Traffic on Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park was significantly higher on opening day compared to 2019. Park officials say the new ticketed entry system for the road is still working.
Since Going-to-the-Sun Road fully opened on June 25, park officials have increased the number of tickets available to drive up the pass. This is the first year the park has implemented a ticketed entry system for the popular park attraction.
They say traffic was 41% higher compared to the pre-pandemic summer of 2019. But despite the heavy traffic, park officials say the ticketed entry system is preventing gridlock along the road and has also prevented the west entrance from closing an estimated 15 times.
Park officials say traffic has been backed up at the entrance near the 5 p.m. hour when tickets are no longer required. They are encouraging park visitors to arrive closer to or after 6 p.m in order to avoid the congestion near Highway 2.