“Really!?! That’s the
third shuttle!”
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| The Highline Trail- one of the most congested hikes in Glacier |
We were all frustrated as we watched yet another shuttle
full of hikers pull out and head up toward Logan Pass. We had parked at “the Loop” in hopes of
getting a shuttle to the top of Logan Pass so we could hike the famed Highline
Trail back down to our car. Many of us had
waited 45 minutes and seen three full shuttles go by. Our small group of three and another group of
two had a time crunch in the afternoon so without wasting more time we set off
to hike the Highline Trail in reverse.
We found out later, the next shuttle arrived within ten minutes of our
departure with several open seats. But by then we were long gone, enjoying the
scenery, making record time and getting a great work-out while doing it. We made it to Logan Pass, shuttled back down
to our cars and arrived back to town in time to see our new niece.
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| The "clean-up crew" before all the cars get to Logan Pass parking lot |
A record 2.34 Million people visited Glacier National Park
last year! While that may be good news
for area businesses that cater to tourists, those of us who want to travel on
the famed Going-to-the-Sun scenic highway may find the roadway a little
crowded. The road is becoming so crowded
that Park officails recently asked for public comment on five different
proposals designed to lower congestion.
Several of the proposals include provisions for expansion of the shuttlesystem and one shuts it down entirely. A
couple of the proposals implement a reservation system for Going-to-the-Sun Highway
during July and August. Two of the
proposals also include a provision for bike only days. Whichever one they choose, it will likely
look very different in a couple years, but none of these changes will take
place until 2017.
So what does all this congestion mean for you, coming to
Glacier this summer? Well, you
essentially have 4 choices: park shuttles, personal vehicle, cycling or the Red Bus Tour.
In spite of the wait time sometimes involved, park shuttles
are your most reliable option if you want to hike for a few hours. This is because once you’re on the shuttle;
you don’t have to look for parking. If
you take your personal vehicle and can’t find parking you don’t have the option
of circling around to vulture-park because the road is too narrow to turn
around!
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| Siyeh Bend Pull-off early in the day |
The best part about driving your personal vehicle is that
you can actually stop and take pictures if (and that’s a big if) there’s an
open pull-out. You also have the option
of driving through Logan Pass (meaning you don’t have to come back the way you
came). Besides the uncertain parking
situation, another downside is that the driver usually doesn’t enjoy the
scenery because the narrow, congested, high-consequence road demands most of
his attention.
Until they have bike only days, your best bet cycling is in
the early and late hours of daylight (I have friends who bike up under the
light of the full moon). I have never
biked on the road during heavy traffic, but I pray for bikers that do.
The Red Bus Tour (and by bus I mean four rows of
seating) is probably the best sight-seeing option. The drivers are informed, engaging and even
funny. There aren’t quite as many photo
opportunities as if you drive yourself, but if the bus is stopped(as it often
is due to traffic and construction) you
can stand up and take a picture because the roof is retracted (weather
permitting).
Written by Matt Harrington- Marketing Specialist at the BestWestern Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites
