Monday, May 31, 2021

Montana Trail Stewardship Grant Program Seeks Public Comment On 2021 Recommended Awards

Montana State Parks seeks public comments on recommended Montana Trail Stewardship Grant Program (MTSGP) awards for the current 2021 grant cycle. Public comment on the recommended awards is open through Friday, June 18, at 5 p.m.

Montana State Parks administers the MTSGP, a new program funded through a portion of Montana’s light motor vehicle registration fee. The program provides grant funding for trail and trail-related projects across the state. Eligible projects include development and rehabilitation work on urban, rural and backcountry trails; construction of community trails; and snowmobile and cross-country ski trail maintenance and grooming operations.

In its first year, the MTSGP received 45 applications requesting over $1.5 million. Approximately $1.25 million is available to award. The 41 recommended awards total $1,150,087.53.

A complete list of recommended awards is available online at: https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/grant-programs/trail-stewardship under the “2021 Grant Application Cycle” tab. Copies of individual MTSGP applications, including environmental review documentation, is available upon request at michelle.mcnamee@mt.gov.

Public comments must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 18, 2021. To comment, email FWPRecreationalTrails@mt.gov and include “MTSGP” in the email subject line.

Comments by regular mail should be sent to: Michelle McNamee, Montana State Parks, PO Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Headed to Glacier National Park This Summer?

Are you planning a visit to Glacier National Park this summer - or anytime down the road? I wanted to let you know about an eBook we published last year that provides hikers with access to detailed trail information while hiking in the park.

Exploring Glacier National Park is the mobile version of HikinginGlacier.com, the most comprehensive website on the internet for hiking trail information in Glacier National Park. This book was published to provide readers with convenient access to the information contained on HikinginGlacier.com while in the park, or on the trail, where internet access is most likely not available. Additionally, the format of this book will provide a much better experience for smartphone users.

Exploring Glacier National Park covers 68 hikes. Like the website, the book includes driving directions to each trailhead, detailed trail descriptions, key features along the route, difficulty ratings, photographs, maps and elevation profiles, which provide readers with a visual representation of the change in elevation they’ll encounter on each hike. Some hikes will also include historical tidbits related to the trail. Whether you're looking for an easy stroll in the park, or an epic hike deep into Glacier's backcountry, this book provides all the tools you'll need to make your hiking trip as enjoyable as possible.

As with our four websites, this book also contains several directories that will help you choose the best hikes suited to your preferences and abilities. This includes hikes listed by location within the park, hikes listed by key trail feature, and hikes sorted by difficulty rating. I’ve also included lists of our top 10 hikes, the best easy hikes, the top fall hikes, and the top early season hikes.

The book is now available on Amazon.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Many Glacier Road Opening Postponed

Glacier National Park announced this morning that Many Glacier Road will remain closed to vehicle, hiking and bicycling traffic through Memorial Day weekend.

The road was expected to open May 28. Inclement weather has caused delays in construction, preventing the road from reopening to traffic in time for the holiday weekend. The road is now projected to open June 3.

After its opening visitors should expect travel delays up to 40 minutes each way from Babb, MT, to the Many Glacier Hotel. The road opening postponement will not affect scheduled openings of services at Many Glacier.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Monday, May 24, 2021

April previews busy summer season at Grand Teton

Grand Teton National Park hosted an estimated 87,739 recreation visits in April 2021, a 48% increase compared to April 2019. The park was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. Park statistics show that April 2021 had the highest number of recreation visits on record for the month of April.

The list below shows April recreation visits over the last several years:

2021—87,739
2020—Park was closed due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019—59,105
2018—60,541
2017—58,403

Park staff are working to provide quality visitor experiences as a predicted busy summer season approaches. Visitors to the park are highly encouraged to plan ahead and recreate responsibly in order to make the most of their visit and to help ensure this iconic landscape may be enjoyed by future generations.

Park employees will also collect data and conduct visitation studies to better understand changing visitation trends in the park.

Visitors to Grand Teton are encouraged to “do your part” and recreate responsibly. Visit Recreate Responsibly to learn helpful tips on how to be good stewards of National Parks and other public lands. Visitors are also encouraged to plan ahead and know they will have a place to stay overnight upon arrival. Reservations are required for all park campgrounds and can be booked on Recreation.gov. Visit the park’s plan your visit webpage for more helpful planning tools.

