Common sense would seem to dictate that, while visiting national parks, it’s not OK to hit golf balls into protected wilderness. Nor is such a reckless act of littering legal.
But video footage has surfaced showing tourists doing just that while stopped on a canyon road inside Montana’s Glacier National Park.
The footage was captured by Columbia Falls resident Misty Morrow, while stopped at a construction delay on Going-to-the-Sun Road east of Logan Pass.
Morrow, a park regular, told For The Win Outdoors that the men “hit about 4-5 balls into the valley below.”
She added: “You can clearly hear contact with the balls in my video.”
NBC Montana shared the video Thursday and reported that the park is investigating.
Lauren Alley, park spokeswoman, confirmed to For The Win Outdoors that an investigation is underway.
“It’s important to realize that throwing or hurling things over the Going-to-the-Sun Road has the potential of hurting or killing wildlife or people down below,” Alley said. “You would never throw a bag of garbage over the side, and the same goes for other things that are human made.”
Morrow said she did not confront the men because she felt intimidated by their presence, especially with children in her car and no cellphone service.
She added: “People that visit out national parks need to respect and follow the ‘Leave no trace’ principle.”
–Image showing a man hitting a golf ball on Going-to-the-Sun Road is courtesy of Misty Morrow
