Visitors are now allowed to have campfires and charcoal fires in frontcountry campgrounds and picnic areas. The use of self-contained stoves and campfires (where permitted) in backcountry campsites are allowed. Smoking is also allowed throughout the park. In addition, off-trail hiking, the three-night limit for backcountry camping, and boating restrictions have been lifted.

The 2,100 acre Parke Peak Fire and the 450 acre Sharon Fire are still considered active, but have shown little activity in the past few days. The Loggerhead and Naomi Fires, both at approximately one-acre in size, are also showing little activity. These fires are all located in the northwest section of the park. All other fires in the park are either considered out or controlled.

September 1
Due to recent rains and cooler temperatures, fire activity has slowed considerably in the past few days. The only fires still considered active in the park are the Parke Peak Fire (2,100 acres), the Sharon Fire (450 acres), and two small fires of approximately one acre each, the Naomi and Loggerhead. All of these fires are located in the northwest section of the park. Weekend weather forecasts call for continued cool temperatures and precipitation. Even with the current and expected weather conditions, fire danger remains high in Northwest Montana and the current fire restrictions remain in effect for the park.

August 29
A lightning storm on Thursday night, August 24 ignited eight new fires in the Park. Very little rain (.02 inches) was associated with this storm. The fires were spotted by park personnel on Huckleberry and Numa Lookouts and were later verified by aerial reconnaissance

Following is a list of the current fires in Glacier National Park:

Sharon Fire- Located one-half mile east of the Inside North Fork Road, below Logging Ridge, this fire is burning in a mature, mixed conifer forest, and is estimated at 450 acres. It showed considerable activity of Saturday, putting off lots of smoke, and spotting in many areas along the fire's perimeter. Park officials are in the process of devising a confinement strategy for the suppression of this fire. Structure protection has been implemented at Logging and Quartz Cabins and Logging Ranger Station.

Naomi Fire- Located one-mile northeast of the Sharon Fire; it is estimated at 1/10 acre. No crew is assigned to the fire, but helicopter water drops were employed on Friday.

Cerulean- Located in the upper Quartz Creek drainage, this one-acre fire is showing little activity. It is not staffed at this time.

Loggerhead Fire- This 1/10-acre fire is located one-half mile east of the Naomi Fire. No crew is assigned to the fire, but helicopter water drops were employed Friday.

Grinnell Point Fire- This fire is located one-half mile southwest of Grinnell Point, above the Grinnell Glacier Trail, in the Many Glacier area of the park. It is burning at high elevation in sparse vegetation and estimated at 10 acres. This fire is contained and should be declared out later today.

Parke Peak Fire- Located near Kintla Lake in a remote northwest section of the park, this 2,100-acre fire was started by lightning on July 23. The fire has shown low to moderate activity levels in the last few weeks. A NPS crew continues to monitor its behavior.

Carcajou Fire - Located just south of the Canadian Border north of Carcajou Lake (just east of the Continental Divide) , this 3.5-acre fire, was discovered on August 27. Waterton Lakes NP provided initial attack with a helicopter and helitack crew. The fire is contained and may be declared out later today.

Following is a list of the fires now declared out in Glacier National Park:

Harrison Fire- This 1/10-acre fire is located two-miles up trail from the Middle Fork of the Flathead River and has been declared out as a result of an NPS initial attack crew response.

Nyack Cabin Fire- This 1/10-acre fire, located up the Nyack drainage, is now declared out as a result of NPS initial attack crew response.

Winona Fire- This 1.2-acre fire is now declared out as a result of an NPS initial attack crew response. It is located at the south end of Winona Lake.

Following is a list of the temporary closures in Glacier National Park due to these fires:

Roads: Inside North Fork Road.

Campgrounds: Frontcountry-Logging and Quartz Creek. Backcountry- Quartz, Lower Quartz, Logging, Adair, and Grace.

Trails: Quartz Creek Trail, Quartz Loop, Logging Creek Trail, and Boulder Pass Trail.

Due to the extreme fire danger in Northwest Montana, Glacier National Park officials, in conjunction with state and other federal land management agencies in the area, have implemented heightened fire restrictions. A local phone center has been established in Kalispell by all the cooperating land management agencies to deal with questions and concerns regarding fire restrictions in the area. For information on these restrictions call 406-758-5387.

August 24, 2000
Additional fire restrictions will go into effect at midnight tonight, August 24, 2000. See the August 24 press release for full details.

August 23, 2000
The Parke Peak Fire has been showing little to moderate activity the last few days. The fire’s perimeter is still considered at 2,100 acres. There is currently a small NPS crew monitoring the fire’s activity. The fire is still considered a suppression/containment fire, but at present no active suppression actions are being taken due to the fire’s activity, its remote location, and firefighter safety.

Level IV restrictions remain in effect, although additional restrictions may be implemented in the near future. If so, an explanation of these restrictions will be forthcoming.

August 22, 2000
Cooler temperatures and higher humidities over the last week have caused low to moderate activity on the Parke Peak Fire. Most of the activity is occurring inside the 2,100-acre fire perimeter, in previously unburned fuels. A small NPS crew remains on the fire to monitor its activity. No active suppression actions are being taken at this time, due to the fire’s activity level, firefighter safety, and the remote location of the fire.

