A New Aerial Tram Proposal Could Take Visitors 3,000 Feet Above the Ground Near Glacier National Park
Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality has submitted a proposal for the Glacier View Tram on Columbia Mountain near Hungry Horse, Montana. The tram would climb more than 3,000 vertical feet and give visitors views near Glacier National Park.
Pursuit announced the proposal on October 1 after sending it to the U.S. Forest Service. The ride would take about six minutes.
Two cabins would travel up and down Columbia Mountain, carrying around 100 passengers at a time. The upper station would sit about 1,000 feet below the summit.
Pursuit also plans to have places to eat, viewing areas, and other amenities at the top and bottom. Keep in mind that the tram has not been approved yet.
The Ride Would Climb More Than 3,000 Feet
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Pursuit wants to build the tram on the north side of Columbia Mountain. The company said it would be fully accessible and operate year-round.
The lower station would be south of Highway 2 with parking, a restaurant, retail space and an information center. At the top, there would be a smaller cafe and an area where visitors could take in the views.
Those views would include Glacier National Park, Hungry Horse Reservoir and the Flathead Valley. Pursuit said no new road would be built for the project. The company would also pay for the tram itself while the land remained federally managed public land.
A Similar Proposal Was Rejected Before
A similar proposal was submitted in 2022, and the Forest Service rejected it in January 2023. The earlier plan ran into problems with the Flathead National Forest’s 2018 forest plan.
Flathead National Forest Supervisor Anthony Botello told the Flathead Beacon that the new proposal is “pretty much the same” as the earlier version. Pursuit said the biggest difference this time is its plan to operate the tram year-round and involve the community earlier in the process.
Pursuit COO Gary Rodgers told the newspaper that the company wants people in the Flathead Valley to have more information about the project this time around. Pursuit has also opened a website where people can send questions and comments. The Forest Service also plans to gather feedback, which would be separate.
The Forest Service Hasn’t Approved It
The Forest Service received the proposal on October 1, but it hasn’t accepted it as an application yet. Botello told the Flathead Beacon that the agency only started reviewing it that morning.
First, the Forest Service has to decide whether the proposal meets its screening requirements. Botello said that process generally takes about 60 days, although something this complicated could take closer to 90.
If the proposal makes it through screening, it would move into an environmental review with public involvement. The Forest Service would also look at how the tram fits with the forest plan and what it could mean for wildlife in the area.
The upper station would be inside an inventoried roadless area and core grizzly bear habitat. Botello said the review would include impacts on grizzly bears, lynx, and other wildlife.
