Last Updated on: 25th April 2024, 01:23 pm
Montana’s Glacier National Park attracts about three million visitors each year, making it the 11th most-visited park in the country. But due to weather conditions, a large majority of visitors come between July and September, making the peak summer season rather chaotic. Given the circumstances, you’ll have to do a lot of meticulous planning to ensure the smoothest trip possible, and this Glacier planning guide is here to help.
For a number of reasons we’ll be covering below, Glacier is arguably America’s most stressful park. Even if you plan everything perfectly, there will still be a lot of issues that could come up during your visit, such as lack of parking, trail closures, or weather.
With that said, Glacier National Park continues to attract repeat visitors each year thanks to its gorgeous mountain scenery and world-class hiking trails.
The following Glacier planning guide assumes you’ll be visiting sometime between late June and late September. Below, we’ll be covering topics like reaching the park, how soon to book accommodation, the complicated vehicle reservation system and what to pack. Also featured below is a sample itinerary along with some suggested helpful resources.
How Soon to Start Planning
Glacier National Park is not a place you can simply show up to and explore. Even deciding on a trip a few months in advance would be too last-minute, and there are various reasons for this.
First of all, accommodation near the park can be very hard to come by – especially if you’re on a budget. If you’re staying outside the park, it’s generally recommended to book something about six months in advance to get the best prices.
If you’ll be staying at a hotel inside the park, reservations often fill up a year in advance!
Then there are the vehicle reservations, which at the time of writing, must be booked four months in advance.
When planning out your trip, you’ll also need to have an idea of how you’ll be arriving in Glacier and how you’ll be getting home when finished. With all this in mind, you should have transport, accommodation and a rough sample itinerary already planned out before the vehicle reservations go on sale.
Glacier National Park's Geography
At 1,013,322 acres (4,100.77 km2), Glacier National Park is the 12th-largest park in the United States. It’s divided up into numerous districts, though a large majority of visitors spend their time in three main areas: Many Glacier, Going-to-the-Sun Road and around Lake McDonald.
But there’s still a lot more to explore. In the northwest part of the park is The North Fork which can only be reached via unpaved roads. Located in the east part of the park, another lesser-known district is Two Medicine, known for its lakes and hiking trails.
Speaking of Canada, just across the international border is Alberta’s Waterton Lakes National Park. The two parks, in fact, make up the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.
Transport to and From the Park
Considering its massive popularity in recent years, many are surprised when they realize just how remote Glacier National Park really is. This becomes especially evident when trying to figure out how you’re going to arrive at the park.
While, as mentioned above, Glacier is comprised of many districts, in the early stages of trip planning, it would be helpful to picture the park as being divided into two halves: west and east.
PLANE: Glacier is not near any major city. The nearest airport, the Glacier Park International Airport, is in the city of Kalispell, about 45 minutes from Glacier’s West Entrance. That’s why many arriving by plane will start and finish in the west.
Unfortunately, flights in and out of Kalispell can be quite expensive. That’s why many travelers will instead opt for a more distant airport. The next closest airport is Missoula, though flights through there can be expensive as well.
While routes and prices are changing all the time, in my case, the cheapest flight I could find was out of Spokane, Washington. While nearly a five-hour drive from the park, I broke up the journey to do some additional exploring around Montana.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada is a bit closer. From the international airport, it takes about 3.5 hours to the park’s east side and nearly five hours to the west. Just keep in mind that if you’re renting a car in one country, it can be very expensive to return it in another.
TRAIN: Either side of Glacier can be reached by Amtrak Train (the West Glacier Park Station or the East Glacier Park Station). The practicality and cost-effectiveness of this largely depends on where you’re coming from. While exciting, long cross-country Amtrak rides aren’t always the best value. And in any case, you’d still need to rent a car upon arrival.
CAR: Many people visit Glacier National Park as part of a longer road trip. It’s quite common for travelers to head straight to Glacier following a visit to Yellowstone National Park.
