I haven't been to Glacier yet, but I've been to many parks and I think progressively moving to a model where you park at the entrance and ride a free electric shuttle bus is the way to go eventually. The noise and fumes from constant traffic really do take away from any park experience, and can also scare away wildlife. Add on-demand shuttle bus stops everywhere, and make the busses run every 10 minutes or so (with the money raised from the parking fees), and the situation greatly improves. A national park is actually one of the few places where public transportation is ideally suited: limited routes with predictable stops. It will probably end up that way eventually, I hope.
Edward Abby proposed this idea decades ago… I hope we get there too; sooner rather than later. I have little interest in most National Parking Lots as they are now
Grew up in Kalispell and we used to go to the park in the middle of the summer on a weekend and the park was always empty. Went there a few years ago before permits started in the middle of September and it was so crowded. Not sure I will ever get back there. Mount Rainier is moving to permits this year. As a photographer, I have been there during wildflower season and it out of control with people. I'm happy to see the permits for the overcrowding but it sucks that I can't spontaneously go to the parks anymore.
I am glad that you mentioned the permits for Mount Rainier. I didn't know about that. I found the information online and now will adjust my plans accordingly.
“Bucketlist dude bro” “van life dude bro” “it’s all about me dude bro” “it’s fo duh gram dude bro…” The wilderness has become a commodity due to instaBrag n others I believe that there should be charges for uploading photos and most of the money should go back to the parks impacted by such posts
We were there in 2021 the first yr of the ticket system. I’m glad it was a ticket system. We were able to enjoy the park with no traffic jams, easy parking in all the areas. It was really nice compared to the 5 Mile backups and you never get anywhere except sitting in the car. Also, we went more in the evening because the light was better for photos of the key spots. It wasn’t busy even when you didn’t need a ticket. It’s light there in July until 10:30pm - 11pm so if you go in at 5pm (now 3 pm). You have 8 hours of daylight left. You have enough time to get to Logan Pass and do a hike easy. I don’t know why the hotel owner couldn’t go. I thought evening a was better time. The Moose come out at dusk. If you go in July the daylight is so long you don’t need a ticket. If I had a motel I would advertise that. This year it will be better. You will have 8 hours a day with daylight without need for a ticket. That definitely gives you enough time to get anywhere and do a hike. If I go back I don’t think I’ll even look to get a ticket and plan my day to go in at 3pm. You have daytime to enjoy West Glacier. I wish they had a few good museums so you can do things during the off time. I guess you can always go to Kaispell.
Many of the vehicle reservations go unused. Some people are getting 10 or more reservations just to secure options and then only using a couple of those. Need to cap the number of reservations and/or increase the vehicle reservation fee to discourage people from reserving more dates than they will actually use.
Ride your bicycle or e-bike. No need for reservation. Book a tour with a tour company, that gets you into the park. We were at GNP two years ago. We're not able to secure a reservation. Only found out about the bicycle exception by accident. One observation, we noticed when we left the park on our e-bikes, The traffic backups from the vehicles going into the park after the reservation time period were at least a mile or more long. My thoughts are, the reservation system appears to make it so a select portion of the public gets a non-crowded experience. The rest of the public get to experience long traffic backups and crowded facilities. I am not sure what the solution is. At least the NPS is trying something.
👋🏼 LOCALS EASY FIX: 100+ car passes a day set aside for LOCALS ONLY. *Must show ID & be present* Show respect for Locals who keep the community flowing with hospitality, run the gas stations and motels and diners.
Give local within an hour drive a 10 days punch card for the season. They can go in 10 times without reservation. The reason to limit the number of times is so they won’t miss use the privilege.
@@mikate09 Even better- whatever makes it actually WORK. Have a simple ‘locals flow lane’ to boot! Easy in & out. But must still show ID 😉 to keep it honest.
@@stephani1972 ..Last time I checked it was a NATIONAL Park, not a LOCAL park. Why should you have an easier path to visit and a "fast lane" to get in and not me? You dont hear folks in NC saying locals should get preferential treatment when visiting the Outer Banks (a NATIONAL Seashore). Many of the locals around Glacier seem to have an air of entitlement about them.
