It's hard to believe, particularly since Labor Day Weekend is a week later than normal this year, but the closing of many concession operations in Glacier National Park isn't that far off. It seemed just yesterday that they finally were able to open the Going-to-the-Sun Road from end-to-end, and now the prospect of snows closing it back down isn't too terribly far off.

Of course, the park isn't closing. You can still venture into it every month of the year, and depending on how hardy you are, you can traverse it from east to west or north to south. But you might not have a warm lodge to stop into for a well-deserved rest. After Labor Day, which falls on September 7 this year, services and facilities slowly start closing for the winter. With that said, here's a a list of ongoing park services and projected closing dates:

Concessioner:...............................................Closing/Ending Date:

Belton Chalets, Inc. (1-888-345-2649 or www.sperrychalet.com or www.graniteparkchalet.com)

* Granite Park Chalet...................................................September 7

* Sperry Chalet...........................................................September 9

The historic Granite Park Chalet is available for overnight use as a rustic hiker shelter. Services at the historic Sperry Chalet include traditional overnight accommodations and food service for guests and day hikers alike.

Glacier Park Boat Company (406-257-2426 or www.glacierparkboats.com) Boat tours and rentals

* Apgar (rentals only)................................................September 7

* Lake McDonald......................................................September 20

* Many Glacier.........................................................September 13

* Rising Sun............................................................September 7

* Two Medicine........................................................September 7

Glacier Park, Inc. (Central reservations 406-892-2525 or www.glacierparkinc.com)

* Glacier Park Lodge...............................................September 26

* Lake McDonald Lodge..........................................September 26

* Lake McDonald Camp Store.................................September 26

* Jammer Joe’s Restaurant....................................September 8

* Many Glacier Hotel............................................September 20

* Prince of Wales Hotel*.......................................September 14
(Waterton-Lakes National Park)

* Rising Sun Motor Inn........................................September 20

* Rising Sun Camp Store.....................................September 21**

* Swiftcurrent Motor Inn.....................................September 12

* Swiftcurrent Camp Store..................................September 20

* Two Medicine Camp Store................................September 7

* Village Inn.....................................................September 19

*Glacier Park Lodge and the Prince of Wales Hotel are located outside the park, but are also managed by GPI.

**These properties will close after breakfast on the dates listed

* Red Bus Tours ....................................September 26

* Hiker Shuttle .........................................September 7
(Connects Many Glacier to Going-to-the-Sun Road shuttle which operates July1-September 7, 2009)

* East Side Shuttle ................................September 20
(Service to trailheads and hotels between East Glacier and Waterton, Alberta, Canada)

Glacier Guides, Inc. (1-800-521-RAFT or 406-387-5555 or www.glacierguides.com)

* Guided day hikes & backpacking......................October

Swan Mountain Outfitters (1-877-888-5557 or www.swanmountainoutfitters.com/glacier)

Horseback rides

* Apgar Corral................................................September 7

* Lake McDonald Corral...................................September 20

* Many Glacier Corral......................................September 20

Sun Tours (1-800-786-9220 or 406-226-9220 or www.glaciersuntours.com )

* Interpretive tours.........................................October 15
(Blackfeet perspective)

Waterton Inter-Nation Shoreline Cruises, LTD (403-859-2362 or www.watertoncruise.com) Waterton Lake Boat Tours

* Goat Haunt landings......................................September 20

* Waterton Lake Non-landing............................Sept. 21 –Oct. 4 & Oct. 10-11

The following is the autumn 2009 schedule for National Park Service facilities.

Note on entrance fees: When entrance stations are not staffed, visitors must pay the entrance fee at the self-registration fee collection box or have a valid, previously purchased park pass.

Campgrounds: Last Night for Camping/ Change to Primitive Status:

* Apgar..........................................................October 11*

* Avalanche...................................................September 6

* Bowman Lake..............................................September 13**

* Cut Bank.....................................................September 13***

* Fish Creek...................................................September 6

* Kintla Lake..................................................September 13**

* Logging Creek.............................................September 29

* Many Glacier...............................................September 20**

* Quartz Creek..............................................November 29 ***

* Rising Sun.................................................September 13

* Sprague Creek...........................................September 13

* St. Mary....................................................September 20 *

* Two Medicine.............................................September 20**

* - Primitive camping (no treated, running water and no flush toilets) is available throughout the fall at Apgar and St. Mary beginning on the dates indicated above. Cost for primitive camping at St. Mary and Apgar is $10 a night. Winter camping is also offered at these two sites. There is no charge for winter camping, which begins December 1.

**- Primitive camping (no treated, running water and no flush toilets) will also be available after the listed dates at Bowman Lake, Kintla Lake, Many Glacier, and Two Medicine Campgrounds. Bowman and Kintla Lake will offer primitive camping until December 1, unless closed earlier by weather. At Many Glacier and Two Medicine campgrounds, primitive camping remains available until snow accumulation and/or unsafe road conditions exist. Cost for primitive camping is $10 a night.

***-No water is available at Cut Bank, Logging Creek and Quartz Creek. Camping at these campgrounds costs $10 per night. Quartz Creek will continue to offer this primitive camping with no water until December 1, unless closed earlier by weather.

Visitor Centers and Ranger Led Interpretive Programs

Glacier’s Visitor Centers at Apgar, St. Mary and Logan Pass are open daily throughout September.

A variety of ranger-led programs, from easy walks and evening talks, to all-day hikes and boat tours will continue in September. Activities are listed in “The Glacier Visitors Guide” which is available in visitor centers or online at: http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/upload/WGG09-web.pdf

The Going-to-the-Sun Road:

To allow for accelerated rehabilitation work, beginning Monday, September 20, 2009, Logan Pass will be closed to vehicle use from the west side between Avalanche and Logan Pass for the remainder of the season. Logan Pass will be accessible for vehicles from the east side, except when closed to motorized vehicles because of weather.

During evening hours and on weekends, when the contractor is not working, non-motorized access (hikers and bicyclists) will be allowed on the alpine segment between Avalanche and Logan Pass.

Information about the Going-to-the-Sun Road rehabilitation and related visitor service improvements are available by calling park headquarters at 406-888-7800, or online at http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm.