The Crown of the Continent — Going-to-the-Sun Road, turquoise lakes, the last glaciers.
Photo: Robert M. Russell · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Going-to-the-Sun Road is the headliner, and it earns it: 50 miles of engineering audacity that climbs from the cedar forests of Lake McDonald to 6,646-foot Logan Pass on the Continental Divide, hanging off cliff edges past the Weeping Wall before dropping to St. Mary. It's regularly named one of the great drives on Earth — and you only get to make it for a few months a year.
Glacier is what the Ice Age left behind: knife-edged peaks, hanging valleys, and lakes so vividly turquoise from glacial rock flour they barely look real. The namesake glaciers, though, are vanishing fast. Roughly 150 glaciers filled these mountains around 1850; today only about 25 remain large enough to count — a slow-motion reason to go now.
The east side is where the park gets operatic. Many Glacier — anchored by Swiftcurrent Lake and the lakeside Many Glacier Hotel — sits in an amphitheater of peaks that draws hikers toward Grinnell Glacier and grizzlies into the meadows. This is the heart of the Crown of the Continent, a million acres of wild that connects to Canada's Waterton Lakes across the border.
Everything about driving Glacier comes down to one road, and Going-to-the-Sun asks more of a vehicle than any other park road in the country. It has a hard size limit, a season measured in weeks rather than months, and since 2026 a clock on how long you can park at the top. None of that is a reason to skip it. It is a reason to know the rules before you are halfway up.
The highway that loops beneath the park between West Glacier and East Glacier, and the way through when the alpine road is shut — which is most of the year. Any vehicle, any size, any season, and it is a fine drive in its own right along the Middle Fork.
Fifty miles from Apgar over Logan Pass to St. Mary, and the only road that crosses the park. Vehicles longer than 21 feet including bumpers, or wider than 8 feet including mirrors, are prohibited between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun. Over 10 feet tall and you may struggle with the rock overhangs west of Logan Pass. These are not guidelines.
The seasonal border crossing from Babb up to Waterton Lakes, 47 miles and about an hour from St. Mary. Bring passports, and check the crossing hours — it keeps shorter days than the highway does.
Two long dead-end roads off the east side, each running deep into a valley of its own. Many Glacier is the far one — around 85 miles from Apgar over the Sun Road, or about 110 the long way round on US-2 and US-89 when the pass is shut. Two Medicine is nearer, roughly 70 miles from Apgar on US-2. Neither connects to anything, which is exactly why they are quieter.
Fully open 22 June in 2026; the alpine section closes around the third Monday of October, and the lower ends stay open all year
The full crossing only exists for a few months, and the opening date moves with the snowpack — it opened on 22 June in 2026, which is later than many people plan for. Below the alpine section the road stays open year-round from both ends, so an early or late trip still gets you to Lake McDonald and to St. Mary, just not over the top.
TipIf your vehicle is over 21 feet or 8 feet wide you cannot drive the middle of it at all — take US-2 around the south, or park and ride the shuttle. Check the opening date before you book anything in June.
1 July to 7 September 2026
The top of the road, and the one place everybody stops. Through the summer of 2026 parking is capped at three hours: pull in, collect a free timestamped permit from the kiosk, and put it on the dash. The lot fills early regardless of the limit.
TipThe shuttle is now ticketed rather than first-come — reserve on Recreation.gov for a specific time and boarding point, at a $1 processing fee a head, and note that it is on top of your park pass, not instead of it. Some tickets release 60 days out and the rest at 7 pm the night before.
Reached the long way round the outside of the park rather than over the top — two to three hours from Apgar whichever route you take — which puts a lot of people off and keeps it comparatively calm. The road ends at the hotel and the lakes, and the walking from there is the best in Glacier.
TipParking here fills earlier than Logan Pass does and there is nowhere else to put a car. Arrive very early or plan on a different valley.
Fifty miles of cliff-hugging asphalt from Lake McDonald's forests over Logan Pass to the eastern prairie edge — one of the most celebrated mountain drives anywhere, and the spine of any Glacier trip.
Insider tipDrive it in the morning for better light and pullouts. Vehicles over 21 ft long or 8 ft wide are prohibited between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun.
Plan a trip to this spot →The road's high point at 6,646 feet and the trailhead for Hidden Lake and the Highline. Bighorn sheep and mountain goats wander the parking lot; wildflowers blanket the meadows in July once the snow melts off.
Insider tipThe lot fills by mid-morning. From 1 July to 7 September 2026 parking here is capped at three hours, enforced around the clock — park, take a free timestamped permit from the kiosk, and leave it on the dash. For a longer hike, ride the shuttle instead.
Plan a trip to this spot →The park's largest lake, ringed by cedar-hemlock forest and famous for its multicolored pebbles glowing red, green, and tan through crystal-clear water. Historic Lake McDonald Lodge sits on the shore.
Insider tipCalm mornings give mirror reflections of the peaks. Walk the shoreline near the lodge to see the colored stones underwater.
Plan a trip to this spot →One of the park's most accessible namesake glaciers — and one of the best day hikes in the country. The trail climbs past two turquoise lakes to a milky glacial pool beneath the shrinking ice.
Insider tipIt's roughly 11 miles round trip; take the Swiftcurrent boat shuttles to cut about 3.5 miles. Carry bear spray — this is grizzly country.