@@ToddRightsell Exactly. Most Montanas hate "out of staters". They wish they had everything to themselves, for free. Tourists, leave your money and get out.
I get everyones frustration with all the comments! I do not live in Montana but I would love to visit Glacier myself without all the crazy rude littering as*holes not respecting nature people messing it up, like they ALWAYS do! & this is why we cant have nice things because of other peoples kids not respecting nature! I am from Northern Mich. So, I understand this to full extent! I feel that everyone should have to pay & have reservations for the park, locals SHOULD have a discount rate. I also feel that if the park has 500 camp sites they should only reserve 475 camp sites, same with parking if they have 1000 parking spots only reserve 975 of them for the day. 1st come 1st serve for everyone. The park will not get overloaded, retain wild life, less pollution and making money to preserve it the best as possible! Also, only allow 1 visit a month or only allow 1000 people in on a daily basis or something. Have a 1 day pass, 4, 7, 10 day passes! It is actually a very simple task...they just have to have structure & simplicity with it. Just some thoughts!
I love Glacier, but like a seasonal parks, there a time to go there and a time to go somewhere else. Most major seasonal parks, Yellowstone and Grand Tetons, Yosemite, Glacier, etc., are pretty quiet for about a month between seasons. Spring and fall are great times to go to those parks because tourists are afraid they will get caught in a snow storm and the skiers, snowmobilers, etc. are afraid there won't be enough snow. So the time to go to these parks is the middle of spring or the middle of fall. But remember, it can snow at any time in these mountain parks, so be prepared for that. If you are a well seasoned traveler, you should know all that already. Happy Trails!
Overtourism is a problem all over the world, not just in Glacier. Banff, close to where is live, is grappling with the same issues, as is my home country of New Zealand. Yes, it might be public land, but it still needs to be managed for sustainability. Nobody's saying you can't go there, they're simply saying you might have to plan a little differently. I don't understand why so many people take that as a personal affront. I'm excited to learn that the reservations system finishes at 3pm now though. I haven't taken the motorcycle down to Glacier for a few years now due to that, I might have to revisit this year.
I’m glad they are trying to minimize overcrowding but the current system is poor. Try going with 5 motorcycles when you can only purchase 1 ticket each. Everyone on computers at exactly 9am 120 days in advance , all fingers ready to click. All successful 2 of 6 tries. But the park is absolutely magnificent and we will forget the aggravation before we arrive. Just seems a shame to begin the experience with days of arranging to click on a computer between 9:00 and 9:01.
Motorcycles should be limited to size of group anyways. And its way beyond time for noise restrictions on vehicles going through NP's ( motorcycles in particular )
I went a few years ago when yellowstone flooded and i couldn't change my flight or car reservation. I scored 3 nights at lake mcdonald lodge with a room right off the lobby no stairs. It was wonderful. I booked boat tours and horseback riding. I booked the lodge again this year for august hope to get swift current in for one night i keep checking so far no cancellations. Im going to yellostone and grand tetonts before. Worst case i book a tour and or leave at 3 in the moring to get in many glacier area. I really want to see the north fork i missed that area last time couldn't get a reservation. I didnt think of just leaving early.
I’m from California, but Montana residents should have a free pass into the park anytime they want. It’s hard to believe that would impact the numbers much…
Work/play? You decide. Don't blame other people. I was able to easily get reservations the day before last August. I don't understand. Why are eggs $12 a dozen at St. Mary? Please.
after 2021, I go in fully loaded with food. St Mary is insane price wise. drive to east glacier or browning do your shopping there and fill up your tank for $1 less a gallon
@@denisemataisz6631 It's very beautiful up in there. Thinking about taking Amtrak to East Glacier from Chicago and spending a couple weeks hiking around and into the park then out into West Glacier and back home via Amtrak. The Logan Pass area is tourist central.
