‘Layered’ start-up expected in June

Glacier National Park officials say those planning a visit during the 2020 season should prepare for changes in some of the park’s day-to-day operations and offerings as staff consider how to reopen in a way that adheres to federal, state, local and public-health guidelines.

Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the park’s gates are still closed and according to Gov. Steve Bullock’s three-phase plan for reopening Montana, Glacier won’t open until the third phase. The state is currently in the first phase and there are no estimated dates for when the following phases will be initiated, however, park Superintendent Jeff Mow said he expects Glacier will be able to open sometime in June.

In an interview on Thursday, Mow said when Glacier is finally given the green light, operations will ramp back up on a “layer-by-layer basis,” with the first and most prioritized layer being the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

“I’ve been speaking with the local businesses in the valley and I have heard loud and clear they want the Going-to-the-Sun Road open,” Mow said. “Right now, we are working to make sure we can offer that as a starting point.”

From there, the next layers are far from concrete and are arranged in no particular order. But Mow said he and others will later consider how campgrounds and visitor centers can safely reopen and how areas such as the Two Medicine Valley and Many Glacier can be responsibly accessed.

“We can’t just flip the switch on Glacier this year and have everything run business-as-usual,” Mow said. “We are trying to navigate what might be a new normal.”

Mow said much of this layered plan is contingent upon the park’s ability to maintain social distancing for visitors and employees. The “six-foot rule,” as it has come to be known, has given rise to challenges unlike any the park has experienced before.

According to Mow, Glacier typically brings on about 330 seasonal employees that arrive in April and May. But housing guidelines recommend avoiding dorm-style units and other tight living quarters commonly used by temporary workers — an obstacle Mow said means people will essentially have to have individual studio-style living arrangements.

“I’m just not even sure there are enough options like that available in the valley to accommodate our usual number of temporary workers,” Mow said.

Limited staff means park officials must be extra cognizant as to how they utilize labor during a time when staffing needs have, if anything, actually increased. Mow highlighted bathrooms as one example, saying facilities will probably need to be cleaned four-to-five times more than they are now in order to meet sanitation requirements. This anticipated labor shortage is one of the larger underlying reasons for the park’s “layered” reopening as well.

“If we can’t adequately staff and monitor certain areas, the reality is those places may not open,” Mow said. “People shouldn’t expect us to be full-on operating at the beginning of the season. We need to find the balance between public health and economic restoration just like many businesses in the valley can probably attest to.”

SOCIAL DISTANCING guidelines will apply to visitors as well as staff.

Mow said this will particularly be an issue during peak season when throngs of visitors typically crowd onto buses and shuttles, hike highly trafficked trails and congregate at popular viewing points.

“Glacier has its own unique challenges,” Mow said. “We don’t have 11,000 people all at once standing together waiting for the Old Faithful geyser to go off like in Yellowstone, but we do have places that experience congestion.”

He used Hidden Lake as one example. The view point for the iconic body of water is a relatively easy jaunt from Logan Pass, which makes it a popular destination for visitors who often gather on the viewing platform to snap pictures of the lake.

Mow said the park is considering stationing staff at these places so they can keep foot traffic moving and remind people to space out appropriately.

While he imagines it will be easier for people to maintain distance in the park’s open spaces, he expressed concerns over how the public can practice social distancing in more intimate settings such as enclosed visitor centers or on public transportation vehicles.

Mow explained the park’s popular red buses typically hold 17 passengers. But after being evaluated for social distancing recommendations, he said the vehicles may only be able to hold about four people.

While that passenger count is low enough to make one wonder if the operating company, Xanterra, can break even or let alone make a profit off such numbers, Mow said he is unsure whether the company intends to run the vehicles this season.

“That’s going to be a business decision for them to make,” Mow said. “There is a possibility distancing guidelines may change, but it’s questionable right now. We don’t know of a single transportation entity running in any national park right now because of the uncertainty.”

As for the park’s free shuttle system, Mow said there is a strong possibility the fleet will operate as long as they don’t experience complications with social distancing.

If worse comes to worst and officials feel visitors are unable to maintain their distance from one another, whether it be on trails or on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Mow said it is “a possibility” the park will temporarily close its gates to newcomers.

“We’ve done it before during fire season or when we experience gridlock on the corridor,” Mow said.” It’s not always ideal, but there may come a time this summer when that is our only option.”

ALTHOUGH IT can be difficult to find opportunity in tragedy, Mow said he and others are trying to find positives that can emerge from the coronavirus.

“I would never say there is a silver lining in a crisis like this, but these adaptations we are making may be part of a new COVID norm,” Mow said. “There are predictions this could run through the summer and even catch steam in the fall. I think we all need to be mindful in that COVID-19 may not simply disappear off the map this summer.”

That being said, Mow said if the park experiences a drop-off in visitation this season — something he said is expected — the park’s trails and wildlife will most likely benefit from it. For the last five or so years, Glacier has juggled between 2 million and 3.5 million visitors annually. Officials have started describing these numbers as “unprecedented” and researchers have outlined how such activity is taking a toll on wildlife habitat, park trails and more.

“The wildlife will especially benefit from this because they will be able to roam more across the landscapes,” Mow said. “When we have such great challenges to overcome, we also have to recognize these opportunities we haven’t had before.”

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