first adventure of the season. But don't be tempted to casually dismiss the order, because it could mean a big fine and even jail time for you and your party.

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Biking the Going-to-the-Sun Road

Biking and hiking the Going-to-the-Sun Road has become an increasingly popular outing the past few years. People, often inspired by pictures and videos they've seen on the Internet, love the adventure of the ride, especially as the season progresses and the "alpine section" of the road starts to open up.

There are still some restrictions, like working around the park plow crews and dealing with limits on the size of electric bikes.

Really dangerous right now

Fluctuating temperatures, fresh snow, and high winds have made the corridor hazardous,s and rangers have the road closed between The Loop on the west side and just past Rising Sun on the east.

And that's a "hard closure" too. The park says all visitors are prohibited beyond the closures, and could face fines up to $5,000 and up to 6 months in jail if they violate the order.

Some biking/hiking opportunities are still available along the lower stretches near Avalanche Creek and lower St. Mary Lake, weather and conditions permitting. However, temporary closures can also be in place for plowing operations, which are generally in place Monday- Thursday until 4 pm. 

You can check the latest road conditions and closures here.

Parks are starting to open

This week, Yellowstone National Park announced it was ready to open the West Entrance of the park for spring travel. More information on that here, along with this spring's "Fee Free" days in the NPS units.