A sharp spike in Glacier National Park visitation, combined with a car crash and inclement weather at Logan Pass, prompted a series of temporary closures at the West Glacier entrance and elsewhere throughout the course of the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow said the weekend was a hectic one as staff implemented various temporary closures in an effort to alleviate traffic congestion and cramped parking lots from St. Mary Lake to Lake McDonald.

“What we saw this weekend was demand outstripping capacity,” Mow said. “Quite honestly, it was very similar to the pattern we were experiencing at the start of summer when we opened up and saw a large amount of traffic, but didn’t have the pass open because of weather. We saw road closures back to Lake McDonald and to Apgar and this weekend felt similar in terms of that backup.”

Mow said since park staff started counting the number of vehicles entering through the West Glacier entrance in mid-July, they have determined that 1,500 to 1,800 vehicles per day entering the park before 11 a.m. is a “comfortable capacity that doesn’t strain the rest of the corridor” for peak portions of the day. But on Friday alone, Mow said more than 2,100 vehicles had driven through by that time.

Beginning Sunday, winter weather swept through Logan Pass, forcing staff to close Going-to-the-Sun Road at Avalanche Creek. Portions of the pass received several inches of snow and Mow said visibility and driving conditions were, and still remain, poor.

As of Tuesday morning, some were still being turned away at the West Glacier entrance due to conditions at Logan Pass. Mow said when cars can’t make it to that area of the park, that’s when the rest of Glacier begins to experience major congestion.

Also on Sunday, Mow said a car crash involving a single vehicle occured around 7:12 a.m. between the tunnel and goose curve.

One passenger was flown out via A.L.E.R.T helicopter service and another was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Mow said a third individual in the incident was offered assistance, but they declined. The incident triggered a closure at the West Glacier entrance for about two hours.

Rangers responded to other vehicular incidents throughout the weekend aside from this one.

Overall, Mow said the Labor Day holiday weekend has an uptick in visitation year after year as more individuals look to take advantage of their last few weekends of summer. For example, in 2019 he said that the Labor Day holiday was the one day of the entire year when Two Medicine had to restrict access to manage congestion.

Visitors are encouraged to check the park’s Twitter account for up-to-date weather and closure updates.

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com