Commentary on Glacier's Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan

Earlier this week I published a press release from Glacier National Park that outlined their proposals for future management of the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTTS Road) Corridor. Given the significant increases in the number of visitors to the park, I mostly agree with each of the proposals outlined in the release. However, I do have a few concerns, primarily concerning this proposal:

• Managing traffic and parking using day-use parking permits for a portion of popular locations such as Logan Pass, St. Mary and Virginia Falls Trailhead, and prohibiting overnight parking in the corridor

With the implementation of a permit system, I would assume the park will have to use a lottery system, or a first-come, first-served system. Both of these have their issues. If the park decides to go with a first-come, first-served system, I hope they are aware, and will do something to protect the public from bots. As I discussed in my book, Ramble On: A History of Hiking, bots, or artificial intelligence, are being used to find and select the best campsites and national park hotel reservations before a human ever has a chance to find them through their own research. Essentially, the use of artificial intelligence is allowing people with the technical know-how to game the system for their own benefit, which, obviously, is wholly unfair to the public at large.

In my book I also discussed the law of unintended consequences of park policies. I pointed out that trails along the GTTS Road saw significant increases in hiker traffic after the park implemented the shuttle system in 2007. For example, "In 1988 roughly 30,000 people hiked the Avalanche Lake Trail on the west side of the park. By 2011 that number had tripled, despite overall park visitation remaining flat during that time period. The Highline Loop, which takes hikers from Logan Pass to The Loop, saw hiker traffic explode from just 1800 hikers to more than 40,000 during that same time period." In effect, the shuttle system has made trailheads more accessible. Prior to the introduction of shuttles hikers were forced to go elsewhere once trailhead parking lots filled. Now a shuttle can drop them off without having to worry about parking availability. It seems fairly certain that the further restriction of parking and the increase in the number of shuttles will likely exacerbate the problem of overcrowding on trails along the corridor. This will put more pressure on wildlife, the trails themselves, and lower the hiking experience for park visitors.

Finally, my last concern is with who will actually be able to obtain permits for the "popular locations" along the GTTS Road. I realize that our national parks attract visitors from all over the world, which helps to provide revenues to local economies. However, I have to pose the question as to whether American citizens should be given priority over foreigners when the demand outweighs the supply. These are, after all, our parks.

If you would like to provide the park with your own opinions and comments, you can visit the National Park Service's Planning, Environment, and Public Comment webpage to see the complete GTSR Corridor Management Plan. Comments can be posted on the website, or sent by mail to Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Attn: GTSR Corridor Management Plan, PO Box 128, West Glacier, Montana 59936. The plan may also be requested by calling 406-888-7995. The plan will be available for public review through October 6, 2019.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking