KALISPELL, Mont. — Park officials in Montana have made additional reservation tickets available this week for Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park after receiving complaints that the park was selling out too quickly.
The temporary ticketed entry system for the iconic 50-mile (80-kilometer) alpine road was announced last month to manage congestion and avoid potential closures at the park because of the coronavirus pandemic and road construction.
Park officials have said reservations for June sold out within minutes after they were made available despite visitors having a rolling 60-day window to reserve tickets that are made available each morning. Officials said at one point more than 10,000 people were on the park’s online portal, more than three times the number of available tickets.
Going-to-the-Sun Road, which links the east and west sides of Glacier National Park doesn't open until at least July 1 but there are already thousands of people hoping to score one of just a few hundred tickets. (Photo: SED Photography/Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Several residents and out-of-state visitors raised complaints about the system and the lack of availability.
“Time to rethink the GTSR ticketing system,” Jennifer Thies said on Twitter. “Was on the website this morning and sold out in 3 minutes for June 29th. And now I have to wait to June 27th for another shot?? How can I plan a vacation like this? Definitely not well planned.”
As a result, the park said the road is expected to open July 1 to allow more tickets to be released.
“Yes, there are fewer tickets available prior to the Going-to-the-Sun Road opening. And once the road opens, additional tickets will become available,” Glacier Park Public Information Officer Gina Kerzman said. “Unfortunately, we never know the date that it will open, but once the road does open, or once we’re clear on when it will open, those tickets will become available.”
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