Outdoors: Labor Day outdoor recreation could be hindered by fire

Labor Day Weekend is fast approaching, and that's usually the last gasp for outdoor recreationalists to enjoy some camping, boating and fishing before fall arrives and school starts in earnest.

But for those of us who love the outdoors, this Labor Day is once again likely to be marred by fire and smoke.

Locally, there are currently no fires affecting any of the recreational areas surrounding Havre and the Hi-Line. People are reminded that the area is under a Stage I Fire Restriction, and fire danger in the area is still listed as Extreme.

The Havre area also has been blanketed with quite a bit of smoke lately, and the area is under an air quality alert, so officials have asked that people take that into consideration, as well, when spending time outside.

For anyone planning on making one last trip to Glacier National Park, or Yellowstone, things are a little bit different.

Here are some things visitors need to know.

The west side of Glacier National Park is under siege from the now 12,000-acre Howe Ridge Fire, which started nearly two weeks ago. The entire western half of Going to the Sun Road is closed, from the Apgar intersection all the way to Logan Pass. The entirety of the Lake McDonald Lodge area is already closed for the season because of the fire, as is the Fish Creek Campground on the Northwest shore of the lake. Apgar Village is also currently under an evacuation watch, and several of the businesses in the village have now decided to close for the season as well.

Other parts of Glacier areas being affected by fires include Essex and the Polebridge area. Neither has issued evacuations or closings at this time, but both areas are being monitored closely due to fires, so things could certainly change between now and Labor Day weekend.

The eastern half of Glacier, including Two Medicine, East Glacier, St. Mary's and Many Glacier are all open and are currently not being affected by any fires. Going to the Sun Road is also fully open from the St. Mary's entrance to Logan Pass.

Yellowstone Park has no closures or restrictions at this time. However, the 2,000-plus Bacon Rind Fire is burning at the park's northwestern-most boundary. The fire is burning inside the park, and outside in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness area near Big Sky. It's also effected the West Yellowstone greater area, and visitors need to take note of that when traveling to Yellowstone.

So, once again, people making big plans to be outside for Labor Day weekend, whether boating, camping, hiking or fishing, are cautioned by officials across the state to check the areas of travel to see if they are effected by fires, check trail status pages and check the air quality.