It wasn't too many years ago when top National Park Service officials worried that the national parks were losing relevance with the American public. Well, now some parks are so crowded that superintendents are warning visitors to be prepared for traffic jams, few parking spaces, and more people on trails. And park staff is having to respond to more emergencies.
Glacier National Park in Montana saw a record 1 million visitors in July, marking not only the first time so many people have squeezed into the park in one month, but also a nearly 25 percent increase over July 2016.
While the weather was spectacular, getting out of the car wasn't always simple. In mid-July, the park held an emergency congestion management workshop to begin developing congestion management strategies for areas outside the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, including the North Fork, Two Medicine, and Many Glacier, park staff said. 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.
In the coming days park staff plans to implement a one-hour time limit for approximately 60 parking spaces 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.
“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. In the last 15 days of July, the park responded to 15 calls for heat exhaustion on the Loop Trail alone.
“Rangers have been stretched pretty thin responding to the increased number of calls this summer,” said Superintendent Mow. “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.”
Glacier National Park has numerous resources on its website for people looking to plan for their trip, including videos about backcountry safety and descriptions of the top hazards in the park.
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Comments
Went there last year and it was miserable..Unless you make it to trail head it's the equvalent of a bad day at Disneyland..Very sad..Roads backed up for miles and trailheads over flowing with cars..Yellowstone was even worse..Not planning to go again
A parking time limit might be a good idea, but how will it be enforced? Tow and impound cars? Tickets? And if tickets, how do you collect from someone who lives in Hoboken or Berlin or Toronto?
My daughter and her family just returned from a day or two in Glacier and say it was crowded, but in their words, "Not really too bad." Then again, they spend a lot of time in places like New York City and Disneyworld. Maybe some of it depends on experiences in other places. They also were returning from a visit to Banff and Jasper where Canada's national parks have no entry fees this year because it's Canada's Centennial. They felt the Canadian parks were as crowded or slightly more crowded than Glacier.
Sounds like another park being loved to death...... sad
I know wilderness is great, but is it time to build a new road through a different part of Glacier, Yellowstone and probably a few others? Would it lessen traffic by spreading it out or just make more people come to see what is new?
The days of driving your own car on Going to the Sun Road seem to be numbered. It's been 9 years since I've been there and it is such a wonderful place. Loved to death sounds about right :(
we were there in mid-June of 2016. We didn't have issues in the Many Glacier area, but we were hiking before 7:00 in the morning and off the trail by early afternoo. We would go back out for an evening hike too, and still didn't have crowd issues.
I went to both those parks last year & didn't feel that either were Disney-crowded. Maybe we just get off the beaten path more, but I had no problems & can't wait to go back.
The Flathead Valley did TONS of advertising the past 3 years, and this is what it got them: too many cars/people for what the area can handle,all for the love of making big bucks for businesses. The Park isn't big enough nor prepared for it. I agree: maybe a new road and campground along the southern Hiway 2 corridor would ease the Going-to-the-Sun congestion. This has been suggested before. Of course then the Park service would need to hire more people -- which Congress would balk at, and cut $ from. So how would that be allowed to happen?