WEST GLACIER - Glacier National Park announced that vehicle reservations, formerly known as “tickets,” required to access Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) and the North Fork area via the Polebridge Entrance Station from May 27 – Sept. 11 will become available on Recreation.gov starting March 2 at 8 a.m. Other areas of the park can be accessed without a reservation.
This will be the second year of the reservation system pilot, designed to manage high traffic volumes within the park and avoid gridlock. Glacier National Park is consistently the 10th most visited national park in the country. The 2021 reservation system pilot reduced congestion during peak hours and circumvented the need to close vehicle access to GTSR an estimated 35 times. This was achieved despite 2021 visitation numbers currently indicating the second highest visitation on record for the park. Avoiding gridlock also ensured emergency vehicle access and prevented severe vehicle back-ups at the West Entrance.
The North Fork also saw record-setting visitation. By August 2021, visitation to the North Fork was 20% higher than in 2019. In contrast to GTSR, the North Fork is managed as a “wilderness threshold zone” with emphasis on solitude, a sense of history, difficulty of access and limited support facilities. In order to maintain these values, the park will manage North Fork visitation levels to eliminate the need to temporarily restrict access, improve visitor safety, protect sensitive resources and provide quality visitor experiences.
Vehicle reservations for the Going-to-the-Sun Road and North Fork will be available on Recreation.gov 120 days in advance on a rolling window starting March 2. Starting May 26, additional vehicle reservations will also be made available the day before the effective date.
Visitors may also call 1-877-444-6777 to make a reservation. The $2 reservation fee still applies.
For more information, visit Glacier National Park’s website https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm
Reader Comments(0)