For decades snowmobiles have been banned from Glacier National Park. They could return, at least on a limited basis.

Last month Superintendent David Roemer told residents at the North Fork Interlocal the park was looking at special use permits for inholders that would allow non-commercial motorized use and even snowplowing to access private residences in the park boundaries.

All told, there’s about 80 private residences along Lake McDonald and a handful up the North Fork in and around Big Prairie.

Traditionally, once the snow depths got too deep, access was by foot or ski only, though inholders have long complained, and some have even brought suit against Glacier Park, claiming they should at least be allowed to use snowmobiles.

The most notable case was by Jack McFarland, whose  property is about 3 miles north of the Polebridge Entrance in Glacier on the Kintla Road, which is closed  and gated to motorized use in the winter.  Backed by the Mountain States Legal Foundation, McFarland for years battled in federal court to gain winter motorized access to his property in the early 2000s. The courts ultimately ruled against him.

But the issue still persists.

Homeowners along the Grist Road have also complained about winter access to their properties in years past. The Grist Road is off the Camas Road and provides access to many inholdings.

Roemer said that the park is now considering different avenues on winter access for private property owners in Glacier, which could allow even plowing some roads under a special use permit. He stressed it would not be allowed for commercial use.

In a followup last week, the Hungry Horse News asked if that could include the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which is closed at Lake McDonald Lodge through most of the winter and is left unplowed until April. The park has several inholdings at head of Lake McDonald, which, if allowed, could be accessed by plowed road if an inholder was permitted to do so.

“The park is evaluating whether special use permits could be an appropriate mechanism to provide winter access for landowners with private property inside the park. Options under consideration could include limited use of motor vehicles or snowmobiles and, in some circumstances, snow clearing on certain park roads that are otherwise closed to public motorized use during the winter,” spokeswoman Autumn Sifuentes said in an email. “No decisions have been made regarding whether permits will be issued or what activities, roads, routes, gate locations, conditions or restrictions may be included. The park is currently evaluating potential options and their environmental and operational impacts.”

Glacier banned snowmobiles for most uses, outside of search and rescues, in 1975.

Years ago, inholdings were often owned by families with deep ties to the landscape and nearly all of them were summer homes. 

Today properties now bring multi-million price listings as the popularity of Glacier has surged and winters, in part, are milder than they ever have been, making them even easier to access.