Park visitation up in September, down in October
<p>Julie McKemy, of Colorado, shoots photographs along Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park last week. Tourism continues to be an economic engine for the state, along with oil drilling.</p>
Visitation to Glacier National Park in October was down 17.8 percent from 2010, according to recent figures. The Park saw 54,356 visits in October, while 66,155 were counted last year.
September visitation was a different story. The Park recorded 20,000 more visits this September than it did in 2010. More than 320,000 visitors came to the Park in September this year.
The weather was likely a factor. This September was warm and dry, while the Park last September saw a snowstorm in the middle of the month.
Park visitation through October this year is 1.829 million compared to 2.175 million last year. Last year, was the Park's centennial, which boosted visitation.
This year's numbers are comparable to 2008 and 2007, when 1.783 million people visited through October both years.