Parts of the eastern side of Glacier National Park, including Two Medicine seen here, will reopen to visitors on Thursday/NPS file

After a year-long closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, access to parts of the eastern side of Glacier National Park in Montana is set to return Thursday, with the Two Medicine, Cut Bank and St. Mary entrances open for foot traffic, skis, and snowshoes.

Regular winter closures remain in place. Chief Mountain Road will remain closed at the park boundary until road conditions permit.  

The entrance at St. Mary allows vehicle traffic on Going-to-the-Sun Road for 1.5 miles until the winter gate closure at St. Mary Campground. Access past the gate is allowed by foot, skiing, and snowshoeing as is typical of normal winter seasons. The St. Mary Campground remains closed to winter camping until further notice.  

The roads into Cut Bank and Two Medicine remain closed to vehicle traffic for the winter, but access by foot, skiing, and snowshoeing is available past the gates as is typical of normal winter seasons. Construction began on Many Glacier Road on March 15 and is closed to vehicular traffic and closed to hiker/biker traffic Monday through Friday through May 28. 

Visitors are reminded that winter conditions are unpredictable and can quickly become dangerous. Visitors should prepare for icy conditions, high winds, and snow. Cellular communications in the park are extremely limited.  

Access to the park east of the Continental Divide has been closed since March 2020 to protect the Blackfeet Indian Reservation population from COVID-19 due to high-risk members of the community. The decision to allow access to the east side was made after close consultation between health officials from the National Park Service, Indian Health Service, the Blackfeet Tribe, Glacier County and the state of Montana.