From the North Entrance of Yellowstone, it’s roughly five hours to the east side of the park and six hours to the west. Needless to say, you’ll need to add an entire day to your itinerary just for this drive.
Booking Accommodation
When it comes to choosing accommodation at or near Glacier National Park, you have the choice of staying on the west side of the park or the east. Given the park’s geography, it would be wise to spend some time on both sides of the park throughout the duration of your trip.
Glacier's East Side
While how you divide up your stay will largely depend on your interests, there are plenty of good reasons to spend more time on the park’s east side than the west. The east side of the park is home to the popular Many Glacier district, along with the Two Medicine district.
Staying on the east also gives you easy access to the Canadian border if you wish to visit Glacier’s sister park, Waterton Lakes National Park.
Going-to-the-Sun Road can either be accessed from the west or east, but at the time of writing, no vehicle reservations are required for those entering from the east – yet another good reason to spend more time here.
But where to stay on the east side of the park? Within the park itself, you could stay at either at the iconic Many Glacier Hotel or at the smaller Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. Just be sure to book accommodation about a year in advance!
Speaking of the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, right next to it is the Many Glacier Campground. You can make campsite bookings here.
Outside the park, a good option is the town of Babb. I stayed at the Glacier Elkhorn Cabins and Campground which was a great value compared with other options in the region.
While the bathroom was shared, it was a short walk from my cabin. There’s also an on-site restaurant, while the owners can provide great information about the area. As the name suggests, you can also camp here if a cabin is beyond your budget.
Elsewhere on the east side of Glacier is the town of St. Mary. It’s about 30 minutes from the Many Glacier Hotel and it’s also situated near the east entrance to the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Other than St. Mary Village and Duck Lake Lodge, however, there don’t seem to be too many places that are bookable online.
Glacier's West Side
When it comes to accommodation, Glacier National Park’s west side is the more popular half of the park for a few main reasons. The west side is where you’ll find the park’s nearest airport, while you have numerous small towns to choose from.
Staying on the west side also gives you access to the Lake McDonald area, the west entrance of Going-to-the-Sun Road, and the lesser-visited North Fork district.
When choosing accommodation in this area, one possibility is to stay in the park, either at Apgar or Lake McDonald Lodge. But park accommodation doesn’t come cheap.
The nearest town outside of park boundaries is West Glacier. Lodges like Paddle Ridge are quite popular, while the Belton Chalet is a bit more affordable.
The largest town near the park is Kalispell, which is also home to the nearest airport: Glacier Park International Airport. Kalispell is just about 45 minutes from Glacier’s West Entrance. In Kalispell, My Place Hotel and Super 8 are highly rated and cheaper than their competitors.
Whitefish is another popular option, as it’s home to the nearest Amtrak station. You’ll find both rental apartments, such as Montana Style Downtown Condo, as well as hotels like the Best Western.
During my stay on Glacier’s west side, I stayed in the town of Columbia Falls, where one of the better deals is Meadow Lake Resort & Condos.
There are also numerous other small towns along Highway 2 that you can choose from. Just be sure to calculate the driving distance to the park before confirming your booking.
The Vehicle Reservation System
For the past several years, park management has been implementing a vehicle reservation system for some of the park’s more popular districts, including Going-to-the-Sun Road. The goal has been to reduce parking issues and overcrowding on certain trails, though these issues still persist.
As each district requires its own vehicle reservation, you’ll have to figure out your Glacier itinerary before it’s time to purchase these passes. Note that the system can change from year to year, so you might come across some information online that’s no longer relevant.
For example, in years past, vehicle reservation tickets for all districts for the entire summer season would go on sale on April 1st. At the time of writing in 2024, however, ticket sales are based on a rolling system, with passes going on sale exactly four months in advance.
That means that if you want to visit the Many Glacier district on July 15, for example, you’ll need to be ready on March 15 to purchase your ticket for that day.
At the time of writing, the districts that require advanced vehicle reservations are Many Glacier, North Fork and Going-to-the-Sun Road (west entrance only). You can purchase tickets here.
