Video: Inside the Decades-Long Partnership Keeping Iconic Glacier National Park Road Safe

As the most popular attraction in Glacier National Park, Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) traverses scenic alpine zones and crosses the Continental Divide. The park closes a section of GTSR each winter due to inclement weather, heavy snowfall, and avalanche hazards. Since 2003, efforts to open the road each spring rely on a USGS-National Park Service partnership based on the expertise of USGS avalanche scientists, who provide on-site avalanche forecasting. The applied research from ongoing USGS avalanche studies supports forecasting efforts that guide the safety of this hazardous road opening operation each year.