Glacier National Park will require ticket to ride shuttle this summer

Glacier National Park will implement a ticket reservation system for the Going-to-the-Sun Road shuttle service this summer, it announced Friday.

Because of Covid-19 restrictions, the Park Service has implemented $1 non-refundable ticket system to reserve a seat on a bus from July 1 through Labor Day weekend.

Seventy-five percent of tickets for the entire shuttle season may be purchased on Recreation.gov beginning June 1 at 8 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time.

The remaining tickets will be released for 48 hours advance purchase on a rolling window. Tickets can be reserved in one-hour increments between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. The availability of tickets is based on the available number of seats each hour. The ticket holder must be present for validation at the reserved time. Tickets are non-transferable.  

The ticket-to-ride must be validated at the visitor center selected at the time of reservation, either Apgar Visitor Center or St. Mary Visitor Center. Shuttle passengers will have access to shuttle stops at Apgar Visitor Center, Lake McDonald Lodge, Avalanche, Logan Pass, Sun Point, Rising Sun, Rising Sun Boat Dock, and the St. Mary Visitor Center. To access Logan Pass, visitors must transfer at either Avalanche or Sun Point, since only smaller passenger vans can access the higher alpine sections of Going-to-the-Sun Road. 

Visitors planning to ride the shuttle should consider where they will enter the park before purchasing their Ticket-to-Ride. If planning to enter from the east side of the park, visitors should reserve their ticket for the St. Mary Visitor Center. If entering from the west side, they should reserve their ticket for the Apgar Visitor Center, the Park Service notes. 

Once the ticket has been validated at the required visitor center, riders will receive a wristband allowing them to board or disembark at any designated stop they wish for that day. An advanced check-in at the appropriate visitor center is available to accommodate visitors staying overnight in the park. In this situation, riders must check-in at the visitor center listed on the ticket up to 72 hours from their reservation time. 

 The ticket-to-ride also serves as a Going-to-the-Sun Road entry reservation ticket for the day of reservation. 

Occupancy within shuttle vehicles will be greatly reduced, to ensure effective social distancing, The Park Service said in a release.

To keep visitors, shuttle drivers, and park staff safe, all guests must wear a face mask that covers the nose and mouth, while riding in shuttles. If visitors do not have a face mask, they will be provided one on the bus. A vinyl barrier between drivers and passengers is in place on each bus, and hand sanitizer dispensers are also on-board for visitor use. Queues at visitor centers will be limited to avoid crowding, and groups of visitors are asked to remain 6 feet apart while waiting in line.