CHRIS PETERSON

Resort tax collection in Columbia Falls slightly less than last year

Columbia Falls' resort tax revenue came in a little less than last year, city manager Eric Hanks noted in a recent report to the city council.

Many Glacier Valley closed due to flood risk

The entire Many Glacier Valley of Glacier National Park was closed Monday as widespread, heavy rainfall drenched the region.

Girl in intensive care after Middle Fork rafting accident

A girl from Columbus, Ohio nearly drowned in a rafting accident on the Middle Fork last week. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to cover medical expenses.

Glacier Park transportation plan calls for more parking, more shuttles

Glacier National Park officials revealed preliminary plans for a permanent transportation plan for the Going-to-the-Sun Road moving forward.

Proposed fishing regs tighten bull trout take on reservoir

In addition, a Hungry Horse/South Fork Flathead Bull Trout Catch Card must be in possession when fishing for bull trout. The area is one of the few places west of the divide where it is legal to fish for bull trout, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Ninth Circuit rules state has no jurisdiction to order private home removed in Glacier National Park

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling in the case of a private home that was built on the bank of lower McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park, ruling the Flathead Conservation District has no jurisdiction in the matter.

For Hazel Alexander, a remarkable recovery

Hazel Alexander poses for a portrait on April 18, 2026 in Columbia Falls.

Bears awake from winter slumber ready to eat

One of the most gratifying chapters of spring is seeing the first bear of the season.

Glacier National Park starts spring plowing

March has been wet and saw some good snowfalls, particularly in the higher terrain, but it has since gotten into the 50s and near 60 in the past week, and low elevation snows, with no compaction, have been melting rapidly. As such, the Camas Road also has little to no snow. The overall snowpack in the Flathead River Basin , however, did reach 100% of median earlier in March, but has since slipped a few percentage points to 92% as of this writing.

Glacier super: Vehicle reservation system didn't work

While no official word has yet to be released on Glacier National Park’s summer operations, Superintendent Dave Roemer told the crowd at the North Fork Interlocal meeting on Wednesday that it’s safe to assume there will be no reservation system to enter the park this summer.

Man faces attempted deliberate homicide charge in alleged rural road rage incident

A man involved in an apparent road rage incident on Columbia Falls Stage Road Christmas Eve has been charged with attempted deliberate homicide and felony criminal endangerment for shooting a man in the head and nearly shooting his 8-year-old child, who was in a car seat in the vehicle.

Law would restrict e-bikes, e-motorcycles in Columbia Falls

The City of Columbia Falls is looking to place some significant restrictions on electric motorcycles, bicycles and other motorized use on its bike paths and sidewalks after a teen collided with a car earlier this year and went through the windshield while driving down a sidewalk on Highway 2 at more than 30 mph.

Montana mayor urges city to consider restricting vacation rentals

All told, the study found there were 83 licensed in the city limits and about 223 in the Columbia Falls area. But there appear to be more in the works. Barnhart noted that a building across the street from City Hall was advertising both long and short-term rentals.

Blowing in the Wind in the Bob Marshall Wilderness

The route took us up and over the divide between the Middle Fork of Birch Creek and the North Fork of Birch Creek. I did this trip years ago and it was a stiff walk up through the trees, but at least there were trees. This time around it was an entirely different landscape, as the Strawberry Fire of 2017 had razed most of the landscape, which is slowly, but surely recovering.

FWP using hundreds of cameras to count deer, elk

Last year, which was the first year of field work, they deployed 411 cameras that collected both time lapse and motion-triggered images from July 1 through at least mid-September, according to an January 2025 update report from the team. The cameras were deployed in hunting districts 103, 122, and 100.

Glacier withdraws plan to put bull trout in Gunsight Lake

Glacier National Park and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have withdrawn a plan to stock native bull trout into Gunsight Lake, an iconic high mountain lake in the park on the east side of the Continental Divide.

Glacier National Park's Sun Road advanced reservations easier to get than one might think

The earlier morning hour slot — from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.— as one might expect, are going much faster. But in early July, it doesn’t get dark until well after 10 p.m. in Glacier, so even starting out at 1 p.m. gives a party plenty of daylight to enjoy the park.

Private house in Glacier Park can remain, federal judge rules

The Park Service, it should be noted, allowed the Ambler home to be built, and even allowed it to be hooked into Park Service sewer and water, which serves Apgar Village.

Hiring freeze, 'resignation' offer could impact Glacier

Glacier, like many large national parks, hires hundreds of seasonal employees each summer to operate campgrounds, clean bathrooms, pick up garbage, clear trails and as rangers, to name just a few jobs. They are critical to the operation of the park, which saw 3.2 million visitors last year, the second most ever.

A long walk, but sadly, no creepers

A common raven, for example, is a CORA, while a black-capped chickadee is a BCCH. It’s not as simple as it sounds, however. For example, I also saw a three toed woodpecker, so I wrote down TTWP, but it turns out it’s an American Three Toed Woodpecker, so it should have been ATTW.

Glacier Park sets new October visitation record

The busiest year was 2017, with 3.305 million visitors. The year 2024 is unlikely to eclipse that, as the weather in November and December took a decided turn, with snow before Thanksgiving closing all but a few roads.

FWP says wolf numbers holding fairly steady

The estimated statewide wolf population for 2023 was 1,096, just one less than the 2022 estimated population and slightly below the 10-year average of 1,140 wolves but well above recovery thresholds, FWP noted.

