By Keila Szpaller DAILY MONTANAN
Glacier National Park will end its ticketed vehicle entry program in 2026, the Daily Inter Lake reported this week.
At a Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce meeting on Dec. 9, Glacier Superintendent Dave Roemer said the pilot program implemented in 2021 had broken up midday traffic through the park, but it created incentives for people to drive in the dark to Logan Pass, the Inter Lake said.
With the program rescinded, Roemer said he hoped more visitors would drive later in the day when it’s safer, the Inter Lake reported.
In 2025, tickets were required from June 13 to Sept. 28 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road and the North Fork, according to information on the park website.
The park instituted the piloted $2 ticket program for Going-to-the-Sun Road in 2021 after seeing a record number of visitors in October 2020 and traffic jams on the famed and picturesque highway.
Glacier modified the program over the years, including to apply to the Two Medicine and Many Glacier valleys, arguing traffic patterns required restrictions when parking capacity was surpassed.
Glacier reported the program was necessary to manage traffic and ensure a quality experience in the park.
However, it was controversial because it limited the ability of tourists and Montanans to visit the park if they didn’t reserve tickets in advance or want to drive in the early morning or late afternoons.
In an email Thursday, a spokesperson for Glacier National Park said the park would update the public once a decision for 2026 had been made but did not dispute the information from Roemer in the Inter Lake.
The spokesperson did not answer questions about why Glacier reversed course on the ticketed entry or if it would implement other tools to manage traffic congestion in the park.
The change is slated to take place following employee reductions this year at the U.S. National Park Service under the Trump administration. In May, an internal memo from Glacier indicated 20% of park positions were vacant.
On its website, the park is encouraging tourists to explore recreation options outside Glacier National Park.
The Daily Inter Lake also reported that park officials will enforce a new three-hour parking limit on personal vehicles at Logan Pass.
Roemer said that timeframe reflects the average turnaround at the popular Avalanche Lake Trailhead, and it would allow most people to finish the Hidden Lake Trail hike that starts near the Logan Pass Visitor Center, according to the Inter Lake.
The Glacier spokesperson said the park uses a variety of information to manage access.
“The National Park Service continuously reviews Glacier National Park’s pilot operation programs to determine adjustments for the following year,” Glacier said in an email. “Visitor use data, gate counts, congestion monitoring, traffic operations, and feedback from the public and gateway communities help inform strategies the park uses to manage congestion, shuttles, parking, and visitor access.”
