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Contact: Amy Vanderbilt, 406 888-5838 Contact: Wade Muehlhof, 406 888-7895
WEST GLACIER, MONT. – Glacier National Park saw near record visitation for the second month in a row. August 2010 visits (approximately 632, 971) were up 16.8% compared to August 2009. Year-to-date visitor numbers through August 31 (approximately 1,809,340) were up 11% compared to 2009. Park managers emphasize that visitation is derived from calculations rather than just pure numbers. Therefore, managers caution that park visitor numbers should be viewed as estimates rather than exact figures. Estimates or not, it was a very busy summer in the park. The overwhelming number of visitors to Glacier National Park this summer resulted in parking lots filling by mid-morning and campgrounds filling nearly every day. Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright says, "We thank everyone for being patient and for sharing the park's resources with so many fellow visitors this summer. We were also able to make many improvements to the park's infrastructure with minimal impact to the visitor's experience. What a great way to mark the park's 100 year anniversary!" The Going-to-the-Sun Road (Sun Road) shuttle system was widely used by visitors this summer, serving 170,466 passengers, the most in its four year existence. The transit service tallied 156,726 riders in 2009. The Sun Road shuttle system is made possible through a cooperative agreement among three organizations, including the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), Flathead County's Eagle Transit, and Glacier National Park. The cooperative plan includes a provision for shuttle bus use throughout the state in the park's off-season from September to June. For more information about MDT, please visit the department's official website at http://www.mdt.mt.gov/or call 406-444-6200. Glacier National Park remains open to the public throughout the year. Autumn can be a beautiful time to visit Glacier with cooler weather, less traffic and a splash of fall colors already getting underway. For more information about Glacier National Park, please visit the park's official website at https://www.nps.gov/glacor call 406-888-7800. - NPS - |
Last updated: February 24, 2015