The passes only cost $2, but the number is quite limited and they can sell out very quickly – sometimes in just a few minutes! Tickets go on sale at 8 a.m. Mountain Time and it’s imperative that you’re ready right on time. It would be wise to set up your account on Recreation.gov and log in in advance.
As mentioned above, you should have accommodation booked at least 5-6 months in advance. That’s why it’s very important that you purchase your vehicle reservations for the correct day so that you’re not stuck with potentially needing to rebook things.
Fortunately, however, if you fail to secure the vehicle reservations you want, there are a few workarounds. When it comes to Many Glacier, you can book a tour with the Glacier Park Boat Company for the days you want to visit that district.
If you don’t actually plan on riding the boat, you can just book a One-Way Return Trip for about $20. As with everything at Glacier, you’ll also want to secure these months in advance.
When it comes to Going-to-the-Sun Road, one way to get around the vehicle reservation system is to enter from the east. But if you’re itinerary has you coming from the west and you were unable to secure a reservation, try taking the free shuttle instead. See the shuttle map here.
It’s also possible to experience Going-to-the-Sun Road via Red Bus Tour. Learn more here.
While it would be wise to try to get your vehicle reservations four months in advance, the park does release next-day reservations as well. At the time of writing, they go on sale each day at 19:00 Mountain Time. Obviously, it would be very risky to rely on this.
There’s yet one more workaround to be aware of. If you fail to obtain a reservation for any district that requires one, it’s also possible to enter before 6:00 am or after 15:00. And many people do indeed get an early start to bypass the regulations.
Dealing With Parking Issues
With Glacier’s vehicle reservation put in place, those with passes shouldn’t have to worry about parking issues, right? Unfortunately, that’s far from the case.
Even after doing meticulous research, going through all the steps and getting all your passes well in advance, Glacier National Park remains a stressful place to visit during the summer months. Finding a parking space remains an ongoing issue that you’ll have to contend with each day of your visit.
The Many Glacier district is a bit more manageable, but you’ll want to be sure to arrive early each day. While you should be able to find a spot at the large parking lot outside the Many Glacier Hotel, it can still fill up by around 8:30 or 9:00.
You may also have some luck in the late afternoon. One great thing about visiting Glacier National Park in summer is that the sun doesn’t set until around 22:00 at night. That means that you can get some shorter hikes done in the late afternoon or evening when there’s a better chance of finding parking.
By far the most difficult parking issues are along Going-to-the-Sun Road. Regardless of which side you start on, and even if you get an early start, you’re bound to experience issues.
To stop at all of the main viewpoints and short hikes, anticipate having to park at one of the larger lots and taking a free shuttle at least once during your visit. (Learn more in our dedicated guide to Going-to-the-Sun Road.)
If you’ll be stopping at various places along Going-to-the-Sun Road, don’t even think about being able to find parking at Logan Pass – the road’s highest point and the starting point for hikes like the Highline Trail and Hidden Lake. Again, even if you’ve done everything right, gotten your vehicle reservation and started early, the parking lot can still fill up by 6:00 and remain full for the entire day!
Therefore, the best option for many will be to take a free shuttle all the way there and back. Learn more in our guide to hiking the Highline Trail.
It seems like many of Glacier National Park’s issues could be solved by simply having more shuttles. But as one driver I spoke with explained to me, the park has been having a difficult time finding enough drivers.
What to Pack For Glacier
A lot of the things you’d want to bring to Glacier National Park in summer are pretty typical. Be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, hiking boots, a water bottle, etc.
But there are also a few special items you’ll want to bring to Glacier. You should definitely make a habit of having bear spray on you at all times. While you can find some good deals online, you’re not allowed to fly with bear spray, so you’ll have to buy it locally unless you’re driving from home. Most on-site gift shops do sell bear spray, albeit for a slightly inflated price.
