Going-to-the-Sun Road
The most-watched seasonal road in America. Plows start up the west side in early April, the famous Big Drift at Logan Pass goes last, and the full-open date has landed everywhere from May 16 to July 15 across nine decades of records.
This year
Live plow-season reports load here. For today's conditions, go straight to Glacier NP's status page.
Conditions change by the hour at 6,646 feet — check Glacier NP's status page before you drive.
The record
Most years the road is fully open by late June; big snow years push it into mid-July.
Will it be open for your trip?
| If your dates start… | The road was already open in | That's |
|---|---|---|
| June 1 | 27 of 94 years | 29% |
| June 15 | 60 of 94 years | 64% |
| July 1 | 87 of 94 years | 93% |
| July 15 | 94 of 94 years | 100% |
Odds come from the full record below — past springs, not a promise about this one.
When does Going-to-the-Sun Road close?
Closes with the first lasting storm, usually the third week of October. The winter closure covers the alpine section over Logan Pass, between Lake McDonald Lodge and Rising Sun.
| If you're driving on… | The road was still open in | That's |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 71 of 71 years | 100% |
| October 22 | 28 of 71 years | 39% |
| November 1 | 13 of 71 years | 18% |
| November 8 | 5 of 71 years | 7% |
| November 15 | 2 of 71 years | 3% |
| November 22 | 0 of 71 years | 0% |
Closing dates come from the same record as the openings — the year-by-year table below. Past autumns, not a promise about this one: a single storm can end the season a fortnight early.
Every year on record
| Year | Opened | Closed | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | June 22 | — | — | |
| 2025 | June 16 | — | A third fall with no closing announcement from the park. The last closing date on the Park Service's own Logan Pass record is 2022's. | — |
| 2024 | June 22 | — | The park announced no closing that fall either, and the closing column of its Logan Pass table still stops at 2022. | — |
| 2023 | June 13 | — | Earliest opening since 2005. The park's fall plan had the road open to Logan Pass until midnight on October 15, but no notice ever named the day the gates actually shut, so no closing date is claimed here. | nps.gov |
| 2022 | July 13 | October 16 | Heavy avalanche year; west-side rehabilitation work through fall. | — |
| 2021 | June 25 | October 13 | — | |
| 2020 | July 13 | October 9 | Opening delayed by the COVID-19 park closure. | — |
| 2019 | June 22 | September 25 | — | |
| 2018 | June 22 | September 29 | — | |
| 2017 | June 28 | September 3 | Sprague Fire closed the west side in early September. | — |
| 2016 | June 16 | October 10 | — | |
| 2015 | June 19 | October 5 | West side opened June 10; east-side rehabilitation work that fall. | — |
| 2014 | July 2 | September 22 | East-side rehabilitation closure; west side stayed open through October 20. | — |
| 2013 | June 21 | September 23 | East side opened June 15; full opening waited on work and late snowstorms. | — |
| 2012 | June 19 | September 16 | West-side closure for road rehabilitation. | — |
| 2011 | July 13 | September 17 | Exceptional snowpack — the latest opening since 1943. | — |
| 2010 | June 24 | October 18 | — | |
| 2009 | June 26 | October 19 | — | |
| 2008 | July 2 | October 20 | — | |
| 2007 | July 1 | September 16 | — | |
| 2006 | June 23 | October 23 | — | |
| 2005 | May 22 | October 31 | — | |
| 2004 | May 30 | October 18 | — | |
| 2003 | May 30 | October 28 | — | |
| 2002 | June 28 | October 28 | — | |
| 2001 | June 7 | October 22 | — | |
| 2000 | May 27 | October 16 | — | |
| 1999 | June 16 | October 15 | — | |
| 1998 | May 29 | October 19 | — | |
| 1997 | June 18 | October 21 | — | |
| 1996 | June 21 | October 14 | — | |
| 1995 | June 23 | October 16 | Closed by a rockslide two days after opening; reopened June 26. | — |
| 1994 | June 2 | October 17 | — | |
| 1993 | June 4 | October 18 | — | |
| 1992 | May 23 | October 19 | Closed on the pre-set third Monday of October. | — |
| 1991 | June 23 | October 24 | Avalanche damage delayed the opening. | — |
| 1990 | June 18 | October 4 | — | |
| 1989 | June 9 | November 3 | — | |
| 1988 | May 25 | November 4 | — | |
| 1987 | May 16 | November 16 | Earliest opening on record. | — |
| 1986 | May 31 | November 6 | — | |
| 1985 | June 1 | October 15 | — | |
| 1984 | June 14 | October 17 | — | |
| 1983 | June 5 | November 6 | — | |
| 1982 | June 18 | October 29 | — | |
| 1981 | June 5 | November 12 | — | |
| 1980 | May 24 | November 3 | Closed again the next day; reopened June 6. | — |
| 1979 | June 8 | October 22 | — | |
| 1978 | June 13 | October 30 | — | |
| 1977 | May 27 | October 26 | — | |
| 1976 | May 30 | October 26 | — | |
| 1975 | June 17 | October 22 | — | |
| 1974 | June 19 | November 8 | — | |
| 1973 | June 1 | October 29 | — | |
