Contact
Peter Metcalf, Executive Director
peter@glaciertwomedicine.org
406-531-5098

East Glacier Park, MT -- On Thursday, Oct. 1, Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality company submitted a new plan to the Flathead National Forest to construct and operate a year-round sightseeing tram up Columbia Mountain.

A similar proposal in 2022 received stiff public opposition and was ultimately rejected by the Forest Service. The new proposal appears virtually unchanged from 2022, except that the tram would now operate year-round instead of just seasonally. 

The proposed Glacier View Tram would whisk passengers in 100-person cabins from the town of Hungry Horse to just below the summit of Columbia Mountain in roughly six minutes. Pursuit plans to build accessible trails, walking paths, viewing areas and visitor facilities on the top of Columbia Mountain, as well as at the base of the tram, according to its press release and accompanying website touting the project.

Columbia Mountain, the northernmost peak in the Swan Range and scenic backdrop to Columbia Falls and the northern Flathead Valley, provides quality, secure wildlife habitat, including for deer, elk, grizzly bears, and lynx. It is also part of a biologically important wildlife corridor connecting the Swan and the Whitefish Ranges as well as Glacier National Park and the Flathead Valley. 

The project area falls almost entirely within an inventoried roadless area. The 2018 Flathead National Forest Plan, which included extensive public participation, determined the area should be managed primarily for nonmotorized backcountry recreation, with certain trails left open to motorized use, and that the type of development Pursuit has proposed is not suitable for this area.

Peter Metcalf, Executive Director of Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance, issued the following statement in response to Pursuit’s announcement:

“It is disappointing to see the proposed tram, which the public adamantly opposed and the Forest Service rejected, come back virtually unchanged.  Just as it was in 2022, the tram remains a totally inappropriate development for the wild, northern terminus of the Swan Range. Columbia Mountain provides quality, secure habitat for big game as well as sensitive species like grizzly bears and lynx, and is part of an important regional wildlife corridor. Pumping thousands of people a day to the top of Columbia Mountain will harm wildlife, create conflicts with existing backcountry recreational use, and totally alter the aesthetics of the mountain. 

And it's totally unnecessary. People can already ride to the top of Big Mountain to take in the views of Glacier National Park and the surrounding landscape.

This irresponsible proposal is just the latest example of out-of-state corporations trying to turn our last wild places into amusement parks for their private profit. We encourage the Forest Service to stick to its existing Forest Plan and reject this ridiculous idea once again.”