Hi there, your planning bestie here to tell you, don’t make THIS mistake when planning your trip to Glacier National Park. Did I find workarounds? Yes. Was it easy? No. Did it add unnecessary stress? You bet! I want your trip planning to be easy peasy, so I will let you in on my mistake so you don’t make it too. Sound good?
Before we start, let me set the stage and say this tip is geared toward planning a summer trip to Glacier National Park. Summer is when the snow has been removed and The Going To The Sun Road is fully open. At this point the masses start pouring in. This time frame varies yearly based on snow coverage, but typically is July through August. If you want to visit in the shoulder months it will be more of a weather gamble, but you would have the benefit of avoiding the crowd and the ticket system.
The Mistake
Well, it is pretty simple, really. Don’t wait until the last minute to book your trip.
I get it. That’s a no-brainer. It is, but as busy humans, we still find a way to procrastinate.
I’m here to tell you if you want to reduce stress and ensure you have the best time possible in Glacier National Park, plan 6 months in advance. If you do this, you will have access to the whole park, convenient lodging, and the best flight deal.
What if you are already inside that 6 month window? You can still have a wonderful trip, but you will have to make some sacrifices. Early mornings, longer driving times, and plan to spend more money.
We had an incredible trip, but we were up every morning at 4 am. It took an hour to get to the park. We spent $200 on activities to gain access to the park. Then on top of that, we did not get access to a section of the park we wanted to see due to an activity cancellation.
My purpose with this post is not to be a negative nelly. I want to save you some heartache, that’s all! Here are the complications we ran into by waiting.
Park and Road Access
As with most National Parks, you will need a vehicle access pass. These vary in price; see here for options that best fit your needs. However, Glacier National Park also requires a $2 vehicle pass for each individual road access. This is not for funding purposes. This is to help cut down the traffic on the road, and to help the limited parking within the park. Without these individual road reservations you will not be able to access the road between 6 am-3 pm.
The tickets go on sale in April and disappear quickly (track ticket sales at www.nps.gov). Each day during the season, a few will be released for the following day, but this is not ideal because there is no guarantee that you can get one, and by then, you will want to have a set plan.
Are there workarounds? Yes, but they are not foolproof or easy. If you enter the individual road before 6 am you can remain on that road the rest of the day, but you will not be able to leave and re-enter.
Likewise, you can go onto the roads at 3 pm and start your activities. It does not get dark until 10 pm this time of year at Glacier, but please keep in mind how long your hikes will be so you are not caught out after dark. Remember you are in bear country and bears like to move around at dusk.
There is a shuttle service for The Going To The Sun Road. You can not access the shuttle from the West Entrance without a vehicle pass, but you can from the East Entrance.
Another workaround option is to book an activity like renting kayaks or bikes, horseback riding, or a boat ride. However, remember these can get pricey, and the activities can get canceled, as we experienced on our trip.
Don’t get me wrong, the workarounds are appreciated, and how I made our trip possible, but they are not ideal and add unnecessary stress. The moral of the story is if you can plan to get your tickets in April, please do so!
Lodging
There is limited lodging around Glacier. There are a few hotels within the park and then some campgrounds in and outside of the park. These may need to be booked a year in advance. I’m not entirely sure how quickly these book out but be prepared that 6 months may not be enough.
The largest city around is Kalispel, which is where you would fly into. Kalispel is about 40 minutes from the park. Then there is Whitefish, which is 50 minutes from the West Entrance. The park’s east side has limited lodging as the West Entrance is favored.
At 2 months out, availability was minimal and costly. We lucked out cost-wise with an excellent ski loft in Whitefish through Airbnb, but this also put us almost an hour from the entrance we had to arrive at before 6 am. See how it all starts to stack up against you.
Flights
As with any flight, availability decreases, and cost increases closer to take-off. To ensure the best price possible, book 4-6 months out. One of my favorite outcomes from the pandemic is that most airlines allow you to transfer your ticket price if something arises. Keep in mind this price is transferable, not refundable. To receive a refund, you will need to pay an upgrade fee.
Takeaway
I recommend to clients to always book as far in advance as possible. However, as we are all human I have been caught a few times book a month or two out. Sometimes it is not a big burden and sometimes it can put you in a real pickle. I think the unique proposition of planning a trip to Glacier National Park is the relatively new road vehicle pass. After visiting, I completely understand why it needs to be in place. With limited roads and parking if everyone was able to access it would not be enjoyable for anyone.
My hope is that I have thoroughly convinced you to plan your trip to Glacier in advance and that you are now armed with some valuable information about getting your trip booked with ease. If you need help making the big trip decisions. Download my worksheet on 6 Key Decisions to Get Your Next Trip Booked so you can be on your way quickly!
If you want to see how our trip went and the beautiful things we saw, hop over to Girl’s Getaway To Glacier National Park.
Until next time happy travels, ya’ll!
View comments
+ Leave a comment