All Eyes on Glacier

Locals in Glacier, Washington have their eyes on new luxury development plans amid a housing crisis.

A snowplow drives up Highway 542 towards Mt. Baker leaving the town of Glacier, WA during a snowstorm in Feb. 2024. // Photo by Austin Blacketer

Story by Ella Vitek// Photos by Austin Blacketer

March 15, 2024

Glacier, Washington, sits nestled in the old-growth forests of the North Cascade mountain range. The peaks of Mount Baker, Shuksan and the Twin Sisters make up the skyline, instead of the skyscrapers and smokestacks typical of larger towns in the Puget Sound area. On clear mornings, fog rises from the icy cold Nooksack River into the evergreen pines.

Hopping on State Route 542 from Bellingham, the average skier, hiker or recreationalist speeds through the small town of Glacier on their way to the mountain. Glacier is the last stop for coffee, beer and pizza before reaching Mt. Baker Ski Area. It lacks the glitzy accommodations common in other ski towns like Aspen, Park City or Jackson Hole. Since 1953, Mt. Baker Ski Area has remained locally owned and offers just 31 runs, as opposed to Jackson Hole Ski Resort’s 131.

New condos and townhomes dot once-empty fields. As the highway approaches Glacier, unmarked driveways hug the roadside. Thin lines of smoke rise above the treeline and mark where houses are tucked away into the forest.

Just past the central part of town, a left-hand turn leads to a dirt road scattered with potholes. The tall forest surrounding the road protects the old RVs, converted shipping containers and cabins from the noise and attention of the nearby highway. In the midst of these, a newly constructed 700-square-foot white dome has caught the attention of Glacier locals and visitors alike. 

This dome may be the first of many to come for Oculis Lodging, a proposed luxury glamping site in Glacier, Washington. Despite the lack of housing options for locals, Oculis markets to short-term renters. The contrast here reflects a broader issue in small ski towns, where locals face increased price-of-living and decreased housing options.

Tucked within the greater Whatcom County, Glacier has 479 cabins, townhomes, condos and apartments. Only 55 are owned and occupied, the remaining act as rental properties or vacation homes. The town has around 200 full-time residents.

“There’s plenty of cabins and condos that you can rent on Airbnb and Vrbo. There is not a shortage of accommodations for visitors,” Glacier resident Alex Giffin said as she stood in Wake ‘N Bakery.

The Wake ‘N Bakery, a locally run coffee shop, sits in the heart of Glacier. Peaks look down upon the town from the north and south. The fencing along the road, built from old skis, provides a pop of color against the white snow.

Wake ‘n’ Bakery in Glacier, WA during a snowstorm, Feb. 2024. The Wake ‘n’ Bakery has been a part of Glacier since 2003 and serves skiers, snowboarders, and other outdoor enthusiasts with coffee and baked goods. // Photo by Austin Blacketer

A fence made of old skis in Glacier, WA off Highway 542. Glacier’s culture as a ski town is intertwined with many aspects of its design. // Photo by Austin Blacketer

According to Airbnb, the nightly prices in Glacier start at $150. Prices like these exclude the local population looking for long-term lodging, not a nightly stay. The town currently has limited permanent housing options and a poverty rate of 58%. 

Youri Benoiston, founder of Oculis, has raised over $1 million dollars via the crowdfunding website Indiegogo since buying the two acres of forested land where the dome now sits in Glacier in 2021. Oculis will be a luxury nature experience, with several private domes, hot tubs, saunas and stargazing windows, according to the Oculis website.

Oculis is a common type of enterprise in which only nearby affluent communities can afford its high-end accommodation, according to David Rossiter, a Western Washington University Professor in the College of the Environment. A study Rossiter is currently working on examines the historical geography and impacts of recreation and development in the north Vancouver area.

“There's definitely been a big increase in development pressure and people wanting to move to Bellingham and Whatcom County as a whole,” Alex Jeffers, Whatcom County Land Trust’s conservation director, said.

Some of the development is due to snow sports’s growing popularity. In 2018, a Protect Our Winters Study found that the ski industry added $20.3 billion to the United States economy. Megan Lawson and Kris Smith, economists at Headwater Economics in Bozeman, Montana, study towns that appeal to snow-sport recreationists. The towns have profitable recreational potential and are coined ‘Amenity Traps’ by Lawson and Smith. 

Snowater resorts in Glacier, WA, a condominium and timeshare resort down the road from the future Oculis site. // Photo by Austin Blacketer

“The things that make a community a great place to live and a great place to visit also threaten it with being loved to death,” Lawson said. “We see less affordable housing, we see strained infrastructure and strains on public finances.”

Development booms and recreation economies flourish in Amenity Traps. Counties with more recreational activities have wealthier people moving into them, according to a study authored by Lawson. This increases costs and pushes long-time residents out of the towns they call home, according to a different Smith and Lawson study. 

“Not only can we not find housing for our lifties, we can’t find housing for our school teachers, our police officers and our middle income households. We can't find housing for anyone,” Lawson said. 

There are also upsides to Amenity Traps. Recreational tourists bring money into communities that put dollars directly into the pockets of local guides and shop owners. Increased outdoor infrastructure like trails also promotes community activity, according to Lawson. 

Recreation and development do not mean that a town has fallen completely into the Amenity Trap. It should, however, serve as a warning sign to begin implementing resiliency techniques like limiting vacation rentals, creating sustainable tourism plans, and implementing property tax relief, according to Lawson.

“You are not alone and you are not doomed,” Lawson said. 

Rebecca Boonstra, the Executive Director of the Mt. Baker Chamber of Commerce, hopes that Oculis could help the community. 

“Having facilities built specifically for accommodations might take some of the heat off of our housing tightness,” Boonstra said.

However, Giffin, the Glacier local, expressed concern. 

“I think what this town really needs is more long-term housing options for people who really want to work and live here,” Giffin said. 

As of now, Benoiston is only permitted to build a single home. With over $1 million from investors, there is pressure to build and many are wondering where their money has gone.

“It’s all permitting,” Benoiston said when asked about a timeline for the development. “It's just back and forth. It's just hundreds of emails.”

The locals of Glacier are working to get approval for more tiny homes and affordable housing at the same time Oculis tries to develop.  

“It’s a long battle to try to make changes like that,” Giffin said.

Although future development plans for Glacier are muddy, the locals’ love for their town is clear.

The Glacier Ski Shop off Highway 542 in Glacier, WA with a snowtrack equipped pickup truck during a snowstorm, Feb. 2024. // Photo by Austin Blacketer

 Ella Vitek is a senior at Western who is majoring in english literature and minoring in environmental studies. Ella enjoys interweaving her passion for writing with her love for outdoors.

Austin Blacketer is a senior environmental policy student at Western with a goal to protect and showcase the world's natural wonders.