Glacier Road Closure and Yellowstone Tourism Number Updates
When the snow flies, the snow flies. And when tourism is flourishing, it seems to just keep on keeping on.
Such is the case with updates from both Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Neither announcement comes as too unexpected.
September Had Record Visitations
Not only was it the busiest September on record for Yellowstone, but it also padded their already record-breaking visitation record for the year. And while there are still recreation opportunities in Glacier, traveling their most iconic road is not one of them for the rest of the season.
The National Park Service reports that Yellowstone National Park hosted 872,695 recreation visits in September 2021. This is the busiest September on record and the first time the park hosted over 4 million visitors year-to-date. Their 2021 visitation number is 4,463,599 and counting.
Officials say that never in Yellowstone’s history has there been such substantial visitation increases in such a short amount of time. They also pledged to continue working to develop and implement appropriate short and long-term actions for managing increasing visitation across the park. Needless to say, it has all been quite overwhelming, resulting in more than a few disgruntled tourists.
Current Road Closures
And, due to continued winter weather, the alpine sections of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park will remain closed for the season. Currently, visitors can drive 15.5 miles from the West Entrance to Avalanche Creek, and 13.5 miles from the St. Mary Entrance to Jackson Glacier Overlook.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road typically closes between Avalanche Creek and Jackson Glacier Overlook on or before the third Monday in October, anyway, depending on road and weather conditions. A temporary road closure was first implemented on Sunday, October 10 due to inclement weather. Since that time, several more inches of snow have accumulated at Logan Pass and the road remains icy. And, the National Weather service is predicting more significant snow the rest of this week.