Glacier National Park Announces a Pilot Vehicle Reservation System in 2024

Graphic: Title Glacier National Park 2024 Vehicle Reservation Areas. Map with reservation areas highlighted. Area details provided in PR below

News Release Date: November 9, 2023

Contact: Gina Icenoggle, 406-888-5838

WEST GLACIER, Mont. [November 9, 2023] – Glacier National Park will implement a pilot vehicle reservation system in 2024, beginning May 24 for the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road and North Fork and on July 1 for Many Glacier.

“Our balanced approach for the 2024 pilot reflects feedback from Tribes, the public, partners, and stakeholders, particularly regarding access to the Apgar Village area and Two Medicine,” said Glacier National Park Superintendent Dave Roemer. “We also heard that knowing what park operations and access will look like sooner, rather than later, is important.”

West Entrance
One reservation per vehicle will be required to travel Going-to-the-Sun Road beyond the Apgar Village area from May 24 through Sept. 8, 2024, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors can enter before 6 a.m. or after 3 p.m. without a vehicle reservation. New in 2024, vehicle reservations will be valid for one day only, down from three days in 2023. Data from 2023 indicates that only two percent of three-day reservations were used for all three days. By changing to a one-day reservation, consistent with other park areas, a greater number of reservations can be made available.

Also new in 2024, visitors will be able to access Apgar Village amenities, including the Apgar Visitor Center, without a vehicle reservation. Lodging, camping (including front country developed campgrounds and backcountry camping permits), transportation, or commercial activity reservations originating in Apgar will no longer provide access beyond the Apgar filter check point.

North Fork
One reservation per vehicle will be required at the entrance station May 24 through Sept. 8, 2024, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are good for one day. Visitors can enter before 6 a.m. or after 3 p.m. without a vehicle reservation. There are no changes in the North Fork from 2023.

Many Glacier Valley
One reservation per vehicle will be required at the entrance station July 1 through Sept. 8, 2024, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations are good for one day. Visitors can enter the valley before 6 a.m. or after 3 p.m. without a vehicle reservation. There are no changes in Many Glacier from 2023.

Also new in 2024, visitors will be able to access the Going-to-the-Sun Road from the east side beyond Rising Sun without a vehicle reservation. Visitors will also have access to the St. Mary Visitor Center and shuttle stop on the east side of Glacier National Park, as in 2023.

“We will be testing vehicle reservations proactively in areas where congestion most frequently occurs – the North Fork, Many Glacier, and through the West Entrance to Going-to-the-Sun Road – and will take a wait-and-see approach at other locations and manage adaptively if needed,” said Roemer. “In all locations, our goal is to learn how effective these systems are at improving visitor experiences and protecting park resources.”

Vehicle reservations and entrance passes
Vehicle reservations will be available on https://www.recreation.gov/, the Recreation.gov mobile app, or the Recreation.gov Call Center (Reservation Line: 877-444-6777). Each of the specified areas of the park will require a separate reservation. Visitors will need to set up an account on Recreation.gov to obtain reservations. The only cost associated with booking a reservation is a $2 Recreation.gov processing fee.

Pursuant to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, vehicle reservations are not required for tribal members throughout the park.

Vehicle reservations will be available through two booking windows.    

  • A portion of reservations will be available 120 days or approximately four months advance, starting on Jan. 25, 2024, at 8 a.m. MST on a rolling basis on Recreation.gov.    
  • New in 2024, the remaining vehicle reservations will be available at 7 p.m. MDT for next-day entry starting on May 23, 2024.    

In addition to a vehicle reservation, each vehicle entering the park is required to have an entrance pass for any entry point into the park. These passes could include any of the following: a $35 vehicle pass, good for seven days; a valid Interagency Annual/Lifetime Pass; or a Glacier National Park Annual Pass. A vehicle reservation does not include an entrance pass, and the park entrance pass does not serve as a vehicle reservation.

Like previous years, visitors with lodging, camping, transportation, or commercial activity reservations within the specified reservation areas can use proof of their reservation for entry in lieu of a Recreation.gov reservation to gain access to the portion of the park for which they have a reservation.

As in past years, entry will be temporarily restricted in areas of the park that become too congested for visitor safety and resource protection. Parking at Logan Pass, Apgar Village, and other areas may be unavailable. Visitors are encouraged to take advantage of free shuttles for hiker access to Logan Pass although waits for shuttles may be long depending on the time and location. Visitors are encouraged to plan their visit outside of peak hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). Visitors with service reservations (e.g., boat tours, lodging, horseback ride, guided hikes) in these areas will be permitted entry during temporary restrictions.

Visitors are encouraged to check the park website frequently for updates and additional information.

