Glacier National Park’s reservation system remains work in progress

Logan Pass in Glacier National Park offers a glorious view where mountain goats scramble along cliffy peaks and hikers trudge up the 1.35-mile climb, gaining about 500 feet in elevation, to Hidden Lake Overlook.

Crystalline waters below snowy peaks are typical sights for the busy summer days at 7,152 feet elevation. Yet the park’s famed scenes and trails remain a bit more difficult to access again this year with the installation of the Auto Reservation System.

As a work in progress, the park’s reservation system has again been modified for summer .

The National Park Service released vehicle-entry tickets, issued online, in 120-day blocks.

The park will also issue passes on what it calls “a rolling basis,” 24 hours in advance.

Much to the headache of hikers and sightseers, when the tickets went on sale Feb. 1, the first block of tickets sold out before noon despite the fact that most of the park’s roads were inaccessible to anyone but skiers and visitors with snowshoes.

Park managers designed the reservation program to manage high-traffic volumes within the park as well as to protect natural and cultural resources.

The reservation system can be found at nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/gtsrticketedentry.htm.

According to the NPS website: “Visitors entering the park in a vehicle or on a motorcycle during these dates need two things: (1) A vehicle reservation and (2) Park Entrance Fee OR valid Park Pass (includes Annual, Senior, Access, Military, or Volunteer passes).” Photo ID is also required.

From now until Sept. 10, Glacier visitors must purchase a vehicle reservation as well as a park pass to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Rangers check vehicle reservations at the entrance gates between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Going-to-the-Sun Road accesses Logan Pass and links West Glacier with St. Mary, and popular trailheads for the Avalanche Lake Trail, Highline Trail, St. Mary Falls Trail, Hidden Lake Trail and more.

The West Glacier entrance to Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed prior to 6 a.m. this summer due to road construction.

After 3 p.m., visitors may enter without a vehicle reservation.

Same reservation dates apply to the North Fork area, which accesses Bowman Lake, Kintla Lake and Quartz Lake Loop Trail.

Beginning July 1, the east side of the park entrances will require vehicle reservations for entrances at Rising Sun, Two Medicine and Many Glacier.

One of the park’s most popular longer hikes begins from Many Glacier and ambles to Iceberg Lake, a 4.8-mile trek each way.

Glacier offers a free shuttle on Going-to-the-Sun Road. However, the access site at Apgar Visitor Center is inside the park and requires a vehicle pass to get to Apgar Village.

As clarified on the park’s website: “The checkpoint on the east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road is at Rising Sun, allowing visitors to park at the St. Mary Visitor Center and access the free shuttle without a vehicle reservation.”

The shuttles often fill and visitors must wait long lines for the next shuttle.

Entering the third summer the park has required vehicle passes, the park’s management has tried fine-tuning the reservation system to meet needs and wants of demanding visitors.

While it may seem that spontaneity and hiking no longer coexist, some tips may help visitors secure their adventure.

Work-arounds and other options require a bit of creativity, patience and flexibility.

For example, vehicle passes are included in campground and park hotel reservations. By booking a boat tour, bus tour, history tour, horseback ride or educational program, visitors gain a vehicle pass.

Proof of registration is required at the park’s entrance gates.

A few trailheads depart from U.S. Highway 2, thus no vehicle reservations are needed.

For example, Fire Brand Pass Trail, 4.2 miles east of Marias Pass, departs from what locals call “False Summit,” and wraps the eastern flank of Calf Robe Mountain.

Views from the 6,951-foot elevation Fire Brand Pass include portions of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex to the south, and Glacier’s peaks.

At St. Mary, the gentle 2-mile loop Beaver Pond Trail ambles past the Historic 1913 Ranger Station, through woodsy terrain and offers views of a wildflower-spackled meadow, St. Mary Lake and surrounding peaks.

As with all Glacier adventures, visitors should recreate in groups, carry bear spray, and know how to use it.

Six other national parks use the Auto Reservation System to manage the 312 million recreational visitors that deluged national parks in 2022, up from 297 million the year before.

While the reservation system seems discouraging, the park’s efforts may make for a less frustrating visit.