Associated Press

WEST GLACIER, Mont. – Going-to-the-Sun Road, the mountain pass that connects the east and west sides of Montana's Glacier National Park, is free of snow and ahead of schedule. Its famous red 'Jammer' buses are expected to start running on June 22.

Officials say the crews on Wednesday broke through the “big drift,” a site east of Logan Pass, a midpoint where snow depths reach between 40 and 80 feet (12 and 24 kilometers).

The spot on the 50-mile (80-kilometer) road is where the crews from the two sides usually meet. The teams met up two days earlier than they did last year.

The teams started clearing snow on April 1, using excavators to reduce the walls to a manageable level. They then used snowplows to clear the rest.

The past two summers at Glacier National Park have been bittersweet: wildfires destroyed historic buildings near Lake McDonald, located southwest of Logan Pass.

'Heartbreaking': Glacier fire destroys homes, historic National Park Service buildings