3 Travel Tips for Visiting Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is an awe-inspiring, bucket list destination. Expansive views, rugged terrain and iconic wildlife populate one of the last remaining truly wild places in the United States. Known as the Crown of the Continent, the world-class ecosystem in and around Glacier encompasses 10 million acres in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Grinnell Lake, Glacier National Park

Visiting Glacier National Park is a rite of passage for any park enthusiast. We make the six-hour drive from Livingston to Glacier any chance we can get! Its otherworldly landscape will surely leave an impression on your soul for quite some time. If you’re planning a visit to Glacier, read on for our top three travel recommendations for this spectacular area.

1. Consider the timing.

For many, driving Glacier's iconic Going-To-The-Sun Road (GTSR), the only road that traverses the entire park, is a must do activity. This breathtaking route crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass at 6,646 feet of elevation and is not for the faint of heart! The narrow roadway includes blind corners and tight hairpin turns with stomach-churning drop-offs.

Weeping Wall on Going-to-the-Sun Road

If this drive is a must for you, consider the timing. High snow pack and late spring storms could prevent the road from fully opening until July. When we visited last summer (2022), GTSR had one of its latest openings on record on July 13th.

You can follow Tierra Traveler’s social media feed for seasonal updates on road openings or visit the National Park Service website to plan your visit.

2. Take the road less traveled.

There’s a lot to see in the park’s interior and it’s absolutely worth a visit. But if the crowds become too much, especially during the busy months of July and August, head to the park boundaries for more hidden treasures.

Visit Polebridge and the North Fork Area

The winding gravel drive along the North Fork of the Flathead River provides stunning views of Glacier National Park's western boundary. Frankly, it's one of the park’s highlights and provides a slower pace than the busy interior.

While you’re in the North Fork, stop in for dinner and live music at our favorite eatery, Home Ranch Bottoms. The owners, Flannery and Dan, are former Livingston residents and wonderful humans that now call the North Fork home. The burgers and pies they serve at HRB are mouth-watering deliciousness you won’t easily forget!

Home Ranch Bottoms, Polebridge

For breakfast or lunch, a stop into the Polebridge Mercantile is a must! Filled to the brim with homemade pastries, grab-and-go burritos and lots of camp and travel essentials, the “Merc” is your pot of gold at the end of the long winding North Fork Road.

Polebridge Mercantile Bearclaws

Recreational activities abound no matter where you land in the North Fork. In the area you can access numerous hiking trails, paddleboard one of the alpine lakes, Kintla or Bowman, or raft the North Fork of the Flathead River.

Explore Waterton Lakes National Park

Waterton Lakes National Park is a laid-back version of Glacier with all the same geologic wonders, natural beauty, recreation, and scenic wildlife. Drive the beautiful Chief Mountain Highway at the northeast corner of Glacier then cross the border into Alberta, Canada. This port of entry is open mid-May through September during daylight hours only and is less than an hour from the town of Waterton Park.

Waterton is an otherwise sleepy village except for a couple months each summer. Yet despite its solitude, there’s a lot to do in town and nearby. The beautiful Prince of Wales Hotel, built in 1927 on a dramatic hilltop above Upper Waterton Lake, is brimming with old world charm. Stop by for traditional afternoon tea after a boat ride on the lake.

Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton

While in town, you can rent a bike to tour the nearby paved trails, take a scenic boat cruise on Waterton Lake, or head out for a hike in the park. Waterton Shoreline Cruise Co. shuttles guests to the Goat Haunt and Crypt Lake Trailheads. If hiking is your jam, Crypt Lake Trail is an epic full-day adventure (10.7 miles round trip, approximately 6-8 hours) with panoramic views, cascading waterfalls, and 60-foot-long natural tunnel through the mountain side. It’s considered an advanced hike with some exposure towards the top. A steel ladder and cable are mounted into the rock for some security, but once you arrive at Crypt Lake, it’s just you and the mountain goats in an awe-inspiring high alpine cirque.

Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada

3. Make advance reservations.

Campground reservations are essential at most sites in the park's interior, especially during peak season (June - September). You can reserve your site online up to six months in advance by going to the recreation.gov website. Sites typically book quickly so the earlier the better! You can view all the park’s campgrounds on their website.

In addition to campground reservations, visitors are required to purchase a vehicle entry pass. In 2023, a vehicle reservation is required for four areas of the park: Going-to-the-Sun Road, the North Fork, Two Medicine, and Many Glacier. Each location has unique details and requires a separate reservation. You can find more information on the park’s website.

Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor vehicle reservations are not available for purchase at the park. They will be released on recreation.gov beginning February 1, 2023 at 8 am Mountain Time.

Gaucho Campervan in Glacier

There are endless options for exploration in and around Glacier National Park that its hard to summarize in a single blog post. We’ll be sharing more soon but feel free to reach out to our rental team with questions - hello@tierratraveler.com.

If you’re curious about traveling in a campervan, check out this blog post for a few tips; or if you’re ready to book your adventure, head to our rental page to browse our fleet of Sprinter vans. Happy trails!