Glacier Park visitation rebounds in May

Glacier National Park visitors seemed to be taking advantage of the final days before the summer reservation system went into effect as the park saw its third busiest May ever in 2022.

According to recently released visitation statistics, the park saw 181,392 recreational visitors in May 2022, up 3.9% from 175,277 in 2021 and trailing only 2018 and 2016.

A slow April has left the park down 7.05% from last year overall with 279,413 visitors so far in 2022, down from 300,590 at this point last year.

Nearly all of the park’s overnight stays so far this year came in May, with 8,299 visitors staying in campgrounds with an additional 4,072 staying in concessioner lodging.

While the number of visitors coming through the West Entrance was down more than 11,000 from the previous year, visitation to other areas of the park saw a marked increase in visitation. Two Medicine more than doubled its number of visitors from May 2021, seeing 9,747 this year compared to 4,285 in 2021.

Many Glacier saw 13,159 visitors in its first month of operation this year while numbers were also slightly up in Polebridge and St. Mary.

With the reservation system on the Going to the Sun Road in effect since May 27, nightly construction closures on the road since June 1, and flooding closures and issues in June, the park is waiting to see how visitation was affected last month.