Zinke wants probe of Glacier's ticketed entry program

Congressman Ryan Zinke called for a federal investigation into the government contractor managing the online vehicle reservation system at Glacier National Park just hours after meeting with stakeholders on the topic in Columbia Falls on Tuesday.

Zinke, who previously served as secretary of the Interior under former President Donald Trump, is asking the National Park Service to investigate the details of the Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. contract that manages recreation.gov, the website where people can secure reservations for national parks, including Glacier.

He also called on the federal agency to drop the vehicle reservation system, which he has frequently criticized since taking office earlier this year, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Glacier National Park implemented the reservation system in West Glacier in 2021 for the Going-to-the-Sun Road, but has since expanded it to include the entrances at Polebridge, Two Medicine and Many Glacier. Park representatives declined to comment on Zinke’s efforts.

Zinke, a Republican, pointed to a recent Wall Street Journal article looking into Booz Allen’s multimillion dollar contract to oversee the reservation system in a letter submitted to the National Park Service’s director.

The article detailed a $140 million contract between Booz Allen and the government from October 2018 to November 2022. According to the article, the company and federal agency work together on a number of services, which has led to criticism. Booz Allen’s contract allows it to run recreation.gov for five years and the contract is up for renewal this year.

“In light of the recent [Wall Street Journal] report, and the fact that the Glacier National Park reservation system is housed on recreation.gov, I am calling for a full investigation of both the Booz-Allen contract (dating back to the original contract and subsequent renewals), and the decision-making process to implement the Glacier Park reservation system,” he wrote.

The letter also included a frequent criticism of Zinke’s, that the reservation system shuts out area residents. A community meeting he held with stakeholders in Columbia Falls earlier in the day served as a sounding board for those concerns.

The gathering, held at Columbia Falls City Hall, had nearly a dozen attendees who offered their thoughts on the reservation system — including hotel and lodge owners, photographers, raft businesses and a former state representative — as well as a handful of spectators and reporters.

A common concern raised was the continual shortening of the dates that the park is open. According to Rhonda Fitzgerald, owner of the Garden Wall Inn in Whitefish, the short season adds to congestion.

“We’ve pushed everyone into a very short, few weeks, creating a lot of congestion and crowding and it's really not conducive for anyone,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s not good for the park, it's not good for the people who live here, and it certainly has damaged the ability for people to plan vacations to Glacier.”

Joanna Adams, president of Public Land Creatives, also spoke to the shortened season, comparing it to what she remembered from childhood.

Adams also took issue with the park’s ongoing construction projects. Adams said she used to be able to go into the park when she wanted — a jaunt that’s become more difficult with road closures and other construction activity.

Dee Brown, a former Montana state legislator and Columbia Falls resident, agreed that the closures negatively affect both visitors and local businesses.

“We need to get her done and stop all the construction and flag waving and the orange cones,” Brown said, referring to the surge in construction projects.

Attendees also spoke about the lack of transparency in ticket sales and reservations. According to Darwon Stoneman, a West Glacier businessman and former owner of Glacier Raft Co., the main issue is obtaining access to the park.

Stoneman’s daughter, Cassie Baldelli, echoed her father. Tickets are difficult to secure, she said — they are either sold months in advance or the day before — and she questioned the system’s effectiveness. Baldelli wondered how many tickets are reserved but go unused.

Acquiring a park ticket is more difficult than in past years, according to Joe Hoff, owner of Glacier Highland Motel and Cafe. He compared it to trying to secure tickets to pop star Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour.

"It’s easier to get tickets to a Taylor Swift concert,” Hoff said. “I have a daughter that teaches in Alberton. She comes up in the summer; she can’t go to the park but she did get tickets to Taylor Swift."

Attendees worried the reservation system could affect local businesses and tourism agencies as visitors struggle with planning trips to the park.

“We hear first-hand daily the confusion from our guests and the challenges that people face just trying to piece together a vacation here now,” said Gary Rogers, the chief operating officer at Pursuit PNW.

Transportation also proved a sore spot. According to Hoff, the roads around the park, once clear of congestion, are now backed up every day.

Brown, the former legislator, said the majority of people entering the park do so to drive through it, not to park and hike. Attendees suggested revamping the reservation system to employ timed tickets, rather than dated tickets, to alleviate traffic.

Zinke offered the possibility of creating a transportation network for the park, which he has suggested in the past. But fixing transportation inside Glacier is a long-term issue, he said.

“I think we all agree that we have to protect the experience of the park, right?” Zinke said. “The park should always be a wow.”

Following the meeting, Zinke said he had three main priorities: allowing access without reservations prior to 6 a.m.; ending the period where reservations are needed at 1 p.m. rather than 3 p.m.; and dropping reservations as a requirement at the East Glacier entrances.

“Those are the three things,” Zinke said. “We’re going to come up with a long-term plan on transporters.”

The congressman met with Glacier National Park Superintendent Dave Roemer after the community meeting, according to Zinke’s office.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459. Reporter Taylor Inman contributed to this report.