Park visitation breaks 1983 record

Visitation numbers at Glacier National Park so far this year have eclipsed the all-time record with three months left in the year.

Park officials recorded 2,238,761 visitors through September, which breaks the previous mark set in 1983 of 2,203,847.

Visitation in September was actually down 0.6 percent compared to last year. About 353,497 people visited Glacier Park in September. Those numbers are still very strong, considering the Park saw an early autumn snowstorm that closed Logan Pass for a few days.

Overnight stays were down 8.3 percent for September compared to last year. This year, 49,273 people stayed overnight, compared to 53,706 last year.

Backcountry overnight stays more than doubled from 2,700 last September to 5,757 this September.

Overall, visitation to Glacier Park this year was 4.5 percent higher than last year, when 2.139 million visited the Park through September.

October should also be a strong a month, as the weather has been warmer and drier than normal for the first half of the month.