Glacier sees more than 1 million visitors in July

Glacier National Park saw a whopping 1 million visitors in July and has already topped 2 million for the year with two months of summer tourist season left to go.

The Park recorded 1,009,665 visitor in July, up approximately 23 percent over visitation last year. Last year was also a record setting year.

St. Mary saw the greatest jump in visitation, up nearly 47 percent over last year — an indication that more Canadians, particularly Albertans are visiting the Park this year. Parks Canada, in celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, has allowed free entry to all its parks. That, in turn, appears to be boosting Canadian travel to parks overall.

St. Mary saw 289,116 visitors, up from 196,781 last July.

But it’s not just Canadian travelers. The Park’s west entrance was up nearly 16 percent, with 410,000-plus visitors.

Fuel prices also seem to be boosting travel. Gas has been about $2.35 a gallon and the U.S. economy is good. By contrast, in 2008 gas prices peaked at over $4 a gallon, the economy was tanking and Glacier saw 1.8 million visitors the entire year.

To help ease some of the crowding this summer, in the next week the Park will implement a one-hour time limit for approximately 60 parking spaces up at Logan Pass. The intent of the time limit is to provide an opportunity for people hoping to make a quick stop, use the restroom, take a few pictures, and go for a short walk to be able to do so. The parking lot has routinely filled before 9 a.m. this summer, and continues to be full well into the late afternoon.

In mid-July, the park held an emergency congestion management workshop to begin developing new congestion management strategies for areas outside the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, including the North Fork, Two Medicine, and Many Glacier. Preliminary solutions include reconfiguring some parking areas and providing time-limited parking adjacent to restrooms and camp stores.

This summer has seen temporary traffic restrictions at all of those locations, as the number of cars looking to enter those areas has far exceeded physical capacity. Uphill traffic to Bowman and Kintla Lakes is routinely restricted each morning and the Many Glacier Valley has actually been closed to ingress because all the parking was full on several occasions in July.

Even Two Medicine and Cut Bank parking areas have filled to capacity this summer.

“We ask that visitors bring their patience, prepare for significant parking delays, and expect more people on the trails this summer,” said Superintendent Jeff Mow. “Glacier Country has a tremendous amount to offer its tourists. While people wait for times that are less crowded to visit the park, our surrounding public lands and local businesses can offer exceptional opportunities for people coming to see this spectacular region.”

In addition to the increase in visitors, the park also saw a comparable increase in the number of emergency medical calls, and total calls for ranger service. Year to date, the park has seen a 29 percent increase in emergency medical calls over last year.

July was exceptionally hot and dry and with it came many requests for help, Park officials said. In the last 15 days of July, the park responded to 15 calls for heat exhaustion on the Loop Trail alone. The Loop Trail has no water sources later in the summer — it was roasted in the Trapper Fire of 2003 and has no shade for most of its length. The trail rises about 2,300 vertical feet to Granite Park Chalet and gets scorching hot on 90-degree days.

“Rangers have been stretched pretty thin responding to the increased number of calls this summer,” Mow said. “We deeply appreciate everyone who takes the time to really read up on trail conditions, wildlife safety, and what to bring with you on your trip. Every person who comes to the park well-prepared really helps us out as we strive to meet this increased demand.”