Opinion: Apgar parking plan has some flaws

A couple of weeks ago, Glacier National Park officials released a plan to improve services at Apgar. The best idea is to move the existing visitor center services to the transit center, which is a short walk away.

The transit center today is a beautiful building, but it's largely empty, and with some modifications would make a much better visitor center.

The rest of the plan deals with parking and, more specifically, parking lots. Glacier would like to expand parking in several locations around Apgar, including a two-acre expansion of the existing parking lot at the transit center.

One could argue more parking is needed. Maybe. But I've parked at the transit center on several occasions, because lots closer to Apgar were full, and I've never had a hard time finding a suitable spot. If anything, there were plenty of spaces.

Granted, moving the visitor center to the transit center will logically increase parking demand, but will it necessarily increase parking demand at Apgar when there's no visitor center there? Logic should say it won't, but Americans aren't much for walking, and what they want to park close to more than a visitor center is Lake McDonald and food - namely Eddy's Restaurant.

Some of the Apgar parking makes sense, but other lots are horrible. If I'm reading my maps right, one proposed lot would mow down a pretty nice stand of cedars west of the old Apgar School House. Why? So someone in an RV can walk across the street to the restaurant and stores rather than 100 to 150 yards from the visitor center.

Beyond that, the whole idea of paving over more of Glacier is troubling because Park managers really aren't taking any pains to assure there's no net loss. Glacier is a finite space. There is only so much of it. I would submit that for every acre this project paves over, two acres are reclaimed.

How does Glacier accomplish this? For one, raze the old visitor center. Make it an open space where people can relax. Even (gasp) plant a few cedars there. Secondly, stop trying to preserve every old cabin along Lake McDonald. The Park Service is going to end up owning many cabins in the coming years, and while some have historic significance, I'd submit that many of them are simply just decades-old structures that should be razed and the land surrounding them reclaimed to a natural state.

Remember, the mission is to preserve and protect, not pave in the name of convenience.