Summer can carry with it the hopes and expectations of so much, from the school kid dreams of freedom from classrooms to the tourism-based businesses ready to bring in the lion’s share of their business for the year.
This year in the Flathead, the summer skies remained largely unmarred from wildfire smoke, which plagued the valley for several summers in a row, and instead of fire bans on the Fourth of July, some of us put on sweatshirts.
It’s tough to condense a whole season down to a few numbers, given the immensity of what summer means in Northwest Montana, but here are a few guidepost figures as we approach the end of August to show how the 2019 season is shaping up.
6%
Increase in Whitefish hotel occupancy rates in July 2019 over July 2018
12%
Increase in mountain bikers riding at Whitefish Mountain Resort year to date
8,849
Total mountain bike visits to WMR in 2018, the record
120,511
Passengers who came through Glacier Park International Airport in July 2019
97,149
Passengers who came through GPIA in July 2018
25.3%
Increase from July 2018, the previous historic high
79,372
People who attended the 2019 Northwest Montana Fair, nearly 2% more than 2018
-3.2%
Difference in visitors to Glacier National Park from July 2018 to July 2019
1,806,913
Visitors to Glacier Park in July 2019
1,192,319
Visitors to Glacier Park in July 2009
44
Deaths on Montana highways from Jan. 1 to Aug. 19, 2019
56
Deaths on Montana highways from Jan. 1 to Aug. 19, 2018