The Unexpected Reason Why Experts Say You Shouldn’t Visit Glacier National Park in 2026

In the early 1900s, Blackfeet territory, which is now the eastern portion of Montana’s Glacier National Park, cradled a grand population of the Blackfeet tribe, the resilient guardians of the Rockies. But then came the American settlers. Spurred by the “overtourism” of Americans and government neglect, the Blackfeet were forced to sell 800,000 acres of land. Within the next few years, they disappeared altogether. But it wasn’t just them who disappeared. Along with them also vanished the park’s glaciers. Today, the portion they resided in, between western Montana and the southern parts of Canada, is sun-baked by climate change. The glaciers are parched up, and the park is begging for attention. Many such factors have become prompts for Fodor’s travel guide portal to add the park to their “No List 2026.”

Billed as the “crown of the continent,” Glacier National Park has now become a candidate for the Fodor’s No List, which features eight destinations visitors should reconsider in 2026. The list, according to the website, is “not a call for boycott.” The purpose of this list is to highlight destinations where tourism is placing unsustainable pressures on the land and local communities.

One reason for the park ending up in this list is overtourism. The other is climate change and shrinking glaciers. Of the 150 glaciers that bubbled through the park in the last decade, only 27 remain, and they too are expected to disappear by 2030. The situation of contracting glaciers is worsened by “last chance tourism.” Congested roads, accumulation of garbage, and a greater chance of wildlife disturbances, all factors put together, create an uncontrollable situation for both the park officials and visitors.

With backpackers jamming in for wildlife tourism, there is a looming hike in carbon emissions, which has a detrimental effect not just on the quality of air but also on the ecosystem. Activities like hiking and paddling, which are supposed to help travellers soothe and relieve stress, are now adding strain on the park. “The challenges absolutely are unprecedented,” said Michael Jamison, Northern Rockies campaign director for the National Parks Conservation Association. “At no point in the history of Glacier Park have so many existential threats intersected all at once,” he added.

Jamison boldly called out on the “staggering disconnect” between the desperation to see natural wonders before they vanish and the lack of concern over the damage surges in visitor numbers cause to the environment. The situation is aggravated by the climate crisis, which has made wildfires frequent and the park’s landscape highly vulnerable to destructive infestations. Wild animals dwelling in the region are choking. “For a lot of these species, climate change is what they call a ‘threat multiplier.’”

“It magnifies existing threats and intensifies them... We’re seeing changes to migration routes, to seasonal habitats and winter range, and to entire populations,” he added. The park’s iconic Going-to-the-Sun road, the snaking artery carved into the steep mountain slopes, is now reeking with the accumulation of garbage and influx of vehicles that cause disturbance to the wildlife crossing the road.

But despite the shrinking glaciers and swarms of tourists, Glacier National Park is not alone. Other destinations clipped into the No List include Antarctica; The Canary Islands, Spain; Isola Sacra, Italy; The Jungfrau Region, Switzerland; Mexico City, Mexico; Mombasa, Kenya; and Montmartre, Paris, France. And if this list is making you wonder where you should plan your next trip, Fodor’s has also rolled out its annual “Go List” for this year, which includes locations like Buncombe County, North Carolina; Coupeville, Washington; Indio, California; Keene Valley, New York; Key West, Florida; and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The lists do not at all imply that you should blackball the “no” locations and favor the “go” locations. The lists are just so that you are aware of the underpinned dynamics of the location’s entirety before you make your selection.