KALISPELL — Glacier National Park officials held a community meeting Monday in Kalispell to share updates on their preparations for the upcoming busy summer crowds.
Glacier National Park Superintendent Dave Roemer spoke to an audience at Flathead Valley Community College touching on key changes to this summer’s operations.
Those changes include no more vehicle reservation system and time-limited parking at Logan Pass.
“Parking at Logan will be limited to 3 hours or less at Logan, all of this begins on July 1 and it’s going to run through Labor Day,” said Roemer.
Roemer said the 3-hour parking limit at Logan Pass will allow more visitors opportunities for parking.
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He said the parks Going-to-the-Sun Road to Logan Pass shuttle system will run on a reservation-only system for those who would like to do longer hikes starting from Logan Pass.
“So if this summer your plans involve wanting to hike the highline trail, getting that shuttle ticket is the best way to do that,” added Roemer.
Roemer said the park is working on a preliminary proposed action plan that would aim to increase parking and shuttle services at different locations throughout Glacier.
He said that plan would not include expanding parking at Logan Pass.
“Not beyond the means of the park, not to try and stretch or expand the thresholds or the carrying capacity on park trails, but to effectively serve the people that come to the park and help them go where they want to go,” said Roemer.
Monica Jungster has lived in West Glacier for more than 60 years and has seen the number of visitors to Glacier National Park rise dramatically over the decades.
“So my interest in this meeting especially tonight is we’re kind of at a tipping point looking forward, and the park seems to from what I’ve heard so far tonight, they have been working on some good planning, and I think that I’m happy to see that,” said Jungster.
