Glacier won’t implement Sun Road reservation system this summer

Glacier National Park announced Wednesday that it would not implement a reservation system for the Going-to-the-Sun Road this summer.

The system, if it had been implemented, would have run through Labor Day.

“We heard support for a reservation system from community constituents because they know the park is at maximum capacity,” said Superintendent Jeff Mow. “But there were serious concerns about implementing such a system with such short notice and midway through the visitor season.”

Visitors are reminded that the park is very busy and can be very congested throughout the summer months. The park may still have to implement visitor use restrictions to protect public health and safety and to provide for social distancing opportunities, it warned in a release. Visitors are encouraged to check the online Recreation Access Display, the park’s webcams, and the park’s Twitter account for current conditions.

“This continues to be a summer like no other. It is uncertain if visitation will continue to increase or how COVID-19 may require us to change how the park is managed for visitors,” said Mow. “As we have for the last several weeks, our goal is to provide the best visitor experience under these challenging and uncertain conditions.”

The east side of Glacier remains closed through the summer, as the Blackfeet have restrictions on nonessential travel in the reservation, which covers the east side of the park.

In a recent interview Mow said the discussion on a reservation system for the road will continue and could be implemented in some form in the future.