Glacier before the Permit system

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llholmes1948
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Glacier before the Permit system

Post by llholmes1948 »

An interesting item in the yesterdays column in the Hungry Horse News provides a view of what the situation was just before the permit system:

"July 31, 1970

Heavy use in Glacier’s backcountry was reported, with 124 people camped at Elizabeth Lake. The campground is still one of the most popular camps in Glacier, but with a permit system, it doesn’t see nearly that many people."
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Re: Glacier before the Permit system

Post by orin »

On one of my first backpacking trips in Glacier in about 1969 I was one of a group of about 10 headed to Gunsight Lake. And there were several other groups in camp that night. I don't know what the total population was but it exceeded anything that would happen now. I have been known to complain about all the hoops we have to jump through today but I wouldn't want to go back to those crowds either.
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Re: Glacier before the Permit system

Post by llholmes1948 »

I am trying to think when the permit system for the backcountry campsites first began. It wasn't in effect in 1970, the year of this newspaper item which was also the first year I worked at Lake McDonald. I think it must have started in 1971 or 1972. (I think that 1971 was also the year that the boardwalk was first installed at Logan Pass during the administration of Park Superintendent Bill Briggle and it was very controversial.)

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Re: Glacier before the Permit system

Post by Fairbanks142 »

It looks like the Glacier designated backcountry campsite and itinerary system was established in 1973.

See page 13 here: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewco ... ontext=etd

"The designated campsite system was adopted in Glacier National Park in 1973. The system and Glacier National Park itself were eventually singled out and cited as an example of excessive agency control over its backcountry users (Merriam and Knopp, 1976). This criticism plus user perception research that showed freedom of choice and spontaneity as being important to many people's wilderness experience, prompted Park managers to examine the possibility of a limited and experimental zone-type reservation system."

Then, in 1975, the park established the Nyack camping zone to offer some dispersed backcountry camping. They chose it because of the more difficult access and lack of good fishing lakes and other focal-point destinations that would lead to crowding and over-use.

This paper at the link above was a study by a Master of Forestry candidate at the University of Montana in 1981. He studied how people were using the new Nyack dispersed camping area in 1976 - 1981.

"It was found that users supported the zone-type camping system. However, they did not select dispersed campsites that were beyond sight of the trail. Instead, virtually all users camped in the traditional, or in several newly formed campsites. Nearly all of these campsites were readily visible from the trail. The Wilderness Zone did not disperse use nor did it reduce resource impacts. Extensive resource impacts were probably avoided because of extremely low use levels."

There's some really interesting stuff in this paper about all of the studies that led up to Glacier and other parks establishing more stringent backcountry camping regulations. Yes, Glacier's system is more stringent than other national parks....but in my view, it's a good thing that helps to protect the Glacier backcountry and give us a better, unique experience.
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Re: Glacier before the Permit system

Post by llholmes1948 »

Thanks very much for pointing out that paper which appears to have a lot of interesting information.

I was probably under the impression that the permit system started in 1971 or 72 because there was so much talk about it at the time. I only went backcountry camping once in those years (Lake Ellen Wilson) because it was difficult to do as we only got one day off each week. Day hiking was the norm. I recall hearing around the hotel back then lots and lots of complaints by visitors and other employees of overcrowding at the backcountry campgrounds.

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