Glacier is abundant in wildlife, so you might want to consider bringing binoculars to better see animals in the distance. This affordable pair has thousands of positive reviews on Amazon, while this higher-end pair is also highly rated.
If you’re a photographer, be sure to bring a zoom lens for shooting wildlife. If you already have a DSLR or mirrorless camera, I recommend this 70-300 mm lenses by Tamron.
If you’ll be doing any hiking at Glacier, you’ll thank yourself for buying a subscription to either AllTrails or onX Backcountry. Both apps cost around $30 per year, and paying for a subscription allows you to access specific trail maps offline. Needless to say, this is vital in areas that lack reception.
Considering the similar climates (and both being in bear country), a lot of what we’ve covered in our Yellowstone Packing Guide is also applicable to Glacier.
Sample Itinerary
For most first-time visitors to the park, it would be wise to spend around 4-5 days at Glacier. Not only is there plenty to do, but this would also give some flexibility if you experience bad weather, or a trail you wanted to do is closed due to bear activity.
A lot of how you go about planning your Glacier trip depends on how big of a hiker you are. And of course, a lot depends on if you were actually able to secure the proper vehicle reservations (see above). Another major factor when planning your itinerary is from which direction you’ll be entering and leaving the park.
While no two itineraries are going to look the same, what follows is a description of how I spent five days at Glacier National Park. Everything worked out well in the end and there’s little I would’ve changed.
In my case, I arrived at Glacier from Yellowstone and eventually departed via a flight from Spokane, Washington following an extra night in Missoula.
Day 0: Depart from Yellowstone Area, arrive in Babb, Montana (on east side of Glacier).
Day 1: Hike Iceberg Lake Trail (Many Glacier district) followed by a stop at Fishercap Lake in the evening to see moose
Day 2: Hike the Grinnell Glacier trail (Many Glacier)
Day 3: A day trip to Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park
* A visit to the Two Medicine district is another good option for this day
Day 4: Check out of Babb accommodation, drive Going-to-the-Sun Road, check into new accommodation on Glacier’s west side
Day 5: Hike the Highline Trail (there should also be time for some extra short hikes in the afternoon)
Day 6: Depart Glacier
Helpful Resources
While we will try to keep this Glacier planning guide updated, there are some other great resources that you should be aware of when planning your trip to Glacier National Park.
Arguably the foremost Glacier expert you’ll encounter online is the owner of The West is Big! YouTube channel. He’s been visiting the park since the 1990s and regularly creates comprehensive videos about the latest updates. His content was of immense help when planning my trip.
Dirt in My Shoes is another great YouTube channel run by a former park ranger who provides regular updates about the park. We’re in The Rockies is another great resource.
And of course, you should always be sure to regularly check the official NPS website. And even after you’ve begun your trip, be sure to keep track of the Trail Status Reports, as some trails get closed due to recent bear activity.
Is Visiting Glacier Worth the Stress?
If you’ve read the above planning guide, you may be wondering: Is Glacier National Park really worth all the hassle and stress? The United States is home to 63 National Parks, most (if not all) of which are less stressful to plan for.
Even despite the complications, Glacier has a lot of diehard fans who return every year. I ran into a number of hikers who told me it was their 4th, 5th or 6th annual visit to the park. And as mentioned above, the owner of The West is Big! channel has been visiting for decades.
Clearly, the hassle of booking transport and accommodation, securing vehicle reservations and dealing with the terrible parking situation isn’t enough to dissuade many people from repeat visits. Glacier is, after all, a stunningly beautiful park with some of the country’s top hikes.
Personally speaking, however, I wouldn’t want to deal with planning a trip to Glacier National Park again for a long time. While I definitely enjoyed my visit, I’d be lying if I said that the various issues mentioned above didn’t detract from the overall experience. And I’d be hesitant to revisit before the situation is dramatically improved.
There are plenty of other spectacular parks throughout the country that are much, much easier to visit. With that said, if Glacier has long been on your bucket list, you’re unlikely to regret your visit if you take the proper steps to prepare.
