Congress was inching closer and closer to the first federal government shutdown in 17 years on Monday afternoon, the effects of which would be felt across the country and in the Flathead Valley. According to Glacier National Park Spokesperson Denise Germann, the 1 million acre preserve would be closed Tuesday if a budget was not passed before midnight.
“If there is a shutdown, Glacier National Park and all visitors services will be closed,” she said Monday afternoon.
Germann said a small group of employees would stay in the park to secure the facilities. The only people who would be allowed inside the park would be private landowners and some contractors as work continued on a handful of road projects, including the Going-to-the-Sun Road rehabilitation. People camping inside the park would be given 48 hours to leave. Even the park’s website would close shop and redirect visitors to the Department of Interior website.
While all park entrances would be closed and secured, public roads that travel through the park, including U.S. Highway 2 near Essex, would remain open.