@@NoFeeArea thank you. I love my backyard and most of my visitors. :) Your plans are extremely doable and depending on time of year can be done without a vehicle all together. Starting on the Eastside without a vehicle and going to Westside is easier than reverse. Enjoy your visit if you do get here again⛰️
@@denisemataisz6631 Just a few miles from the station and a climb over to get inside. Probably stay overnight at E.G. then do the trek early and get back down into the lower by evening. Two Medicine is more remote and more what I like. Then another climb over to get into the heart. Taking the road to Two Medicine is probably easier but not my style. I would have to convince my young nephew from Seattle to meet me. I am 62 but active. He is the experienced backpacker. Probably have a firearm holstered. Bear spray just seems not enough. Black Bear yea, grizzly nope. I stared off at the glacier south Logan Pass and dreamt. That whole area has to be so remote. Triple Divide area. That's the destination.
Travel to me is only enjoyable when the schedule is flexible without deadlines to be at certain places at specific times. Adjusting on the fly to suit the weather & opportunities for interesting side trips that may present themselves. Travel to a Yellowstone, Zion, or Glacier is 1000+ miles. Getting there to find nothing but lines / crowds / don’t do this / don’t do that / don’t stop here / no parking / no camping / and no permits leaves nothing but a desire to get away. Like the elite Boundary Water canoe permits in MN, the game is rigged for competitive types who sit poised with their finger on the trigger to make plans a year in advance, then schedule their lives around their permits.
Too think I wanted to go there to get away from the crowds because I live in Utah with the big five parks that are extremely busy and the same things happening there apparently
Honestly, the solution should be everyone have a reservation for the WHOLE PARK and limit a certain amount of people for the day. I mean it simple 1st come 1st serve! How many camp sites are there? Only allow that amount of people. How many parking spots? Only allow that many people in and you should pay and have a reservation to get in period.
Oh no, lets not fix over crowding so she can go to the park. Parks are over crowded and underfunded. Call your US Rep or Senator and DEMAND more park funding.
Having seen whats happened to parks over the years I can honestly say, "Businesses need to suck it up and move on." Not everything has to revolve around money 😞
The answer is that individuals with a Montana drivers license and a non-commercially registered vehicle, with matching addresses, should not be subject to the vehicle registration system.
I don't like these reservation requirements because they get booked up way ahead of time and you can't do anything spur of the moment. I like to wait for a good weather forecast but by the time the weather forecast is available their are no reservations left. I get that traffic jams and no place to park is just as big a problem which is why the park service should be building new roads/lodges as the population increases. I know the environmentalists would have a fit if we built another road but there is so much un-developed land in the park we could build a few more roads and still have plenty of wild space and those idiots need to realize that spreading people out more would be good for the environment. I know people are also going to say we can't afford that but maybe the taxpayer could afford to build a few more roads if we didn't spend 8X what any other developed country spends on their military and our leaders stopped racking up the debt getting bigger and bigger debt payments.
Maybe the government shouldn't have shut everything down and give people Monopoly money to go on vacation? The bill will eventually come due. People need to quit complaining about having to share the world with other people. We all wish we had everything to ourselves for free, but unfortunately that's not the case. The locals are entitled. Why do you have a right to it? What makes you special? Because you were there first? Maybe you had your turn?
I haven't been to Glacier yet, but I've been to many parks and I think progressively moving to a model where you park at the entrance and ride a free electric shuttle bus is the way to go eventually. The noise and fumes from constant traffic really do take away from any park experience, and can also scare away wildlife.
Add on-demand shuttle bus stops everywhere, and make the busses run every 10 minutes or so (with the money raised from the parking fees), and the situation greatly improves. A national park is actually one of the few places where public transportation is ideally suited: limited routes with predictable stops.
It will probably end up that way eventually, I hope.
Edward Abby proposed this idea decades ago… I hope we get there too; sooner rather than later. I have little interest in most National Parking Lots as they are now
Grew up in Kalispell and we used to go to the park in the middle of the summer on a weekend and the park was always empty. Went there a few years ago before permits started in the middle of September and it was so crowded. Not sure I will ever get back there. Mount Rainier is moving to permits this year. As a photographer, I have been there during wildflower season and it out of control with people. I'm happy to see the permits for the overcrowding but it sucks that I can't spontaneously go to the parks anymore.
