Chambers ask that Glacier Park reopen June 1
There was one patch of snowless ground. It afforded expansive views of the Middle Fork and Glacier National Park before it started to rain.
The Associated Chambers of the Flathead Valley are asking Gov. Steve Bullock, the National Park Service and Montana’s congressional delegation to reopen Glacier National Park on June 1.
The chambers argue in a letter that it makes sense to open Glacier on that date, because that’s when Montana will open its entrances to Yellowstone National Park.
Bullock announced last week that the state would lift the 14-day quarantine on out-of-state visitors on June 1 (see related story).
The Wyoming entrances to Yellowstone opened May 18 and there were long lines waiting to get in, according to a story in the Jackson Hole News and Guide.
“We think it makes sense, and will be less confusing to the traveling public, to open Glacier National Park on the same schedule as the Montana entrances to Yellowstone National Park. We assure you that we are committed to working with you, your agencies of state government, and the National Park Service to develop and communicate the proper messaging for our member businesses and visitors,” the letter states.
The Chambers point to the economic fallout from the coronavirus.
“Over 100,000 Montana jobless claims have been filed since the beginning of this crisis in mid-March. The University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research projects a loss of 75,000 jobs, on average, over 2020. They further project a shortfall in state personal income of $6.4 billion or 11.7 percent compared to pre-COVID projections. Additionally, the Bureau of Business and Economic Research projects a slow recovery to the state economy for employment and personal income extending well beyond 2022. Moving up the Glacier National Park reopening schedule gives visitors, hospitality and food service sectors, and other sectors, a significant a head start on a better summer season,” the letter states.
Glacier Superintendent Jeff Mow did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
However, Mow has said in the past that Glacier would be ready to open by mid-June. But he also said opening the park would come when the state goes to Phase III. Phase III allows for large gatherings of people, though still encourages social distancing.
Virus crisis aside, The Going-to-the-Sun Road wouldn’t have fully opened any earlier than June 22 anyway, due work on the road. Tourist traffic typically doesn’t fully ramp up until the road is completely open.
The associated chambers includes Columbia Falls, Bigfork, Evergreen, Kalispell, Libby, Whitefish, Eureka and Polson, as well as other business interests.
Flathead County hasn’t had a coronavirus case since mid-April and the Kalispell Regional Medical Center recently added more temporary bed capacity in the event of an outbreak.
To date, the state has had 479 confirmed cases and 17 deaths. Some days it has no new positive cases, but nationwide, cases continue to rise and the number of deaths is closing in on 100,000.