July 13, 2020 - Monday

Chalet Travel Tips

July 13, 2020

To our wonderful chalet guests,

To move swiftly through the West entrance gate at GNP, we highly recommend you purchase your season/seven day pass, etc. online before your arrival. Bring your GNP pass documentation with you.

Secondly, in the event GNP moves to a timed entry reservation system (which it has not at this time), you will be exempt as a chalet guest. Print out your confirmation form and place in your back back for verification purposes.

Finally, neither the Highline Trail nor the Gunsight Trails are open as of 7/13/20. Upon your arrival, please check the trails status page: nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/trailstatusreports.htm for accurate information.

Please note: trailhead parking is at a premium-the parking lot at Logan Pass filled at 7:15am this morning.

See you on the trails! Kathie

Kathie

June 26, 2020 - Friday

Transportation and parking

Granite Park Chalet is opening on schedule beginning June 29. Going to the Sun Road, on the other hand, does not have a planned opening date. If your Granite Park Chalet reservation is earlier than July 5 we are trying to get in touch with you to arrange your trailhead shuttle.

We know that Going to the Sun Road will not be opening beyond Avalanche Campground before the July 4 holiday. Once it does open your private vehicle will be needed to reach the trailhead. Trailhead parking will be limited and congested, shuttle service is not available this year. Our best advice is to get an early start for your trip into Granite Park Chalet. The earliest hours of daylight are not too early to be moving toward the trailhead.

All Granite Park Chalet access will be via the Loop Trail for the time being. Our best guess, the Highline Trail might open about a week or so after the road opens to Logan Pass. The Highline Trail is very dangerous when snow covered, do not attempt this route when posted as closed.

Happy Hiking

Kevin

June 4, 2020 - Thursday

Chalet visits in a season of Covid-19

Glacier National Park has announced they intend to begin the phased re-opening on June 8. This means that our chalet season can proceed on schedule.

We have organized our Covid-19 policies, procedures, and plans for you to review. For more information about how the pandemic will impact your plans for a chalet visit please review our Covid-19 information page.

Kevin

May 28, 2020 - Thursday

Planning to re-open Glacier

We are encouraged by news from the National Park Service that there is a phased plan for reopening Glacier National Park. You can find details of the re-opening plan here: https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/openingplan.htm

What we do not have are specific dates for any part of the opening process. We are optimistic that the park will begin opening sometime in June in time for the chalet operating season.

Do not expect all park services or facilities to be available this year. When you make your visit please come prepared:

• To maintain social distance from other visitors.
• Wear a breath mask when near others.
• Be self sufficient. Dining, camping and other amenities may have limited availability.

And please keep Glacier healthy. Do not travel if anyone in your party is ill or has been exposed to others who are ill.

Be safe out there.

Kevin

May 11, 2020 - Monday

Coronavirus planning

As we learn more from county and state health agencies and stay in communication with the National Park Service we are growing cautiously optimistic that the chalets will be able to open in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our guests should be advised that this will not be a typical season of chalet comforts in the wild. We will be on high alert for any illness or contagion. We are expecting a lot of changes in how the chalets operate. For example:

• Social distancing must be maintained with all other parties and staff. We will treat your party as a family unit that can interact and share rooms with each other.
• There will be restrictions on building access. To manage exposure the chalet structures will only be available to reserved guests and occupancy of common areas will be limited.
• Attractive nuisances that invite crowding or virus transmission will be removed. The fireplace will be cold and the books and games library will not be available.

If any visitor begins showing signs of illness while at the chalet the entire party will be evicted and must evacuate to the front country for medical attention. The chalets are to far from medical help and to close quarters to take any chances.

If any member of your party shows signs of illness in the days leading up to your reservation we ask that you cancel your trip. Please do a good service for the health of our National Park, our communities, and your fellow travelers by not spreading possible infections.

If you do not have a chalet reservation but are interested in visiting us on a day hike, be advised that the chalet structures cannot shelter you and food service will be limited or unavailable.

We will be fine tuning the details of our Coronavirus plan as summer approaches and we will work to keep our guests informed on what to expect. We are taking unusual and extreme measures because we hold the health of our staff and guests as our highest concern. It is unfortunate that safety measures prevent us from opening our doors to everyone. Thank you for the kind understanding. With this season of sacrifices we will be in a better position to offer the warm embrace of chalet hospitality in the future.

Be safe out there.

Kevin

March 17, 2020 - Tuesday

Business as usual, until it isn’t.

The communities around us are reacting to the Covid 19 virus in as many sensible and precautionary ways as can be arranged. Here in our (work from home) offices we have some advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, we will not be hosting people in our chalets for some months time yet, and when summer gets here a great many people will benefit from a mountain reprieve. On the other hand this deadly virus is sure to change many lives and plans. Our future is an unmapped trail that no one has ever hiked before and all trails have hazards.

We are aware that closing hotels and National Parks is within the realm of possibility as a protective measure against this disease, but our July through September season is over a hundred days away. Things may change by then. We want to be optimistic. So we will go into the next months assuming business as usual.

As for your chalet reservations, we will hold on to them as planned. National Parks and mountains will be valuable things after the stress we are all feeling. We understand if you need to change your travel plans. For now the worst consequence is our $10 administrative fee (the credit card companies are still charging us to process your refund.) And no, credit toward next year is not an option. Every year there are wilderness hazards like bears or fires; this year has a virus hazard. It is up to the individual in the wilderness to take responsibility for the outcome of any hazard you meet. First come first served next year will give everyone the same opportunity to have plans interfered with as this or any other year.

Should Mother Nature favor us with good health and a beautiful park we want you to join us in amazing mountain adventures. We would like to reassure you about visiting. We are veterans in the battle against virus. At the chalets we have annually confronted nemesis like haunta virus, norovirus, and girardia bacteria for decades now. We have learned the fine art of sanitation and it is built into our most basic training and operations. Our chalet crews have been using the phrase "whatever, just wash your hands" since before it was popular. When you visit Granite Park and Sperry Chalets be assured that you are among people that treat your health as the most important concern there is.

So we will hope for the best and continue with business as usual for now. And as with all wilderness adventures we know that plans can suddenly change. We go to the mountains to test our mettle against the wild after all. Like good mountaineers we know that should something force us to change our wilderness plans we will make a new plan, responding to the hazard safely, gracefully, and without regret.

Be safe out there.

Kevin