Plan a trip to this spot →A bowl of soaring peaks reflected in Swiftcurrent Lake, with the Swiss-chalet Many Glacier Hotel on the shore. The best wildlife-watching and trailhead density in the park — moose, bears, and waterfalls.
Insider tipMany Glacier is its own entrance west of Babb and a long way from the west side — roughly 85 miles from Apgar over the Sun Road, or about 110 round the outside on US-2 and US-89 when the pass is shut. It's the trailhead hub for Grinnell and Iceberg Lake, and lodging here books up far in advance.
Plan a trip to this spot →A boardwalk-and-trail climb from the Logan Pass Visitor Center through wildflower meadows to an overlook above a hidden alpine lake, mountain goats often grazing right beside the path.
Insider tipAbout 2.7 miles round trip. Snow can linger into July — sturdy shoes help, and stay on the boardwalk to protect the fragile meadows.
Plan a trip to this spot →A short alpine summer: snow lingers at Logan Pass into July and the first storms return by late September. The west valleys are milder and wetter; the high country runs roughly 15–20°F colder. Winters are long and cold with deep snow. The Logan Pass figures are estimated — there's no NOAA station at the pass.
Glacier has entrances on both sides of the Continental Divide, connected only by Going-to-the-Sun Road (when it's open) or the long drive around via US-2. Plan which side you're sleeping on.
The busiest entrance — gateway to Lake McDonald, Apgar Village, and the western start of Going-to-the-Sun Road. Closest to Whitefish and the airport.
The eastern terminus of Going-to-the-Sun Road, on the prairie edge with big open views — gateway to St. Mary Lake and the dramatic east-side peaks.
The park's scenic crown — Swiftcurrent Lake, Many Glacier Hotel, and trailheads for Grinnell and Iceberg Lake. A separate drive from GTSR.
The quieter corners — Two Medicine in the southeast for solitude and lakes; Polebridge in the remote North Fork for Bowman Lake and an off-grid feel.
Sleeping inside Glacier means historic lodges that book a year out; the gateway towns and campgrounds give you more flexibility.
Inside the park: Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, Rising Sun and Swiftcurrent motor inns, and the lodges at Apgar Village. Just outside the east side: Glacier Park Lodge at East Glacier and St. Mary Village. Grand early-20th-century buildings, all run by park concessioners.
Booking tipReservations open about 13 months ahead and the marquee rooms (lakeside at Many Glacier especially) vanish fast. Set a reminder for the day booking opens.
West Glacier, Whitefish, Columbia Falls, and Kalispell on the west; St. Mary and East Glacier on the east. Hotels, cabins, and rentals for every budget.
Booking tipWhitefish is the liveliest base with the most lodging and dining, about 30 minutes from the West Entrance. Pick a side and minimize the over-the-pass commute.
Apgar, Fish Creek, Many Glacier, Two Medicine, St. Mary, Rising Sun, and more — a mix of reservable and first-come sites via Recreation.gov.
Booking tipReservable campgrounds release on a rolling window and fill within minutes in summer. Store all food and scented items properly — this is bear country.
Do I need a vehicle reservation in 2026?
No. The Park Service states plainly that vehicle reservations will not be required in 2026 — not on the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, not at Many Glacier, not in the North Fork. In their place the park runs a ticketed-only shuttle to Logan Pass and a three-hour parking limit at the pass. You still need a park entry pass. (Some older pages on nps.gov still describe the old reservation system — the 2026 vehicle reservations page is the one to trust.)
What's new at Logan Pass and on the shuttle in 2026?
Two changes. Parking at Logan Pass is capped at three hours per vehicle from 1 July to 7 September 2026, enforced 24 hours a day — you park, collect a free timestamped permit from the lot kiosk, and put it on the dash. And the shuttle is now ticketed: reserve on Recreation.gov (a $1 processing fee per person), boarding at Apgar Visitor Center or Lake McDonald on the west side, or St. Mary Visitor Center or Rising Sun on the east. Some tickets go on sale 60 days ahead, the rest at 7 pm MDT the night before.
What does it cost to get in?
The summer vehicle pass (1 May to 31 October) is $35, good for 7 days and covering everyone in your car; motorcycles are $30 and individuals on foot or bike $20. In winter it drops to $25 / $20 / $15. A Glacier annual pass is $70 and the $80 America the Beautiful pass also works. Glacier is one of the eleven parks with a nonresident fee — $100 per person for non-U.S. residents aged 16 and over, on top of the entrance fee; the $250 America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual Pass covers it, and covers up to three more adults travelling with the holder.
When does Going-to-the-Sun Road actually open?
The full road over Logan Pass usually opens late June to early July — in 2026 it opened on 22 June — and the alpine section closes around the third Monday of October, earlier if winter arrives early. Plowing nearly 40 avalanche paths makes the date weather-dependent every year, so check the live road status before you drive the pass. The lower ends stay open year-round.
Are the glaciers really disappearing?
Yes. Around 1850 the park held roughly 150 glaciers; today only about 25 remain large enough to be considered active, and they continue to shrink. Hikes like Grinnell Glacier let you stand at the ice and see the change firsthand.
How do I get there, and how many days?
Glacier Park International (FCA) near Kalispell is about 30 minutes from the West Entrance; Amtrak's Empire Builder stops at West Glacier, East Glacier, and Whitefish. Give it at least 3 days; a week lets you do both sides and the big hikes. Carry bear spray, make noise, and store food properly — bears are everywhere here.
Pick your vehicle, line up the stops on the way in and out, and carry the whole route in your pocket.