With more than 240 miles of trails meandering throughout the park, hiking is the absolute best way to see Grand Teton National Park. In addition to the hikes listed above, the park offers a wide variety of outstanding hikes that take-in the best scenery the Tetons have to offer. If you do plan to visit Grand Teton this year, please note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your trip planning.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Stabilization Efforts Underway on Mormon Row Historic House in Grand Teton

The National Park Service and Grand Teton National Park Foundation are working in partnership to preserve and stabilize the historic John Moulton property, including the Pink House, on Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park. The area will be closed to the public now through mid-summer for preservation activities.

The project will include structural foundation work to stabilize the Pink House and its iconic stucco, serving to improve the visitor experience through preservation of this important historic landscape. Preservation and conservation professionals completed analyses of the building’s condition and recent monitoring efforts indicated that the implementation of preservation actions should be completed soon.

Specialists with the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center will be responsible for the temporary removal, documentation, and storage of the stucco skirt and brick chimney. A contractor will move the building off the existing foundation, remove the existing foundation, pour a new foundation, and reattach the structure. Additional preservation on the homestead, including a full stucco preservation project, roof replacement, and rebuilding of the chimney, will occur within the next several years.

The Pink House is a 1.5-story historic home constructed in 1938. It retains a high level of historic integrity with original doors, windows, cabinetry, wallpaper, flooring, and woodwork. The house is surrounded by a historic barn, bunkhouse, several other outbuildings, and cultural landscape elements including irrigation ditches, corrals, and fencing.

Work at the Pink House marks the beginning of a multi-year public-private partnership project between the National Park Service and Grand Teton National Park Foundation that will preserve the entire Mormon Row Historic District. The multi-million-dollar effort will, for the first time, holistically address preservation needs and improve the ways visitors learn about and experience the remarkable legacy of the district, bringing the history of this place to life.

In 2018 the Foundation was instrumental in the National Park Service acquiring a 1-acre parcel, the last privately held land along Mormon Row. The structures on the property are being used for park seasonal employee housing. Improved visitor access such as a pedestrian connection between properties on Mormon Row, walkway, toilet, and additional parking was constructed in 2016.

The Mormon Row Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. It offers visitors an opportunity to connect with the history of the park and understand the difficulty and isolation associated with historic settlement in Jackson Hole, as well as experience the scenic beauty of the Tetons.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, established homesteads east of Blacktail Butte beginning in the 1890s. The community of Grovont was created, today known as Mormon Row. The homesteaders clustered their farms to share labor and build community, a stark contrast with isolation typical of many western homesteads.

The Historic Preservation Training Center is located in Frederick, Maryland, and dedicated to the safe preservation and maintenance of national parks or partner facilities by demonstrating outstanding leadership, delivering quality preservation services, and developing educational courses that fulfill the competency requirements of National Park Service employees in the career fields of historic preservation skills, risk management, maintenance, and planning, design, and construction.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Monday, May 17, 2021

Glacier Shuttle Service To Be Limited This Year - Will Impact Hikers

A little over a week ago Glacier National Park announced their new "Ticket-to-Ride Shuttle Service" for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, the announcement didn't mention the fact that shuttle service will be limited this year. The park's shuttle stop web page, however, does mention this piece of news:
"Shuttle service for the 2021 season will be modified to support the park's COVID-19 mitigation efforts. The shuttles will operate with reduced seating capacity in each shuttle and will only service selected locations."
Traditional shuttle stops not included on this year's route will be Apgar Village, Apgar Campground, Sprague Creek, The Loop, Siyeh Bend, Jackson Glacier Overlook, St. Mary Falls and Sunrift Gorge. Obviously this will impact hikers wishing to do some of the classic one-way hikes that normally utilize the shuttle in order to accomplish them. This includes the Highline Loop and the Siyeh Pass Loop. In other instances, without the assistance of a shuttle, hikers should expect parking issues for several hikes, such as St. Mary Falls, Piegan Pass and Gunsight Lake, among others. As a result of the limited stops, I would imagine that parking will be at a premium for all trailheads along the Going-to-the-Sun Road this summer season.