I am glad that you mentioned the permits for Mount Rainier. I didn't know about that. I found the information online and now will adjust my plans accordingly.
Lived in Whitefish back in the 70s back then it was pretty empty Love that place used to swim in Lake Mc Donald and fish😊
@@jeffnelson974 I love Whitefish - been going there since 2008 - but it's bougie and expensive these days!
“Bucketlist dude bro” “van life dude bro” “it’s all about me dude bro” “it’s fo duh gram dude bro…”
The wilderness has become a commodity due to instaBrag n others
I believe that there should be charges for uploading photos and most of the money should go back to the parks impacted by such posts
We were there in 2021 the first yr of the ticket system. I’m glad it was a ticket system. We were able to enjoy the park with no traffic jams, easy parking in all the areas. It was really nice compared to the 5 Mile backups and you never get anywhere except sitting in the car. Also, we went more in the evening because the light was better for photos of the key spots. It wasn’t busy even when you didn’t need a ticket. It’s light there in July until 10:30pm - 11pm so if you go in at 5pm (now 3 pm). You have 8 hours of daylight left. You have enough time to get to Logan Pass and do a hike easy. I don’t know why the hotel owner couldn’t go. I thought evening a was better time. The Moose come out at dusk. If you go in July the daylight is so long you don’t need a ticket. If I had a motel I would advertise that. This year it will be better. You will have 8 hours a day with daylight without need for a ticket. That definitely gives you enough time to get anywhere and do a hike. If I go back I don’t think I’ll even look to get a ticket and plan my day to go in at 3pm. You have daytime to enjoy West Glacier. I wish they had a few good museums so you can do things during the off time. I guess you can always go to Kaispell.
Many of the vehicle reservations go unused. Some people are getting 10 or more reservations just to secure options and then only using a couple of those. Need to cap the number of reservations and/or increase the vehicle reservation fee to discourage people from reserving more dates than they will actually use.
Ride your bicycle or e-bike. No need for reservation. Book a tour with a tour company, that gets you into the park. We were at GNP two years ago. We're not able to secure a reservation. Only found out about the bicycle exception by accident. One observation, we noticed when we left the park on our e-bikes, The traffic backups from the vehicles going into the park after the reservation time period were at least a mile or more long. My thoughts are, the reservation system appears to make it so a select portion of the public gets a non-crowded experience. The rest of the public get to experience long traffic backups and crowded facilities. I am not sure what the solution is. At least the NPS is trying something.
Just left there...loved it. Can't imagine going in the summer.
👋🏼 LOCALS EASY FIX: 100+ car passes a day set aside for LOCALS ONLY. *Must show ID & be present* Show respect for Locals who keep the community flowing with hospitality, run the gas stations and motels and diners.
Give local within an hour drive a 10 days punch card for the season. They can go in 10 times without reservation. The reason to limit the number of times is so they won’t miss use the privilege.
@@mikate09 Even better- whatever makes it actually WORK. Have a simple ‘locals flow lane’ to boot! Easy in & out. But must still show ID 😉 to keep it honest.
@@stephani1972 ..Last time I checked it was a NATIONAL Park, not a LOCAL park. Why should you have an easier path to visit and a "fast lane" to get in and not me? You dont hear folks in NC saying locals should get preferential treatment when visiting the Outer Banks (a NATIONAL Seashore). Many of the locals around Glacier seem to have an air of entitlement about them.
@@ToddRightsell Exactly. Most Montanas hate "out of staters". They wish they had everything to themselves, for free. Tourists, leave your money and get out.