Glacier seeing high number of no-shows in North Fork

Like other entrances in Glacier, the Park Service implements a reservation system for the area to control crowding in the summer months from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Scientist unlocks mystery of nutrient surge in Lake McDonald

The good news is the lake has rebounded since then – dissolved nitrogen and phosphorous levels have plummeted by 67% and 92% respectively.

Hikers and bikers should be able to go to Logan Pass this weekend

Since crews typically don’t work on weekends, that means folks should be able to hike and bike to Logan Pass this weekend.

Belly Up

When things go south in a beautiful place, you just roll with it

The first fish broke the line and that was the end of the fishing. I knew the leader was beyond repair at that point and I didn’t have another one.

Glacier National Park plows at Big Drift

Construction paving done on lower end of Sun Road, though shoulder work continues

Glacier Park plow crews cleared the snow at the pass and then headed down to the Big Drift east of the Continental Divide

Columbia Falls a natural ‘funnel’ for bears

Last year Vallieres responded to 18 grizzly bear conflict calls in Columbia Falls. The year before that, which was a bad year for wild berry crops, that number was 30.

Glacier National Park crews plowing Two Medicine Road

Will start Going-to-the-Sun Road at Rising Sun next week

This year expect road construction on the west side this spring, as crews need to finish up a construction job on the Sun Road from just before the Lake McDonald Lodge to the North McDonald Road. Crews were unable to finish that section due to snow and cold last fall.

At Logan Pass, endangered insect presents a quandary for flush toilets

Meltwater Lednian Stonefly lives in only the coldest, cleanest water sources in the park

Endangered lynx caught by trappers; one dies of injuries

Both instances were self-reported by the trappers and were subsequently reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by FWP, it said in a release.

Glacier goats

Park will look to narrow goat population estimate in coming years

Based largely on citizen science and other studies, the Park Service estimates there’s between 1,200 and 2,100 animals in the 1 million acre park

Hikers, bikers should have Sun Road access by mid-May

Still, by mid-May the road should be open to Avalanche Creek, so folks can hike and bike as they normally would in the spring beyond the gate

Glacier reservations to open for July

Peak season dates should sell out within minutes

The next round of Glacier National Park vehicle registrations begins Wednesday, March 1 at Recreation.gov. This time around, reservations are available for the “primetime” month of July. In most years, the full length of Going-to-the-Sun Road is open.

River plan making progress, but very slowly

A draft of the Comprehensive River Management Plan for the three forks of the Flathead River won’t see public scrutiny any time soon.

Glacier expects east side opening this summer

Glacier expects east side opening this summer

Grizzly grabs a Glacier goat

Filmmaker captures rare park drama

A West Glacier filmmaker caught dramatic footage of a grizzly bear hunting and killing a kid mountain goat at a mineral lick on the east side of Glacier National Park.

Gathering celebrates North Fork protection near Glacier

In 2006, Glacier National Park Superintendent Mick Holm went to Canada to meet with British Petroleum officials who were considering coal bed methane gas development in the Flathead.

Glacier Park snowplows hit east side

Glacier National Park plows are set to hit the pavement on the west side next week. Park crews will start plowing April 1 at Fish Creek and the Camas Road and then move to the Going-to-the-Sun Road at Lake McDonald Lodge.

Just itching to study DNA

Grizzly bear scratching drives inquiry

Little bears, big bears, fat bears, skinny bears, young bears, old bears, black bears, grizzly bears, males and females - all seem to greatly enjoy something you and I do everyday: Scratch.

Glacier looks to set up dark sky preserve

On a clear winter night in Glacier National Park, even when the moon is new, there's enough starlight to see by.

Great weather helps Sun Road work

Avalanche damage calls for extra work

Favorable fall weather has helped reconstruction work on Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road. Crews recently finished paving a section of the highway from Haystack Creek to Big Bend.

Survey: Sun Road trails are over used

Cameras are used but can't distinguish faces

Glacier National Park is trying to get a handle on how many people are using trails along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, but some trail users have questioned the park's methods and the impacts they have on the wilderness experience.

Going-to-the-Sun Road alpine section construction to be completed by end of year

Glacier National Park expects construction work on the alpine section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road will be completed by the end of this year - a full year earlier than what park officials projected a month ago.

Grizzly delisting now in sight

Changes expected for bear management

The first step in removing grizzly bears from the Endangered Species Act listing in much of Northwest Montana likely will begin late this summer.

Many Glacier Hotel boasts many updates

$10 million project comes to a close

There was a sense of urgency at the Many Glacier Hotel last week as construction crews bustled about making last-minute repairs and moving crews unpacked boxes and boxes of supplies, furniture and all the other amenities that make the lodge one of the premier destinations in Glacier National Park.

Glacier begins plowing

Glacier National Park crews have begun the annual task of clearing its roads of snow. Crews began plowing the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road starting at Lake McDonald Lodge.

Going-to-the-Sun Road construction tops $110M

Work could be completed in Glacier National Park as early as this fall or summer 2013

Work on the Going-to-the-Sun Road has topped $110 million and there's still about $50 million to $60 million left to be completed, Glacier National Park superintendent Chas Cartwright said.

Glacier gives region a boost

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK - Massive peaks, huge lakes, ancient trees - and an economic wallop to boot.

Winter winds damage Belly River Ranger Station cabin

Fierce winter winds have heavily damaged the historic Belly River Ranger Station cabin in Glacier National Park. All told, about a quarter of the cabin's roof and nearly half of the shingles were blown away.