“It’s been crazy slow since the weekend,” Stormont said. “Most people that I’ve talked with are a little disappointed that they can’t see the mountains and they want to know where they can go where it’s clear of smoke.”

There’s really no good answer to that question.

Come nightfall, Stormont said there’s been a different kind of attraction to see from the lake’s edge as the fire becomes visible and an orange glow lights up the heavy cloud of smoke.

“Two nights ago, we had 30- to 40-mph winds blowing,” he said. “You could see the flames and this huge cloud of smoke that was all glowing red. It’s like terrifying and kind of cool at the same time.”

The traffic into the park’s backcountry permit office has also slowed dramatically over the past few days.

Considering the record crowds that came to the park earlier this summer, Glacier National Park’s Julie Nelson had expected the office to remain busy through the fall.

“I think if it hadn’t been for the smoke, we’d still be pretty busy,” she said. “We had eight or nine people call to cancel their permits. No one is anxious to get outside with this kind of smoke.”

It could be worse.