I get everyones frustration with all the comments! I do not live in Montana but I would love to visit Glacier myself without all the crazy rude littering as*holes not respecting nature people messing it up, like they ALWAYS do! & this is why we cant have nice things because of other peoples kids not respecting nature! I am from Northern Mich. So, I understand this to full extent! I feel that everyone should have to pay & have reservations for the park, locals SHOULD have a discount rate. I also feel that if the park has 500 camp sites they should only reserve 475 camp sites, same with parking if they have 1000 parking spots only reserve 975 of them for the day. 1st come 1st serve for everyone. The park will not get overloaded, retain wild life, less pollution and making money to preserve it the best as possible! Also, only allow 1 visit a month or only allow 1000 people in on a daily basis or something. Have a 1 day pass, 4, 7, 10 day passes! It is actually a very simple task...they just have to have structure & simplicity with it. Just some thoughts!
I love Glacier, but like a seasonal parks, there a time to go there and a time to go somewhere else. Most major seasonal parks, Yellowstone and Grand Tetons, Yosemite, Glacier, etc., are pretty quiet for about a month between seasons. Spring and fall are great times to go to those parks because tourists are afraid they will get caught in a snow storm and the skiers, snowmobilers, etc. are afraid there won't be enough snow. So the time to go to these parks is the middle of spring or the middle of fall. But remember, it can snow at any time in these mountain parks, so be prepared for that. If you are a well seasoned traveler, you should know all that already. Happy Trails!
I was in GNP July 95 it was crowded then. But it was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen.
Well when have 3mil people visiting something has to be done.
Overtourism is a problem all over the world, not just in Glacier. Banff, close to where is live, is grappling with the same issues, as is my home country of New Zealand. Yes, it might be public land, but it still needs to be managed for sustainability. Nobody's saying you can't go there, they're simply saying you might have to plan a little differently. I don't understand why so many people take that as a personal affront.
I'm excited to learn that the reservations system finishes at 3pm now though. I haven't taken the motorcycle down to Glacier for a few years now due to that, I might have to revisit this year.
I'd love to go to Glacier just one more time, just one more time before I go; the clock is ticking!!
I’m glad they are trying to minimize overcrowding but the current system is poor.
Try going with 5 motorcycles when you can only purchase 1 ticket each. Everyone on computers at exactly 9am 120 days in advance , all fingers ready to click.
All successful 2 of 6 tries.
But the park is absolutely magnificent and we will forget the aggravation before we arrive. Just seems a shame to begin the experience with days of arranging to click on a computer between 9:00 and 9:01.
Motorcycles should be limited to size of group anyways. And its way beyond time for noise restrictions on vehicles going through NP's ( motorcycles in particular )
I went a few years ago when yellowstone flooded and i couldn't change my flight or car reservation. I scored 3 nights at lake mcdonald lodge with a room right off the lobby no stairs. It was wonderful. I booked boat tours and horseback riding. I booked the lodge again this year for august hope to get swift current in for one night i keep checking so far no cancellations. Im going to yellostone and grand tetonts before. Worst case i book a tour and or leave at 3 in the moring to get in many glacier area. I really want to see the north fork i missed that area last time couldn't get a reservation. I didnt think of just leaving early.
If you can’t get up early enough to arrive at the park before 6am, then you just don’t want it bad enough.
I’m from California, but Montana residents should have a free pass into the park anytime they want. It’s hard to believe that would impact the numbers much…
Work/play? You decide. Don't blame other people. I was able to easily get reservations the day before last August. I don't understand. Why are eggs $12 a dozen at St. Mary? Please.
Go to Thronson’s in Babb. St. Mary’s is a rip off it is part of Pursuit and it’s a tourist trap.
after 2021, I go in fully loaded with food. St Mary is insane price wise. drive to east glacier or browning do your shopping there and fill up your tank for $1 less a gallon
@@denisemataisz6631 It's very beautiful up in there. Thinking about taking Amtrak to East Glacier from Chicago and spending a couple weeks hiking around and into the park then out into West Glacier and back home via Amtrak. The Logan Pass area is tourist central.
