The famous Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park reopened to vehicle traffic on June 25 and immediately saw a spike in visitation compared with 2019.
According to a press release by the National Park Service (NPS), preliminary data shows a 41% increase in the number of vehicles on the Going-to-the-Sun Road over opening day in 2019.
Going-to-the-Sun Road Sees 41% More Vehicles on Opening Day Than in 2019
A spectacular drive across Logan Pass and snow-covered for most of the year, Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road is open only in summer. Each year, its seasonal opening comes with a sharp rise in visitation numbers and vehicle traffic as people head into the park’s wild interior on this breathtaking mountain road.
This year, in 2021, the opening of the Going-to-the-Sun Road saw a significant increase in traffic, which follows a trend of extremely high visitation across the entire national park system.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road opening day was also the first day of a new phase in Glacier National Park’s ticketed entry system, one of several reservation systems in the national parks.
Designed to reduce congestion on this narrow, busy and winding road, the Going-to-the-Sun Road ticketed entry system helps manage visitor numbers, allowing “the park to get close to maximum capacity without reaching the point of severe congestion and gridlock.”
Thanks to this new system, park officials have avoided the need to implement closures at the West Entrance to relieve congestion, according to the NPS press release.
Without the ticketed entry system, the West Entrance would have had to temporarily close at least 15 times between Memorial Day weekend and the end of June, data shows.
Going-to-the-Sun Road Ticketed Entry System
While Going-to-the-Sun Road entry reservations are still available for late-August for people planning a visit in late-summer, a percentage of them are also released 48 hours in advance on Recreation.gov.
Tickets aren’t required to the drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road before 6 am or after 5 pm. Additionally, other parts of the park don’t require pre-booked entry tickets, although they might have some temporary traffic limits during peak periods.
This ticketed entry system results in some expected changes in visitation patterns, the National Park Service said. It allows for traffic to be more spread out throughout the day.
Between 5 and 6 pm, there are usually pretty long lines at entrance stations, since this is when people without tickets can enter the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Plan, Prepare and Be Patient
This summer will be one of the busiest in the history of the National Park Service, if not the busiest. If you’re planning on visiting Glacier National Park and driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road, it’s more important than ever to plan properly.
Make sure you have reservations, both for services and accommodation, and possibly for the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
You can expect huge crowds throughout the summer, especially at popular spots like Avalanche, Logan Pass and the St. Mary and Virginia Falls trailhead. The east side areas of Many Glacier and Two Medicine limit access to vehicles during peak periods.
To enjoy the Going-to-the Sun Road and Glacier National Park’s epic beauty to the fullest, get to parking lots and trailheads as early in the morning as you can. Most of them will be full be 8 am, probably earlier in mid-summer.
Additionally, wear a hat, slop on sunscreen, avoid hiking in the afternoon when it’s hot, and, arguably most importantly, carry bear spray and know how to use it.