Scorching temperatures are hitting our region鈥檚 biggest tourist attractions. On Friday, temperatures at Glacier National Park hit triple digits for the first time in recorded history.
A couple days later, the blew up.
Lodgers and campers awoke late Sunday night to officials telling them to get out as soon as possible.
The fire some of the park鈥檚 most popular campgrounds, the historic McDonald Lodge, and a big stretch of the iconic Going-To-The-Sun road.
鈥淚f these major attractions are closed, that certainly hampers the desirability of people coming to Montana,鈥� Jeremy Sage, a tourism professor at the University of Montana, said.
Last year, Montana鈥檚 record-breaking wildfire season there millions of dollars.
Glacier National Park is one of the region鈥檚 biggest vacation draws.
Another is Yellowstone. That park is currently one step away from its highest wildfire risk.
While they are a natural and necessary part of the environment, wildfires in the Mountain West have become bigger and more dangerous due to climate change, increased population and poor forest management.
Sage stresses that many parts of Glacier National Park are still open to the public, including the east side of the park. A major fire there last year destroyed a historic backcountry cabin and may have
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.
Copyright 2020 Yellowstone Public Radio. To see more, visit . 9(MDAxNDQ2NDAxMDEyNzU2NzM2ODA3ZGI1ZA001))