This will be the fourth year of piloting vehicle reservations in the park. The pilots help test the effectiveness of different approaches to manage high traffic volumes within the park while delivering quality visitor experiences. During an open comment period for 2024 Visitor Use Management Strategies, a total of 1,408 comments were received. Input from these comments has helped inform strategies for how visitors will access park areas in the summer of 2024. The comments along with a summary report can be found on the park’s 2024 Visitor Use Management Strategy web page.

Fire Update August 9, 2021

Hay Creek Fire

Flathead National Forest, Montana

STATISTICS

• Location: 4 miles west of Polebridge, MT

  • Date of Origin: July 21, 2021
  • Cause: Lightning
  • Total fire acres: 2,894 acres
  • Containment: 23%

August 9, 2021

INFORMATION

  • Phone: (406) 219-1013, 8 am to 8 pm
  • Email: 2021.HayCreek@firenet.gov
  • InciWeb:https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7712/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/discovertheflathead
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlatheadNF

RESOURCES

• Engines: 14
• 1 Type 2 Crew
• 2 Heavy Equipment Task Forces (dozers, skidgines, excavators, water tenders)

• Helicopters: 2
• Personnel: 210

• Total gallons of water dropped: 754,940
• Fixed-wing flight hrs: 32 • Helicopter flight hrs: 110

INCIDENT UPDATE

An inch of rain fell across the fire over the weekend. Crews are using mechanical equipment to reduce fuels along the Spruce Creek Road and reinforcing shaded fuel breaks being used as contingency lines. Hand prep work is being done along the Red Meadow Road to use as an egress route in case of an evacuation in the area south of the fire. Aircraft did not fly yesterday due to weather.

No additional fire spread was seen on Sunday due to rain. Today the fire will continue to be active only in more sheltered areas that received less moisture, with heavy fuels that are still holding heat. A recon flight is scheduled to happen today to assess the fire. Resources at risk, including private structures and cultural and natural resources in both the Park and Forest continue to be assessed and protected. There will be a community meeting at the Sondreson Hall on Wednesday, August 11, at 6:00 pm.

Public Information Map

EVACUATIONS

Evacuation Warnings include all residences east and west of the North Fork Road from Home Ranch Bottoms north to Moose Creek Road and the community of Polebridge. Glacier National Park has issued an Evacuation Warning for the North Fork area of Glacier National Park north of Logging Creek. See details at https://go.usa.gov/xFjcA and Current Fire Information – Glacier National Park.

CLOSURES

Road and trail closures are in place. See details at InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7712/62192/.

WEATHER AND AIR QUALITY

The chance of rain decreases today, with clouds dissipating after morning. Highs will be in the upper 50s to upper 60s, warming into Tuesday. Expect morning fog Monday into Tuesday. The rest of the week is forecast to return to warmer, dryer weather.

Travelers should drive defensively, due to fire traffic and road construction in the area. For the most current fire weather forecast go to https://www.weather.gov/wrh/fire?wfo=mso. For smoke and air quality go tohttp://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/. For current visibility in Glacier NP seehttps://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm.

INCIDENT BACKGROUND

The Hay Creek Fire was reported on the evening of July 21, 2021. It is burning in the North Fork area of the Flathead National Forest at 5,200 – 7,100 feet of elevation and is being managed under a full suppression strategy.

Public and firefighter safety is the number one priority. The fire has no reported injuries to date.

Fire History

Montana is experiencing EXTREME fire danger; Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in effect with campfires prohibited. Know Before You Go- Visit www.mtfireinfo.org for additional Montana fire restrictions.

Charlie Wise Homestead Fire

The Charlie Wise Homestead Cabin will not be available for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately there was a fire at the homestead cabin on October 5 last year. The damage is extensive, it destroyed the roof and its supporting structure and everything inside was lost.

Reconstruction will start this summer. I think the main log structure is salvageable but I don’t know yet which direction it will go.

I was working in and around the cabin, cleaning up the yard, stocking the woodpile, replacing beds, armchairs and tables. I did lite the wood stove for some heat and late afternoon while working in the yard we noticed the cabin being full of smoke. I did try to get inside but a wall of black smoke made it impossible. A friend emptied his fire extinguisher through the window into the corner where the wood stove was and I got my pump going that was still in the creek next to the cabin. We started to pump creek water into the cabin but with no noticeable effect. Several passerby helped in the effort. We got a bigger pump from the hostel. Blankenship, Columbia Falls and Bad Rock fire departments responded. We figured it took 6 to 7 hours between when we discovered the fire until it was out. Here are pictures from the day after:

CWH Fire Front
Morning after the fire

CWH Fire back
Roof after the fire

CWH Fire kitchen
kitchen after the fire

CWH Fire ceiling
door and ceiling towards the living room

CWH Fire master bedroom
master bedroom

More Smoke in the North Fork

Controlled burns in the National Forest just outside Polebridge are signaling the end of another long Fire Season. Traditionally these fires help to restore a more historical fire regime to the ecosystem, improve wildlife habitat and reduce hazardous fuels to reduce wildfire risk and aid in potential future fire suppression efforts and improve wildlife habitat.