On the other hand, perhaps the reduced stops along the shuttle route will result in a reduction of traffic on some trails. In my book, Ramble On: A History of Hiking, I noted these stats from a University of Montana study:
"Of course, as with most government programs, there are unintended consequences. While the shuttle system may have helped with congestion along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, it appears that it might be responsible for an increase in hiker traffic. 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. A recent report by Norma P. Nickerson, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research in the College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana, blames the increase on the shuttle system which has made trailheads more accessible. Prior to the introduction of shuttles in 2007, hikers were forced to go elsewhere once trailhead parking areas became full. Now a shuttle can drop them off without having to worry about parking availability."
If your looking for some alternatives outside of the Going-to-the-Sun Road cooridor, Many Glacier or Two Medicine areas, there are still many great hikes to consider. The Belly River Trail, Gable Pass, Triple Divide Pass, Medicine Grizzly Lake and Firebrand Pass are all outstanding hikes that offer classic Glacier Park scenery. Some other hikes to consider, which I haven't done yet, include Loneman Mountain and Scalplock Mountain on the south side of the park, or Huckleberry Mountain, Bowman Lake and Kintla Lake on the west side.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Avalanche on Going-to-the-Sun Road Traps Bikers

On Thursday, May 13 at approximately 6:30 pm, Glacier National Park rangers responded to a report of bikers trapped behind an avalanche near Triple Arches on Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Three bikers, a husband and wife along with a friend, traveling up the road encountered an avalanche across the road, turned around and started back down. Soon after, they encountered a second avalanche in progress. The wife was ahead of her husband and friend and heard the avalanche. She warned her husband and friend to stop. The avalanche came down between them, trapping the woman’s husband and friend on the uphill side.

The wife biked down to call for help. A ranger arrived at the site of the avalanche around 7:30 pm.

"The sudden onset of sunny and warm weather on Thursday afternoon, combined with recent new snow from the previous weekend, created unstable surface snow conditions," said USGS scientist Erich Peitzsch. "These conditions resulted in a wet, loose avalanche originating above the road in Triple Arches that deposited debris on the road."

Park officials determined that they would wait until the sun was off the slope above, decreasing the chances for further slides, before starting rescue attempts.

Rescue began around 9:30 pm. Rangers belayed across the avalanche chute and belayed the bikers individually back across the chute. No injuries were sustained by the bikers. All three bikers are from Bigfork, MT.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is currently closed to vehicles at Avalanche Creek until the road opens to Logan Pass for the season. Due to continued avalanche conditions, hiker/biker access is currently not permitted past the Loop. Check the park website for updates.

Park officials remind visitors that snow can avalanche above Going-to-the-Sun Road in active avalanche terrain that often cannot be seen from the road. Avalanches are more likely to occur before or after sunny/warm weather, rainstorms, or snowstorms. Visitors are encouraged to start and finish their trip before the warmest part of the day. Do not stop under gullies or snowfields and turn around if there is a rapid increase in temperature.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Wildfire burn areas to impact visitation on Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests in 2021

In 2020, three large wildfires severely impacted the landscape of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests (MBR) in northcentral Colorado and southeast Wyoming. The East Troublesome, Middle Fork, and Mullen fires cumulatively burned 240,906 acres managed by the MBR. All three fires burned in a mosaic pattern and burn severity varies widely.

Fire recovery is a U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Regional priority and local Forest objective in the coming year. Emergency stabilization and post-fire restoration work has already begun to be implemented. Initial Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessments are complete for Middle Fork and Mullen, and still underway for East Troublesome. As access to burned areas improves, additional assessments from Forest Service specialists and partners may occur. This could result in identification of additional restoration needs over and above what was initially found.

So, as Forest visitors make plans to visit areas near the fire footprints this coming year, they should expect to find a changed landscape, with the potential for both long and short-term closures, as well as potential hazards. Hazards could include debris flow, flash flooding, and falling trees.

In addition to 2020 and within the last five years, the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests have had multiple large wildfires including Badger Creek (2018), Beaver Creek (2016), Ryan (2018), and Silver Creek (2018). All of which were over 20,000 acres in size. Those areas are also recovering and impacts to visitation remain.

Know Before You Go’ and seek out on-the-ground condition reports before you visit. Forest Service district offices are great sources of information, as well as official social media pages and the MBR web site.

Information about recreation site status, maps, BAER and post-wildfire management efforts, as well as potential hazards and emergency contacts can be found on the forest website.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Monday, May 10, 2021

Caution: Elk calving season begins soon. Be aware of your surroundings!

Elk calving season will soon begin in Yellowstone National Park.

