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Glacier Park's Spring Shuttle Begins Operation This Weekend

Glacier National Park visitors wait for the shuttle bus.
Flickr user, Mike Willis (cc-by-2.0)
Glacier National Park visitors wait for the shuttle bus.

Starting this weekend, Glacier National Park will begin operating a spring transit shuttle for hikers and bicyclists traveling the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Going-to-the-Sun will be vehicle free for several weeks.  Amy Dempster is with the Glacier National Park Conservancy.

"It’s really a pretty popular activity for locals to participate in," Dempster says.

Beginning May 13, the hiker-biker shuttle will run on weekends until Going-to-the-Sun is fully open to traffic. That is typically in late June or early July.

The shuttle will operate during weekends from 9:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and will stop at the Apgar Visitor Center and Lake McDonald Lodge, and Avalanche Creek, once it is accessible.

This is the second year for the pilot shuttle program. Dempster says the Conservancy was interested in funding the shuttle to "mitigate the congestion at the trailhead and also provide alternative opportunities for transportation."

Volunteer bike patrols will be riding the roads during core weekend hours, providing information and visitor services. This year Glacier National Park is continuing research with the University of Montana to monitor bicycle use in the park during shoulder and summer seasons.

Copyright 2020 Montana Public Radio. To see more, visit Montana Public Radio.

Beau is UM School of Journalism reporter. He reads the news on Montana Public Radio two nights a week.