Controlled burn ending the season

Looks like it is in the Hay Creek Drainage

John Frederick Memorial

John
John & Bernie – photo courtesy of Carol Vuchetich

We are celebrating John’s life here at the North Fork Hostel coming May 19, 2018 at 1 PM.

Everybody is welcome. We will tell John stories and share memories, there will also be music and mementoes.

Bring a chair, lounger or hammock. Don’t forget an umbrella if it rains.

We will have a BBQ after we’re done with the remembering. Bring a side or dessert if you want to stick around for it.

Please join us!

Founder of the North Fork Hostel, John Frederick, dies

John and Bernie
photo by Carol Vuchetich

John at the 1987 Polebridge Fourth of July parade
John at 1987 Polebridge 4th of July Parade

John Frederick, champion of the North Fork and a founder of the North Fork Hostel and the North Fork Preservation Association, died today following a long illness. John passed away peacefully, his final weeks filled with the affection, laughter and tears of friends, family and well-wishers.

Here is John’s obituary, written by long-time friend and North Fork historian Lois Walker. We’ll post additional information as it becomes available . . .

Long-time Polebridge resident and champion of the North Fork, John Frederick, Jr., passed away on November 15. He was 74.

He was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1943, to John and Bettie Lee Frederick. He attended school in Marion, Ohio, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University. He served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1969, stationed for almost two years in Alaska.

John moved to Montana in 1976, living first near Olney and then at Rogers Lake. In the fall of 1978, he and his former wife purchased a residence in Polebridge and converted it into the North Fork Hostel. He managed the Hostel with welcoming grace for nearly 30 years, providing comfortable and hospitable lodging for travelers from around the globe and a popular gathering place for North Fork events.

He was an ardent outdoorsman, hiking the trails and camping in Glacier National Park and the Whitefish Range, navigating the lakes and rivers of the area, participating in Mountain Man Rendezvous events, and supporting a wide range of wildlife initiatives and wilderness proposals.

John Frederick with Bernie the Toe-Biter- photo by Carol Vuchetich
John and Bernie the Toe-Biter -photo by Carol Vuchetich

In 1982, he founded the North Fork Preservation Association to advocate against paving of the North Fork Road and to promote protection of the North Fork River from proposed coal mining operations in the Canadian Flathead. He served as president of the organization for nearly 30 years. NFPA annual meetings became a fixture of North Fork summer fare, with interesting and educational speakers. The NFPA also supported extensive trail maintenance and fire lookout preservation in the Hungry Horse Ranger District, as well as preservation of the Kishenehn Ranger Station in Glacier National Park.

He served on the board of directors of the North Fork Improvement Association for many years. He was also a member of the North Fork Land Use Advisory Committee and a board member of the former Glacier National Park Associates. He served on the board of Headwaters Montana for many years, participated in the recent Whitefish Range Partnership, and was a member of numerous conservation associations and initiatives.

From 1983-1985 John authored a weekly column about North Fork happenings in the Hungry Horse News. He inevitably served as announcer for the eclectic and unpredictable Polebridge 4th of July parade and earned the well-deserved honorific “Mayor of Polebridge.” He was a long-time member of North Valley Search and Rescue, and also helped found the Polebridge Irregulars fire-fighting team.

John Frederick at home in October 2011
John at home in October 2011

In 2014 he received a Conservation Achievement Award from the Flathead Audubon Society in honor of his 35-year effort to keep the North Fork wild. He will be long and well remembered for his soft-mannered yet persistent personality, his wry sense of humor, his dedication to environmental consciousness, and his tireless efforts in the interests of wildlife and wilderness conservation.

He is survived by a sister, Bonnie Lee Hankey, of Harveysburg, Ohio, a brother Alfred William Frederick (Imaculada) of Tampa, Fla., and nine nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and nephews.

Burial will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Columbia Falls. Announcement of a celebration of John’s life will be forthcoming.

Early Season Visitor

early season visitor to the Goat Chalet

 

He’s been feeding on the lush greens in the yard;

When it comes to keeping bears and people safe, hopefully I did the right thing?

  • bird feeders have been taken down
  • hummingbird feeders are hanging high and safe
  • no livestock
  • electric fence around compost pile
  • no trash, groceries, animal feed, coolers or any odorous item in cars or outdoors

Always keep a clean camp!