Park numbers surge again in August

With nearly a month left in the normal tourist season, Glacier National Park has seen nearly 1.9 million visitors this year, and Park visitation will likely eclipse the record of 2.2 million set in 1983.

August was another record month with 675,119 visitors, the most since 1983 when 673,399 people entered the Park. The August numbers were also 7.75 percent higher than last year.

Last year, about 2.19 million visitors came to Glacier Park. If visitation tops the 2 million mark again this season, it will be the third year in a row.

Glacier Park has received a lot of national media attention this year, including being named the second best park in the nation in a poll of USA Today writers. This is also the first year in a long time with no construction on the Going-to-the-Sun Road west of Logan Pass.

The record numbers come on the heels of a late opening of the Sun Road, which didn’t fully open until July 2 this year.

The record August numbers come as somewhat of a surprise — late August saw rain and cool weather for several days, but it didn’t seem to quell the crowds.

Even on a snowy and wet day last week, the parking lot at Avalanche Creek was filled with vehicles.

Visitation was lower in some parts of the Park. St. Mary’s numbers were down 0.5 percent over last August and down 2.5 percent for the year-to-date. Even so, more than 402,000 people went through the St. Mary gate.

Visitation at Two Medicine was down nearly 13 percent, with 40,000 visitors this August compared to 45,000 last August. But overall, Two Medicine is up nearly 9 percent over last year, with more than 136,000 visitors.

The wet August weather impacted backcountry travel. The Park had 4,887 backcountry campers in August, compared to 15,035 last year — a 45 percent decrease.