Glacier National Park is set to begin plugging a leaking oil well near Kintla Lake next week, tackling a hazard at one of Montana’s most historically significant drilling sites. Work is scheduled to start July 27 and continue through late August.
The Butte Oil Well, located near the head of Kintla Lake in the park’s northern region, holds the distinction of being the first oil well drilled in Montana. It predates the establishment of Glacier National Park itself.
Why the Well Is Being Addressed Now
A 2023 monitoring effort identified a methane gas leak at the aging well. Park officials believe seismic activity in the surrounding area is the likely cause of the leak. Left unaddressed, such a leak poses risks including the migration of geological formation fluids and chemicals into Kintla Lake.
Plugging the well is expected to reduce methane emissions, eliminate physical hazards at the site, and prevent contaminants from reaching the lake. The project is being carried out through the National Park Service’s Abandoned Mineral Lands program, which targets legacy extraction sites on federal land.
Access Disruptions During Construction
Visitors to the Kintla Lake area should expect notable disruptions over the coming weeks. Helicopter flights are scheduled in July to ferry materials and equipment to the site, and the Kintla-Boulder Pass Trail will be closed on July 27 and 28, with two additional closures in August on dates to be announced.
The Kintla Lake Wilderness Campground is expected to close during helicopter operations and active construction phases. However, the Kintla Lake frontcountry campground will stay open on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the project. Travelers using the Inside North Fork Road between Polebridge and Kintla Lake should also anticipate increased construction traffic.
Broader Significance
The remediation effort underscores the longstanding challenge federal land managers face in dealing with pre-park infrastructure — wells, mines, and other extraction sites established before modern environmental standards or before the land was set aside for conservation. Montana’s public lands carry a significant legacy of such activity, a dynamic that continues to shape management decisions across the state.
The Abandoned Mineral Lands program was created specifically to address these orphaned sites, which can pose environmental and safety risks decades after operations ceased. Similar remediation work is ongoing at parks and federal lands across the American West. For more on federal land management disputes in Montana, see a recent federal court ruling on a Montana bison lawsuit.
Glacier National Park officials have not indicated what, if any, long-term monitoring will follow the plugging operation. Work is expected to wrap up by late August, returning the Kintla Lake area to normal access ahead of the end of the summer season.