Cow elk are much more aggressive towards people during the calving season and may charge or kick. You should stay alert, and look around corners before exiting buildings or walking around blind spots: cow elk may bed their calves near buildings and cars. You should keep at least 25 yards from elk at all times.

If an elk charges you, find shelter in your vehicle or behind a tall, sturdy barrier as quickly as possible.

Always remember: you are responsible for your own safety.

Please visit the park's Elk page for more information.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Saturday, May 8, 2021

Glacier National Park Announces Ticket-to-Ride Shuttle Service

Shuttle services at Glacier National Park will be available to visitors this year after not operating due to COVID-19 restrictions during the 2020 season.

Shuttles will be running from July 1st through Labor Day Weekend with limited capacity and stops. In order to fulfill COVID-19 restrictions, a “Ticket-to-Ride” will be required to board the park’s shuttle.

A Ticket-to-Ride is $1 (non-refundable) and 75% of tickets for the entire shuttle season may be purchased on Recreation.gov beginning June 1st at 8 am MDT. The remaining tickets will be released for 48 hours advance purchase on a rolling window. Tickets can be reserved in 1-hour increments between 7 am and 2 pm. The availability of tickets is based on the available number of seats each hour. The ticketholder must be present for validation at the reserved time. Tickets are non-transferable.

The Ticket-to-Ride must be validated at the visitor center selected at the time of reservation, either Apgar Visitor Center or St. Mary Visitor Center. Shuttle passengers will have access to shuttle stops at Apgar Visitor Center, Lake McDonald Lodge, Avalanche, Logan Pass, Sun Point, Rising Sun, Rising Sun Boat Dock, and the St. Mary Visitor Center. To access Logan Pass, visitors must transfer at either Avalanche or Sun Point, since only smaller passenger vans can access the higher alpine sections of Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Visitors planning to ride the shuttle should consider where they will enter the park before purchasing their Ticket-to-Ride. If planning to enter from the east side of the park, visitors should reserve their ticket for the St. Mary Visitor Center. If entering from the west side, they should reserve their ticket for the Apgar Visitor Center. Once the ticket has been validated at the required visitor center, riders will receive a wristband allowing them to board or disembark at any designated stop they wish for that day. An advanced check-in at the appropriate visitor center is available to accommodate visitors staying overnight in the park. In this situation, riders must check-in at the visitor center listed on the ticket up to 72 hours from their reservation time.

The Ticket-to-Ride also serves as a Going-to-the-Sun Road entry reservation ticket for the day of reservation.

Occupancy within vehicles is greatly reduced, to ensure effective social distancing. To keep visitors, shuttle drivers, and park staff safe, all guests must wear a face mask that covers the nose and mouth, while riding in shuttles. If visitors do not have a face mask, they will be provided one on the bus. A vinyl barrier between drivers and passengers is in place on each bus, and hand sanitizer dispensers are also on-board for visitor use. Queues at visitor centers will be limited to avoid crowding, and groups of visitors are asked to remain 6 feet apart while waiting in line.

Updates for the Visitor Transportation System may be found at Glacier National Park’s website in the Plan Your Visit tab under Directions and Transportation.

With more than 740 miles of trails meandering throughout the park, hiking is the absolute best way to see Glacier National Park. In fact, the park offers a wide variety of outstanding hikes that take-in the best scenery Glacier has to offer. If you do plan to visit Glacier this year, please note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your trip planning.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Friday, May 7, 2021

Weather-permitting, East Entrance Road in Yellowstone National Park Will Open Today

East Entrance to Lake Village (Sylvan Pass) and Lake Village to Canyon Village in Yellowstone National Park will open today, May 7, at 8 a.m. to public motorists.

A significant snowpack still exists in the Sylvan Pass area (located just east of the Avalanche Peak Trailhead). Park rangers will monitor avalanche conditions. Temporary road closures may occur.

Conditions in Yellowstone can change quickly, especially during spring and fall, and roads can temporarily close due to poor driving conditions. Find current road status on the park website and by calling (307) 344-2117. To receive Yellowstone National Park road alerts on your mobile phone, text "82190" to 888-777 (an automatic text reply will confirm receipt and provide instructions).

Conditions permitting, the following roads will open on May 14:

* South Entrance to West Thumb
* Lake Village to West Thumb
* West Thumb to Old Faithful (Craig Pass)

The road between Tower-Roosevelt and Canyon Village is closed for the 2021 season.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Additional Glacier National Park Entry Reservation Tickets Now Available

Glacier National Park announces the release of additional Going-to-the-Sun entry reservation tickets for entry as early as July 1. The additional tickets will be available starting on May 5 at 8 am MDT on Recreation.gov.