August 18, 2000
The Parke Peak Fire has shown moderate activity the last few days. Due to improved mapping, the fire's perimeter is now estimated at 2,100 acres. The fire is exhibiting typical burn patterns that are consistent with a wilderness fire, in that it is a mosaic, with about 20-30% of the interior of the perimeter unburned and varying degrees of fire intensity on the remaining acreage. A seven-person NPS crew remains on the fire, monitoring its activity and restricting its growth to the south of Kintla Creek.

August 13, 2000
The Parke Peak Fire, located near Kintla Lake in a remote area in the northwest section of the park, has shown little activity the last few days. The rain received on 8/6 and 8/11 slowed the fire's growth considerably. It is now estimated at 1450 acres. Active suppression has continued through this time with National Park Service crews controlling a number of spot fires that had started to the north of Kintla Creek. They are aided by helicopter water bucket drops when needed.

Two new small starts were spotted from Numa Ridge Lookout on 8/12 in the same section of the park. Crews have responded to both of them and they are expected to be contained sometime today.
The park still remains under Level IV fire restrictions.
The frontcountry campground at Kintla Lake has reopened for overnight use.

August 9, 2000
National Park Service (NPS) firefighters continue suppression actions on the Parke Peak Fire, near Kintla Lake, in the northwest corner of the park. It is now estimated to be 1,400 acres. Due to the high fire danger in Northwest Montana, all state and federal land management agencies, including Glacier National Park, will implement Level IV restrictions starting at 12:01 AM, Friday, August 11, 2000. Under these restrictions, no campfires, charcoal fires or candles are allowed, and the use of portable cooking stoves is limited to designated areas and to camping permit holders only.

August 8, 2000

The Park Peake Fire received between .1 and .25 inches of rain on the night of 8/6. Fire activity has decreased considerably. 6 spot fires were detected north of Kintla Creek and all have been contained and are in the mop-up stage at this point. Twelve National Park Service Firefighters are working the fire. We expect the fire to be relatively inactive for a day or two and then potentially pick back up. Its going to need to work a little harder to spread to the east over an avalanche chute but definitely has the potential to do so. The fire could still cross Kintla creek to the north as things heat back up.

So far we have only picked up one new start out of the lightening from last night. We expect to detect a few more on the north end over the next few days. The new photo shows a decrease in activity and a fire mosaic of burned and unburned trees within the fire perimeter.

August 7, 2000

The Park Peake Fire experienced considerable growth over the weekend. It is now estimated at 1300 acres. The fire crossed over Red Medicine Bow Creek to the south of Upper Kintla Lake and is burning on the northwest slope of Kinnerly Peak. On Sunday the fire spotted over Kintla Creek to the north. The status of these spots is not known at this time. Suppression activities on the fire will continue to consist of water bucket drops from helicopters. The fire is being continuously monitored, by park personnel, to access future management strategies.

August 4, 2000
Fire managers conducted an aerial reconnaissance flight on August 3 and estimated the fire's perimeter at 400 acres. All other park fires are reported out at this time.

August 3, 2000
The Park Peak Fire increased in fire behavior activity in the last 24 hours. Currently helicopters continue to drop buckets of water and one Type 1 crew remains in the area monitoring and directing helicopter operations. An aerial reconnaissance flight yesterday (see video clip) and subsequent mapping show the fire to be at ~250 acres. The Boulder Pass trail is closed from Boulder Pass to Upper Kintla Lake, including Upper Kintla Lake Backcountry Campground.

The McGee Creek Fire is out. The Rogers Peak Fire is controlled.

On the Blackfeet Reservation, adjacent to the park's eastern boundary, fire danger levels have reached extreme. Forest lands within the reservation are now temporarily closed to any and all users. Several popular lakes and streams are closed as well. For information on Blackfeet Reservation closures call 406-338-7498. Slide Lake, Autumn Creek, and Scenic Point Trails, within the park, have no access from the Reservation.

August 2, 2000
The Parke Peak Fire experienced increased fire behavior activity yesterday afternoon. Two crews and a Llama helicopter continue to work on the fire. An aerial reconnaissance flight is planned for this afternoon.

Elsewhere in the park two new fire starts were discovered on an aerial reconnaissance flight yesterday. The McGee Creek fire is estimated at 3/4 of an acre. A 3 person crew has been sent to that fire. The Rogers Peak Fire is about 3/10 of an acre, and is in a difficult area to access. A 6 person crew has been dispatched to that fire. Logging Pete Fire is contained and crews are in the final stages of mop up.

July 31, 2000
Crews continue suppression activity on the Parke Peak fire. The perimeter has been mapped and is estimated at 85 acres. Crews have been dispatched to investigate two new reported fires. Weather predictions are for continued dry and hot weather. Smoking is prohibited while hiking on trails or while traveling through the backcountry.

July 23, 2000
Two lightning storms occurred on the evening of July 22nd and at this time there are four confirmed fires in the park. The largest is the Parke Peak Fire estimated at 50 acres. The fire is located at the head of Kintla Lake, at an elevation of approximately 6000 feet and is on the south side of the drainage. Steps have been taken to minimize the impact of the fire suppression effort on an active bald eagle nest in the area and personnel are gearing up to protect the Kintla Lake backcountry patrol cabin if needed.

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