Glacier National Park, Montana

See It Before the Name Becomes a Lie

When Glacier National Park was established in 1910, it had roughly 150 glaciers. By 2015 that number was 26. Every single named glacier in the park shrank between 1966 and 2015, some by more than 80 percent. Grinnell Glacier, one of the most visited, loses between two and ten acres per year. Scientists who study this closely estimate that the remaining glaciers could be gone by 2030 or 2050, depending on which scenario you’re modelling.

None of this means you shouldn’t go. It means you should know what you’re looking at and why the park is called what it’s called, and why the name may eventually require an asterisk.

The landscapes that remain after the ice retreats, the carved valleys, the 700 glacially formed lakes, the vertical relief that puts alpine wildflowers within 8 km of your car, these aren’t going anywhere in your lifetime. Glacier without its glaciers is still one of the most dramatic landscapes in North America. It’s just worth arriving with clear eyes about what you’re witnessing.

The 2026 Entry System: Good News

In a significant change from recent years, Glacier eliminated its timed-entry vehicle reservation system for 2026. From 2020 through 2025, visitors needed to book specific two-hour windows for Going-to-the-Sun Road, often months in advance. That system is gone. You can now drive in at any time from any entrance, no pre-booking required (though the park will implement temporary closures if sections fill to capacity on the busiest days).

The entrance fee remains USD 35 per vehicle, valid for 7 days. The full length of Going-to-the-Sun Road opened to motor vehicles on June 22, 2026, the road typically opens late June after snowplowing and is usually closed again by October.

Camping reservations still require advance booking through Recreation.gov. The popular campgrounds (Apgar, St. Mary, Many Glacier) fill within minutes of opening. Book the day reservations release if you want a specific site in July or August.

Going-to-the-Sun Road

The park’s 80-km (50-mile) scenic highway is genuinely one of the great mountain drives in North America, and I say that without qualification. It climbs from the west entrance at Lake McDonald, crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass (2,026 metres), then descends to St. Mary on the east side. The road was built between 1921 and 1932 and is itself a feat worth contemplating: blasted from vertical rock faces, with retaining walls hand-built from local stone, designed to disappear visually into the landscape as much as a road through a mountain can.

The west side (Lake McDonald to Logan Pass) gets the majority of traffic. The east side, from Logan Pass down to St. Mary, is equally beautiful and noticeably quieter. If your schedule allows, drive it both ways, the perspective shifts entirely.

Logan Pass is the crowd convergence point. The Hidden Lake Overlook trail from the visitor center (4.8 km return, relatively easy but exposed) is a classic for good reason: mountain goats graze near the boardwalk as though hikers are a minor inconvenience, and on clear days you can see into Canada. Get there before 8am or after 4pm if you want to move freely.

Where the Crowds Aren’t

The west entrance draws the most visitors because it’s closest to Kalispell and Whitefish. The east side draws far fewer. Two specific areas worth knowing:

Two Medicine is 24 km south of the east entrance, quiet by Glacier standards, and has some of the park’s best day hiking. Two Medicine Lake itself is a starting point for routes to Cobalt Lake, Upper Two Medicine Lake, and Running Eagle Falls (a waterfall with two separate outlets from different geological formations, one of those genuinely strange natural features that’s difficult to photograph but memorable in person). No shuttle service; you drive in and out yourself.

North Fork is the park’s northwest corner, reached by a long dirt road from the town of Polebridge. The Polebridge Mercantile, a former homestead turned general store, sells cinnamon rolls and is the closest thing to a landmark in this part of Montana. The North Fork valley has backcountry campgrounds and views of peaks that most Glacier visitors never see because getting there requires commitment. If you have a few days and a reliable vehicle, the drive up Glacier’s North Fork Road is worth it.

Trails Worth Your Time

The Highline Trail from Logan Pass is the park’s signature hike: 19 km one-way along the Garden Wall, traversing alpine meadows with near-constant views into the valleys below. Most people take the shuttle back from The Loop rather than returning on foot. There’s a fixed rope along one early section above a significant drop, which stops some hikers entirely and dissuades others, worth knowing before you commit.

