Glacier Park visitation drops in November

Visitation to Glacier National Park was down in November compared to last year. Park officials recorded 14,924 visits in November, compared to 16,158 last year — a 7.6 percent drop.

Significant snow fell in Glacier Park this November, and most campgrounds and roads were closed.

The biggest decrease in visitor numbers came in Many Glacier. Last year, with little snow and the road open, 1,799 people went to the valley. This year, just 50. Polebridge also saw lower numbers, but west entrance traffic remained virtually unchanged.

Last year, 11,791 people went through the west entrance gates, while this year, 11,700 did. The Park kept the Camas Road and Going-to-the-Sun Road as far as Avalanche Creek plowed through the month.

For the year, Glacier Park saw a 1.3 percent increase in visitation, despite the partial government shutdown that closed the Park for two weeks in early October.

To date, the Park has seen 2.179 million recreational visitors, compared to 2.152 million last year.