@@NoFeeArea thank you. I love my backyard and most of my visitors. :) Your plans are extremely doable and depending on time of year can be done without a vehicle all together. Starting on the Eastside without a vehicle and going to Westside is easier than reverse. Enjoy your visit if you do get here again⛰️
@@denisemataisz6631 Just a few miles from the station and a climb over to get inside. Probably stay overnight at E.G. then do the trek early and get back down into the lower by evening. Two Medicine is more remote and more what I like. Then another climb over to get into the heart. Taking the road to Two Medicine is probably easier but not my style. I would have to convince my young nephew from Seattle to meet me. I am 62 but active. He is the experienced backpacker. Probably have a firearm holstered. Bear spray just seems not enough. Black Bear yea, grizzly nope. I stared off at the glacier south Logan Pass and dreamt. That whole area has to be so remote. Triple Divide area. That's the destination.
Travel to me is only enjoyable when the schedule is flexible without deadlines to be at certain places at specific times. Adjusting on the fly to suit the weather & opportunities for interesting side trips that may present themselves. Travel to a Yellowstone, Zion, or Glacier is 1000+ miles. Getting there to find nothing but lines / crowds / don’t do this / don’t do that / don’t stop here / no parking / no camping / and no permits leaves nothing but a desire to get away.
Like the elite Boundary Water canoe permits in MN, the game is rigged for competitive types who sit poised with their finger on the trigger to make plans a year in advance, then schedule their lives around their permits.
Too think I wanted to go there to get away from the crowds because I live in Utah with the big five parks that are extremely busy and the same things happening there apparently
Was lucky to get a pass in the first year of the program. Off my list for future visits too crowded.
And the Park exists for the vital interests of all the local businesses? REALLY !
Honestly, the solution should be everyone have a reservation for the WHOLE PARK and limit a certain amount of people for the day. I mean it simple 1st come 1st serve! How many camp sites are there? Only allow that amount of people. How many parking spots? Only allow that many people in and you should pay and have a reservation to get in period.
Easy solution. Ration leaving cities by permit!
Good video 👍👍
Glacier is the elder and human custodians must balance people’s entry.
Oh no, lets not fix over crowding so she can go to the park. Parks are over crowded and underfunded. Call your US Rep or Senator and DEMAND more park funding.
Having seen whats happened to parks over the years I can honestly say, "Businesses need to suck it up and move on." Not everything has to revolve around money 😞
The answer is that individuals with a Montana drivers license and a non-commercially registered vehicle, with matching addresses, should not be subject to the vehicle registration system.
The reservation system is terrible. Im not sure what the solution is but id rather have the old system than what they are doing now.
An example of what happens when you have to many bureaucrats. There are gorgeous mountains without these bureaucrats, go find your paradise
To the folks on the phones---refer people to this video.
Psssst.....National Forests are just as good and sometimes better (less people).
Close the whole park for a year. Give nature a break.
Over population. War
I don't like these reservation requirements because they get booked up way ahead of time and you can't do anything spur of the moment. I like to wait for a good weather forecast but by the time the weather forecast is available their are no reservations left. I get that traffic jams and no place to park is just as big a problem which is why the park service should be building new roads/lodges as the population increases. I know the environmentalists would have a fit if we built another road but there is so much un-developed land in the park we could build a few more roads and still have plenty of wild space and those idiots need to realize that spreading people out more would be good for the environment. I know people are also going to say we can't afford that but maybe the taxpayer could afford to build a few more roads if we didn't spend 8X what any other developed country spends on their military and our leaders stopped racking up the debt getting bigger and bigger debt payments.
Go before 6am. Problem solved
Easiest way about navigating this vehicle reservation system..
Stay away from National Parks.
Locals should be given a “pass” to enjoy the park whenever they can get the time.
Motorcycles should be allowed in anytime without a reservation.
Why? Are motorcycle riders special? Why should motorcycle riders get special treatment?
Maybe the government shouldn't have shut everything down and give people Monopoly money to go on vacation? The bill will eventually come due. People need to quit complaining about having to share the world with other people. We all wish we had everything to ourselves for free, but unfortunately that's not the case. The locals are entitled. Why do you have a right to it? What makes you special? Because you were there first? Maybe you had your turn?