Glacier Park set to partially reopen on June 8

After being closed to visitors for more than two months, Glacier National Park will partially reopen June 8.

According to a Tuesday press release, the park will open the west gate entrance at West Glacier until 4:30 p.m. each day “until operations are extended.” Visitors will be able to access Apgar and Going-to-the-Sun Road as far as Lake McDonald Lodge. Visitors can hike or bike on the Sun Road “as conditions allow” and will be able to use restrooms and trails that are accessible from open park roads. Private businesses in Apgar Village may decide to operate as well. The press release also states the park “is targeting to have personal boating on Lake McDonald and aquatic invasive species inspection stations open.”

Visitors should expect a few usual park offerings to be absent this season, including the park’s free shuttle service which will not be offered “due to social distancing requirements.” The popular and historic fleet of red buses, which is owned and operated by Xanterra and charges for tours, also recently announced that operations would be suspended through July 31, citing similar reasons.

Visitor centers, ranger stations and overnight accommodations will remain closed until “later in the season.” Campgrounds, backcountry permits, additional stores, expanded tours and takeout food service “will open when safe and appropriate mitigation measures are in place” and hotels, full-service dining, commercial tour buses and ranger programs will “reopen when health conditions allow.”

East entrances from the Blackfeet Reservation will remain closed as the park continues consultations with the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council.

In a prepared statement, park Superintendent Jeff Mow said, “We understand the economic importance that Glacier has to our gateway communities. Our goal is to gradually provide visitor access and to mitigate for and respond quickly to any new infections should they occur.”

The park closed its gates March 24 in an effort to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus and the decision to reopen was made in accordance with “guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state and local public health authorities.” Glacier’s shutdown was inconsistent with others national parks including Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Bryce Canyon. Glacier closed about one week after Gov. Steve Bullock ordered park leadership to do so and is now reopening one week after its neighboring “sister park,” Yellowstone.

A phased reopening plan for the park was released last week, but up until Tuesday, no official opening day had been set. The delay in a set date and a lack of communication from park leadership recently prompted local business owners and community leaders to send a letter to Bullock asking that he support a targeted reopening of June 1.

“Governor, we understand the challenge with which you are faced to balance health and safety with economic and fiscal health,” the letter stated. “There is no doubt, however, about the economic impact of COVID-19 on the Montana economy.”

According to the press release, the park’s reopening priorities “center on protecting the public and employees from transmission risks through a variety of mitigation actions consistent with local, state, tribal, and federal guidance.” In addition, park officials will “actively monitor changing conditions in the park itself and in surrounding counties and will maintain flexibility to expand, adjust, or contract operations as conditions warrant.”

Glacier has also developed a range of mitigation actions that include: providing protective barriers where needed, encouraging the use of masks or facial coverings when social distancing cannot be maintained, increasing cleaning frequency of facilities, adding signage on boardwalks and other public spaces, and messaging to visitors through a variety of methods.

For more information on the reopening and to keep up with any changes, go to https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm