Glacier National Park

Glacier protects roughly a million acres of the northern Rocky Mountains, laced with 700 miles of trails, more than 130 named lakes, and over 1,000 kinds of plants. The mountains here were carved into their sharp, dramatic shapes by rivers of ice during the last ice ages, which is why the peaks look so knife-edged and the valleys so deep and rounded. A glacier is a slow-moving mass of ice, and the few dozen small ones that remain are the last of what once filled these valleys. Watching over it all is the Continental Divide, the high ridge that decides whether a raindrop ends up in the Pacific or the Atlantic.

The signature experience is the Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile scenic highway that crosses the Divide at 6,646-foot Logan Pass, one of the most dramatic drives in America. From the wide, forested west side around Lake McDonald, the road climbs past waterfalls and hanging valleys to the alpine meadows at the top, then drops down the drier east side toward the plains. Along the way it passes overlooks where the whole range spreads out in front of you and turnouts where mountain goats sometimes graze just off the pavement.

Away from the main road, the park opens into remote and beautiful corners. Many Glacier, tucked into a valley on the east side reached by US-89, is ringed by five glaciers and some of the finest scenery in the park, with the mirror-still surface of Swiftcurrent Lake reflecting the peaks. Lake McDonald, the largest lake in the park, stretches along the west side with its famous colorful pebbles glowing beneath clear water. Everywhere you go the air is clean, the water is cold, and the wilderness feels close.

• West Entrance, off US-2 near West Glacier, is open year-round and is the main gateway to Lake McDonald, Apgar Village, and the west end of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
• St. Mary East Entrance, off US-89 near St. Mary, is open year-round and anchors the east side, though the Going-to-the-Sun Road beyond it is seasonal and closed under snow much of the year.
• Two Medicine Entrance, off MT-49 near East Glacier, is seasonal and closed in winter. It reaches a quiet, less-crowded corner of the park with its own lake and trails.
• Many Glacier Entrance, off US-89 near Babb, is seasonal and snow-dependent, opening the way to the glacier-ringed Many Glacier valley on the east side.
• Polebridge, or North Fork, Entrance, off the Outside North Fork Road, is a seasonal gravel route into the remote North Fork region, rough and slow but far from the crowds.
• Most visitors arrive from Kalispell and Whitefish to the west, following US-2 to the West Entrance, or from the east along US-89 through the plains. The nearest airport is in Kalispell, and Amtrak stops at West Glacier and East Glacier in season.

• Apgar Village is the west entrance hub, sitting at the foot of Lake McDonald with a visitor center, boat rentals, and easy shoreline strolls. It is a natural first stop and the pickup point for the free park shuttle.
• Many Glacier is a remote valley on the east side, reached by US-89, ringed by five glaciers and considered by many the most beautiful part of the park. It is a hub for hiking, boat tours, and wildlife watching.
• Swiftcurrent Lake in the Many Glacier valley offers the classic Glacier postcard: still water reflecting the peaks and the historic Many Glacier Hotel. An easy loop trail circles the shore.
• The Highline Trail is an 11.4-mile ridge walk that starts at Logan Pass and follows a ledge above the treeline, with the valley dropping away below and long views the whole way. It is one of the great high-country hikes in America.

Long before it was a park, this land was home to Native peoples who knew it intimately. The Blackfeet were tied to the mountains and plains on the east side, where the peaks meet the open grassland, and the land held deep spiritual meaning for them. On the west side, the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreille peoples traveled and hunted through the valleys and passes. These nations have lived alongside these mountains for thousands of years, and their connection to the place continues today.

As settlers and the railroads pushed west in the late 1800s, the Great Northern Railway ran its line just south of the mountains and began promoting the region as an American answer to the Alps. The railway built grand lodges and chalets to draw travelers, and the campaign to protect the land gathered support. Glacier was set aside as a national park in 1910, one of the earliest in the country, thanks in part to writers and conservationists who argued that a place this rare should belong to everyone.

The park's most famous feature came a couple of decades later. The Going-to-the-Sun Road, an astonishing feat of engineering carved into sheer cliffs across the Continental Divide, was completed in 1932 after years of dangerous, painstaking work. It opened the high country to ordinary travelers for the first time and remains a marvel that crews still fight to keep clear each summer.

In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps, a Depression-era work program that put young men to work in the nation's parks, built trails, bridges, and facilities across Glacier, much of which is still in use. In 1932 Glacier joined with Waterton Lakes National Park across the Canadian border to form the world's first International Peace Park, a symbol of friendship between the two countries that endures today.