Up to this point, a smaller amount of tickets has been available because the road is not fully open over Logan Pass. However, park officials have determined that the road should be open by July 1. This means more tickets are being released on May 5 on Recreation.gov for 60-day advance purchase. This will also increase the number of tickets being held for release for the two-day advance purchase for reservations beginning July 1.

Based on historical data, the Going-to-the-Sun Road typically opens prior to July 1. The actual date for the road opening cannot be predicted at this time. As we get closer to the actual road opening date, additional tickets will be released. Visitors are encouraged to keep watching Recreation.gov for ticket availability.

With more than 740 miles of trails meandering throughout the park, hiking is the absolute best way to see Glacier National Park. In fact, the park offers a wide variety of outstanding hikes that take-in the best scenery Glacier has to offer. If you do plan to visit Glacier this year, please note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your trip planning.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Headed to Grand Teton National Park This Summer?

Are you planning a visit to Grand Teton National Park this summer - or anytime down the road? I wanted to let you know about an eBook we published last year that provides hikers with access to trail information while hiking in the park.

Exploring Grand Teton National Park is the mobile version of TetonHikingTrails.com, the most comprehensive website on the internet for hiking trail information in Grand Teton National Park. This book was published to provide readers with convenient access to the information contained on TetonHikingTrails.com while in the park, or on the trail, where internet access is most likely unavailable. Additionally, the format of this book will provide a much better experience for smartphone users.

Exploring Grand Teton National Park covers 44 hikes. This includes 41 hikes within Grand Teton National Park, as well as 3 hikes in the Teton Pass area, located just south of the park boundary. Like the website, the book includes driving directions to each trailhead, detailed trail descriptions, key features along the route, difficulty ratings, photographs, maps and elevation profiles, which provide readers with a visual representation of the change in elevation they’ll encounter on each hike. Some hikes will also include historical tidbits related to the trail. Whether you're looking for an easy stroll in the park, or an epic hike deep into Grand Teton's backcountry, this book provides all the tools you'll need to make your hiking trip as enjoyable as possible.

As with our four websites, this book also contains several directories that will help you choose the best hikes suited to your preferences and abilities. This includes hikes listed by location within the park, hikes listed by key trail feature, and hikes sorted by difficulty rating. I’ve also included lists of our top 10 hikes, the best easy hikes, the top fall hikes, and the top early season hikes.

The book is now available at Amazon.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Sunday, May 2, 2021

Flathead National Forest seeks input on recreation events and guiding services

The Flathead National Forest is accepting public comment on recreation events and temporary outfitting and guiding activities across the forest. These events would take place on various dates between May and October.

The events and activities would provide a spectrum of opportunities like livery services, trail running and races, guided mountain biking, bike races, motorized tours, among others.

“Interest in outdoor recreation continues to grow in our area and we are excited to see so many people getting out and enjoying their national forest,” says Kurt Steele, Flathead National Forest Supervisor. “Our permit holders provide an amazing opportunity for connecting people with nature and are great partners in offering the public a wide variety of recreation opportunities.”

The Forest Service authorizes outfitters and guides to provide specialized knowledge, skills, experience and equipment that general recreationists might not otherwise possess. This contributes to high quality opportunities for people to recreate on public lands regardless of their skill level or prior experience. In addition, these types of activities expand recreation access to the public and provide jobs for the local economy.

The Forest Service issues permits for these activities based on a “user day” which means that one person on a guided trip would be counted as one user day. Ten people on a one-day trip would be counted as ten user days for example. All proposed uses would occur on existing roads, trails, facilities, recreation sites, or in areas where such activities are currently allowed.

Based upon preliminary analysis, the Flathead National Forest anticipates these projects fall within the Forest Service category of actions under 36 CFR 220.8 that may be excluded in either an environmental assessment (EA) or an environmental impact statement (EIS) and that no extraordinary circumstances exist which would preclude use of this category. Scoping comments along with additional review will determine whether these projects can be categorically excluded.

Additional information and how to comment on each project can be found on the Flathead National Forest website. The Forest will update the website with additional information about the status of each permit as it is reviewed by specialists and any permits are issued. The public should submit comments by May 12, 2021.


Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park