The chance for Glacier National Park visitors to enjoy the Rogers Pass Centre will be cut short this summer, as the 40-year-old facility undergoes repairs but is temporarily replaced by a new visitor centre right next door.
Starting mid-June, the centre will close for construction until an uncertain reopening date, while year-round services will continue to be offered at a new temporary facility in the same parking lot called Summit Station, Parks Canada has announced.
"The Rogers Pass Centre is aging and needs significant repairs," the federal agency shared on Facebook Wednesday morning, April 30. "Over the coming weeks, the building will be packed up in preparation for renovation. The exhibits and theatre will be unavailable and other offers will be reduced."
Parks Canada says repairs and improvements to the centre's roof and overall structure will ensure it continues to withstand heavy snow and extreme weather.
Right off the Trans-Canada Highway and usually open year-round itself, the facility is the only one in Glacier open in winter and early spring, when trails, campgrounds and day-use areas remain under snow. It features a gift shop, interactive exhibits and daily updates on avalanche conditions and closures.
The centre, built in 1984 and designed to look like a historic railway snowshed, arrived a decade after Rogers Pass was designated a National Historic Site in 1971 for its "pivotal role in the construction and development of the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway into a major national transportation corridor."
As of 2022, Rogers Pass attracts more than 420,000 visitors annually, making it one of Canada’s most visited National Historic Sites, according to Parks Canada.
Until its closure and renovation in mid-June, the Rogers Pass Centre will continue to operate from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.
