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Glacier National Park Visitation Down Almost 20 Percent

By Beacon Staff

Glacier National Park officials say that so far this year, visitation is nearly 20 percent behind last year’s record-high numbers.

For the first eight months of the year, the park had 1,454,038 recreational visitors, or 19.6 percent fewer than last year’s 1,809,340 visitors.

The numbers were no doubt affected by the late opening of the famed Going-to-the Sun Road, which is a major draw to the park. A heavy snowpack and a wet, cool spring prevented crews from opening the road until July 13, the latest in park history due to weather. Gas prices also were higher than last year’s.