• Glacier is nicknamed the Crown of the Continent because the Continental Divide runs right through it, sending water toward three different oceans. From a single triple-divide peak, rain can flow to the Pacific, the Atlantic, or Hudson Bay.
• The park was named for its glaciers, but those glaciers are shrinking. Scientists say there were around 80 named glaciers here in the mid-1800s, and only a couple dozen remain today. The park tells this climate story plainly, as a change happening now.
• In 1932 Glacier and Canada's Waterton Lakes park joined to become the world's very first International Peace Park, celebrating peace and friendship across the border.
• The Going-to-the-Sun Road is so buried by snow each winter that crews spend weeks in spring plowing drifts that can pile up more than 80 feet deep at the top near Logan Pass.
• Mountain goats are practically the symbol of Glacier, and they gather so easily near Logan Pass and Hidden Lake that they are one of the most reliable large animals to see in any national park.
• Glacier sits within the largest intact ecosystem in the lower forty-eight states, and it is one of the few places where grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, wolverines, and lynx all still roam the same wild country.
• Lake McDonald is famous for its colorful pebbles, red, green, and blue stones lining the clear shallow water. The colors come from minerals in the ancient rock, some more than a billion years old.
• The historic lodges built by the Great Northern Railway, including the Swiss-chalet-style Many Glacier Hotel, still stand and are protected as national historic landmarks.

• An entrance fee applies (per vehicle, good for seven days), and interagency annual passes are accepted. Check the park website for current rates.
• The Going-to-the-Sun Road has a vehicle size limit through the narrow alpine section: no longer than 21 feet and no wider than 8 feet.
• The full Going-to-the-Sun Road is usually open only from late June through mid-October, though the exact dates shift year to year with the snow.
• Vehicle reservations may be required for the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor during the busy summer months; check the park website before you go.
• Many trails and shuttle stops are reachable from the road without a vehicle reservation, and the free park shuttle is a good way to skip the parking crunch at Logan Pass.

The full Going-to-the-Sun Road, all the way over Logan Pass, is usually open only from around late June through mid-October. The exact dates change every year depending on how long it takes crews to plow the deep snow at the top, so the alpine section can open late in a heavy snow year. The lower parts of the road near Lake McDonald and St. Mary are open longer. If driving the full road over the pass is your goal, plan for July through September to be safe.

You may. During the busy summer season, Glacier has used a timed vehicle reservation system for the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor and some other areas, on top of the regular entrance fee. The rules and dates change from year to year, so check the National Park Service website for Glacier before your trip. Many trails and shuttle stops can still be reached without a vehicle reservation, and the free park shuttle is a good workaround.

Yes. Glacier charges a per-vehicle entrance fee that is good for seven days, and interagency annual passes are accepted. This is separate from any timed vehicle reservation. Check the National Park Service website for the current rate before you go.

Yes. Glacier is home to both grizzly and black bears, and this is genuinely bear country. Carry bear spray where you can reach it fast, and know how to use it before you hike. Make noise on the trail so you do not surprise a bear, hike in a group when you can, never approach or feed any wildlife, and store all food properly. Read the park's current bear safety guidance before you set out. Being alert and prepared is the single most important thing you can do here.

The high alpine areas around Logan Pass and along ridge trails like the Highline are usually snow-free and open for hiking from around July into September. Early summer can still have deep snow and closed trails up high, and snow can return early in fall. Lower-elevation trails in the valleys open earlier and stay open later. Always check current trail conditions with the park, since the mountain weather runs on its own schedule.

Mid-July through early September is the reliable window: the Going-to-the-Sun Road is open, the wildflowers are out, and the high trails are clear. This is also the busiest and most crowded time, so start early. Late June and late September can be beautiful and quieter, with some risk that the top of the road or the high trails are still closed by snow. Winter is stunning and very quiet, but most roads and services are closed.

You can drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road and see the main overlooks in a full day. To hike a trail or two, explore Many Glacier, and not feel rushed, give it two or three days. A week lets you reach the remote corners like Two Medicine and the North Fork and really settle into the place. Because some areas are hours apart by car, more time always helps.

If you only do one thing, drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass, weather and season permitting. It is one of the most spectacular drives in the country and shows off the park at its best, climbing from lake and forest to alpine meadow and back down again. If you have time to add a short walk, the Hidden Lake Overlook trail from Logan Pass is a favorite for close mountain-goat sightings and big views.

Pets are allowed in developed areas, campgrounds, parking lots, and along roads, but not on any of the trails or in the backcountry. Because so much of Glacier is about the trails, this limits what a pet can do here. Pets must be leashed, and you should never leave one in a vehicle. Check the park website for the current pet rules before you go.

The park has historic lodges and several campgrounds inside its boundaries, including the famous Many Glacier Hotel and Lake McDonald Lodge, which book up far in advance for summer. Just outside, the towns of West Glacier, Whitefish, and Kalispell to the west, and St. Mary and East Glacier to the east, offer a range of places to stay. Booking early is essential in the busy summer season.

Yes, but there are far fewer than there once were. The park was named for its glaciers, and scientists estimate there were around 80 in the mid-1800s. Only a couple dozen remain today, and they continue to shrink. You can still see and hike to some of them, and the park shares this as a real story of change happening now. Many Glacier and the Grinnell Glacier area are among the best places to see them up close.