Glacier proves to be a very popular park

Visitors flocked to Glacier National Park this year in what could be record numbers.

August visitation numbers show a total of 1,809,340 people entered Glacier Park during the first eight months of the year. That is a 11 percent increase from the same period last year, according to the National Park Service's Public Use Statistics Office.

Visits in August were up 16.8 percent. During June, July and August visitors to the Park totaled 1.64 million. July was the busiest month so far this year with 673,359 visitors.

"It's been a banner year," Park spokeswoman Amy Vanderbilt said.

Glacier Park could break the single season record set in 1983. More than 2.2 million visitors passed through the entrance gates that year.

"Based on the first two weeks in September we're likely on track to meet or exceed that record," Vanderbilt said. "We're seeing cars at the (west) entrance station backed up to West Glacier."

Visitor numbers have steadily increased over the years. In 1911, the year Glacier Park was established, 4,000 visitors were recorded. In more recent years, the visitor number hovers around the 2 million mark.

Glacier Park has celebrated some milestones recently with the Going-to-the-Sun Road's 75th anniversary in 2008 and Glacier Park's centennial this year.

Visitors have continued to come despite major reconstruction and traffic delays on sections of the Sun Road.

"We thank everyone for being patient and for sharing the Park's resources with so many fellow visitors this summer. We were also able to make many improvements to the parks infrastructure with minimal impact to the visitor's experience. What a great way to mark the Park's 100-year anniversary," Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright said.

When the Sun Road construction was being planned, stakeholders raised concerns that construction would cause visitors to think Glacier Park was closed.

But that doesn't seem to be the case, noted Vanderbilt.

"We've positively celebrated the Sun Road 75th and the Park centennial and we can see the results from that," Vanderbilt said.

Overnight visitors to Glacier Park increased by 3.1 percent increase through August compared with 2009. However, there has been a 52.5 percent increase in the number of group campers.

Several employee reunions were held throughout the Park this summer as part of the centennial celebration. About 300 people attended a jammer reunion for former drivers of the Park's red buses last week.

"Reunions have been hugely successful," said Vanderbilt. "We've still got a few events this fall."

At the individual entrance stations, Polebridge has seen a large increase so far this year. Visitor numbers are up almost 93 percent through August, from 35,236 people last year to 67,956 this year.

More visitors seem to also be entering the Park at St. Mary, which is showing a 23.6 percent increase in visitors for the year.

Glacier's busiest entrance station at West Glacier saw almost 800,000 visitors pass through the gates in August.