Throughout the school year, students and staff commute from Bozeman to Livingston. During the year different times are more treacherous than others. Winter in particular is the hardest time of the year to make the run. The pass has high winds causing partial shutdowns of sections of the interstate, and thick icy conditions that have a track record of putting rookie, and veteran drivers in the ditch.

In one single winter storm over a two day period last year there were 440 reported crashes across the state. The exact number on the Bozeman pass is not publicly available, but reports from 2019 to 2023 logged 960 crashes in total, according to Montana free press, from Bozeman to Livingston. Being smart about the driving conditions and not pushing limits is most important as it will most likely ensure safe travels.

This year the pass was reduced to a single lane on each side due to road work, causing major backups, long delays, and in some instances detours. This became a problem multiple times getting to school on time with multiple teachers making it known how annoying it was that they were taking so long on the construction. Poor traffic management caused many hour long delays or traffic just slow enough it felt like a delay. Some exits were also closed at different times as they were removing cattle guards at every exit along the highway. This made some bypasses of construction unable to be done as the same exit was closed.

“The commute is a good time to decompress from the day,” says Assistant Principal Justin Pond, who lives in Bozeman. The drive allows the time necessary to clear his mind to be present with his family. Pond said he likes the fact that his kids’ experience in school won’t be overshadowed by their dad’s position in administration, and their ability to have their own connections. Being a town apart gives a chance for work life and home life to be different. Bozeman offers a lot of places to socialize so that lightens up the load to make a social life away from Park High school.