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