Grinnell Glacier Trail in Many Glacier is the clearest way to see an actual glacier up close: 14.5 km return with 500 metres of elevation gain. The glacier you’re walking toward is smaller every year, but still visible and still striking. The surrounding cirque, sheer walls, milky lake, waterfall, is worth the trip even when the glacier eventually goes.

Trail of the Cedars near Avalanche Creek is the low-impact option for days when you don’t want to work hard: a 1.3 km loop through old-growth cedar and hemlock with an accessible boardwalk section over Avalanche Gorge. The gorge is carved red rock with fast water; it’s brief and it’s beautiful.

Bowman Lake Trail in the North Fork is 23 km return to the head of a lake backed by serious peaks, and on a Tuesday in September you may encounter almost no one.

Bear Country Basics

Glacier has both black bears and grizzly bears. Grizzlies are the one that changes your behaviour. Carry bear spray (a can each, on your person, accessible, not in your pack) and know how to use it: remove safety, hold with both hands, deploy in a cloud at charging bear from 6 to 10 metres, aim slightly down to account for wind. Practice the motion before you go out.

Hike in groups of three or more, make noise on forested trails, don’t approach any wildlife. If you encounter a grizzly: do not run, stand your ground, speak in a low calm voice, back away slowly. If contact occurs, deploy spray first; if spray isn’t an option and contact is imminent, play dead, face down, hands laced behind neck, legs wide. For black bears, fight back if attacked.

None of this is meant to frighten you. It’s meant to ensure that if something happens, you act usefully rather than incorrectly.

Where to Stay

Inside the park, the historic lodges are the experience itself. Many Glacier Hotel (1915) on Swiftcurrent Lake is the most dramatic setting: you step out of your room onto a balcony and see peaks and a glacier directly in front of you. The rooms are basic for what you pay (USD 200-350+ per night), but the location is unmatched. Book in January for peak summer weeks.

Lake McDonald Lodge (1913) on the west side is smaller and more forested in feel. The great hall has a hunting-lodge aesthetic that divides opinion, but the location on the lake is serene. Good for families who want early access to the west side without the drive from town.

Outside the park: Whitefish (28 km from the west entrance) is the most practical base, actual restaurants, a functioning downtown, accommodation at multiple price points. The town has enough going on that a rest day there isn’t wasted. Columbia Falls is closer to the entrance and cheaper, but there’s less to do. East Glacier on the park’s east side is a small town with a few motels and the historic Glacier Park Lodge (open summers); it’s significantly quieter than the west side options.

Where to Eat

Inside the park, the Ptarmigan Dining Room at Many Glacier Hotel serves dinner with views of Swiftcurrent Lake through large windows. It’s pricier than the food warrants, but the setting justifies one dinner there. The Eddie’s Cafe at Lake McDonald Lodge is casual and straightforward: burgers, pie, adequate coffee.

In Whitefish, Tupelo Grille on Central Avenue is the best dinner in the region: Southern-influenced cooking, good wine list, and the sort of place that would hold its own in a larger city. Reserve ahead on summer evenings. Great Northern Bar and Grill is a good fallback for local pub food and regional beers after a long hiking day.

Practical Notes

Cell service in most of the park is extremely limited or absent. Download offline maps before you leave your accommodation. Carry a paper map as backup; the park service produces an excellent one included with your entrance fee.

Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, particularly July and August. Start hikes early and be below treeline before 2pm on days with building cloud cover. Lightning above treeline is a serious hazard.

Shuttle buses run along Going-to-the-Sun Road during peak season (typically late June through early September), making it possible to hike one-way and return on the bus rather than backtracking. The shuttle is free with park admission and reduces parking pressure at Logan Pass.

Pack out everything you carry in. This is Leave No Trace territory, the park is policed well and violations are taken seriously.