Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park expects to open its gates to visitors some time in early June, but what services visitors will be able to access it is still undecided.

The National Park Service is beginning to test public access in some of its parks across the country, and Yellowstone National Park will allow visitors to enter the park through its Wyoming gates beginning Monday, May 18. Glacier National Park remains closed, but both parks prepare to open access in Montana in the coming weeks.

Glacier National Park has awarded a new contract for its popular shuttle service. This comes after Flathead County canceled its contract with the park, claiming it wasn’t paid enough to supply drivers.

National forests in Montana are shutting down developed recreation sites in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visitors can still recreate on most those federal lands, but should not expect any amenities.

Glacier National Park will continue offering free shuttle rides for visitors around the park in 2020. The service has been in question after Flathead County pulled out of its contract to run the shuttles.

Last week, Glacier National Park announced that it will be changing signs warning that its signature glaciers would disappear by 2020. The park says the signs, put in more than a decade ago, were based on the best available predictions at the time.

Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton spoke about what changed with Caitlyn Florentine, a research physical scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center.

Glacier National Park officials say they will continue a shuttle service along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, with or without Flathead County. County officials voted last week to end the 12-year long relationship with the park.