Park visitor numbers continue to be low
<p>Noreen Moore, of Texas, reads her Kindle while relaxing on a log at Fish Creek in Glacier National Park last week. Visitation to the Park this month is down from last year but on par with other years, according to recently released Park figures.</p>
Visits to Glacier National Park in August were down sharply over last year, continuing the slower summer trend. According to Park figures, Glacier Park saw 532,718 recreation visits in August, which is 15.8 percent less than last year.
While June and July were soggy and cold months in the Park, August was stellar, with pleasant temperatures and clear skies most of the month. But last year was the Park's centennial and it did see a surge in visitors.
This August's numbers were the lowest since 2008, but not the lowest in the past 10 years. August 2007 saw 429,548 visits, and in August 2003, when the Park saw huge wildfires, there were just 261,481 recreational visits.
Compared with 2009, visits were down, but not by nearly as much. August 2009 had 541,997 visits - a drop of less than 2 percent.
Compared to 2009, this year was on par with overnight stays as well. Both years saw nearly 120,000 overnight visitors, a number that includes visitors staying at lodges, campgrounds and in the backcountry.
Year to date, Glacier Park has seen 1.45 million visitors, which is lower than recent years but on par with numbers set in the summer of 2007.