Glacier Country News

Visitors are still flocking to Glacier National Park, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed what is usually a torrent into a trickle.

Flathead Beacon reported that visitation to the 1,583-square-mile wilderness area in Montana’s portion of the Rocky Mountains took a 60% nosedive this year as coronavirus concerns dashed vacation plans.

Glacier returned to business more than a month ago, but visitors are barred from most of the park. The area between the park’s very busy West Glacier entrance and the turnaround point at Rising Sun is temporarily closed, with the Blackfeet Nation prohibited access beyond Rising Sun.

Though Glacier’s visitation figures have decreased significantly, the Polebridge portion of the park welcomed 35,651 visitors, a 37% jump from last year’s figure of 24,434, the Flathead Beacon reported. So far this year, Polebridge has received 49,401 visitors despite the ongoing public health emergency.

Local business owner Will Hammerquist is amazed by the increasing flow of tourists to Polebridge.

“There’s a historic lull in overall park visitation this year due to a global pandemic, and yet we’ve never been busier,” he told the Beacon. “Everyone is squeezing into whatever space they can find.”