| 1972 | June 8 | October 24 | — | |
| 1971 | June 9 | October 19 | — | |
| 1970 | June 10 | October 13 | — | |
| 1969 | May 30 | October 7 | — | |
| 1968 | June 7 | October 11 | — | |
| 1967 | June 12 | October 22 | — | |
| 1966 | May 28 | October 21 | — | |
| 1965 | June 6 | November 12 | — | |
| 1964 | June 30 | October 28 | The June 1964 flood closed the park; the road opened June 30. | — |
| 1963 | May 30 | October 24 | — | |
| 1962 | June 1 | November 5 | — | |
| 1961 | June 7 | October 21 | — | |
| 1960 | June 7 | October 28 | — | |
| 1959 | June 12 | October 22 | — | |
| 1958 | May 23 | November 3 | — | |
| 1957 | May 27 | October 18 | — | |
| 1956 | June 1 | October 21 | — | |
| 1955 | June 15 | October 22 | — | |
| 1954 | June 15 | November 10 | — | |
| 1953 | June 24 | October 30 | — | |
| 1952 | May 30 | November 21 | — | |
| 1951 | June 9 | — | — | |
| 1950 | June 15 | — | — | |
| 1949 | May 30 | — | — | |
| 1948 | June 11 | — | — | |
| 1947 | June 15 | — | — | |
| 1946 | June 11 | — | — | |
| 1945 | June 15 | — | — | |
| 1944 | June 6 | — | — | |
| 1943 | July 10 | — | Late opening with wartime staffing. | — |
| 1942 | June 14 | — | — | |
| 1941 | May 28 | — | — | |
| 1940 | May 28 | — | — | |
| 1939 | May 27 | — | — | |
| 1938 | June 11 | — | — | |
| 1937 | June 12 | — | — | |
| 1936 | June 11 | — | — | |
| 1935 | June 13 | — | — | |
| 1934 | June 1 | — | — | |
| 1933 | July 15 | — | The road's dedication summer. | — |
Record drawn from NPS: Logan Pass opening and closing dates · NPS news release: 2023 opening · NPS news release: 2024 opening · NPS news release: 2025 opening · NPS news release: 2026 opening · NPS news release: fall 2023 operations, with that autumn's planned Logan Pass closing · NPS news release: the 2022 closing, October 16. Years with their own link were taken from that record. Last checked September 4, 2026.
The road itself
It is not one of the 184 roads in the federal byway collection — Montana's single entry there is the Beartooth Highway. The Park Service builds, plows and gates this one itself.
The drive
-
West entrance, Apgar
The west end, on Lake McDonald.
-
Lake McDonald Lodge
Where the lower road ends and the climb begins.
-
Avalanche Creek
The west end of the vehicle-size restriction.
-
Logan Pass 32 miles from the west entrance 6,646 ft
The highest point on the road. The lot usually fills by sunrise.
-
Rising Sun
The east end of the vehicle-size restriction.
-
St. Mary 18 miles east of Logan Pass
The east end of the road.
What's on the road
- Speed limit is 40 mph on the lower road and 25 mph on the alpine section — blind curves, and animals and walkers crossing.
- Vehicles longer than 21 feet or wider than 8 feet are barred between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun; anything over 10 feet tall struggles with the rock overhangs west of Logan Pass.
- There is no gasoline anywhere in the park. Fill up before you start.
Nearby: Beartooth Highway · Trail Ridge Road
Going-to-the-Sun Road is one of the roads on our scenic byway and seasonal road index — every road here, with its designation, length and winter in one table.
Where these facts come from
- NPS Glacier: Going-to-the-Sun Road general information
- NPS Glacier: Going-to-the-Sun Road status and by-the-numbers
- FHWA: America's Byways, the designated roster
Last checked August 25, 2026.
Going-to-the-Sun Road: opening and closing questions
- When does Going-to-the-Sun Road close for the winter?
- Closes with the first lasting storm, usually the third week of October. Across the 71 closings on record the gate has gone shut around October 21 — as early as September 3 in 2017, as late as November 21 in 1952. The winter closure covers the alpine section over Logan Pass, between Lake McDonald Lodge and Rising Sun.
- When did Going-to-the-Sun Road close last?
- The most recent closing on the record is October 16, 2022. Heavy avalanche year; west-side rehabilitation work through fall. Every other season we can source is in the table on this page.
- Can you drive Going-to-the-Sun Road in winter?
- No. The alpine section over Logan Pass, between Lake McDonald Lodge and Rising Sun is gated once the season ends, and it stays shut until spring plowing gets through. Glacier NP posts the gate's current state.
- Is Going-to-the-Sun Road open right now?
- This page is the season record, not the road's condition this morning. National Park Service — Glacier National Park publishes today's state of the road, and that is the one to check before you drive — conditions turn over in hours at this elevation. For planning: the usual season runs from about June 12 to about October 21.
- When does Going-to-the-Sun Road open again?
- Most years the road is fully open by late June; big snow years push it into mid-July. The median of the 94 openings on record is June 12; the earliest was May 16 in 1987 and the latest July 15 in 1933.