It's Your Time for That Spontaneous Trip to Glacier National Park

If you're a "spur of the moment" person, trying to visit Glacier National Park has been frustrating in recent seasons. Although the park's reservation system may help with those peak summer crowds, it can limit options for locals, who would like to "drop in" on the park, especially when hosting visitors from out of town.

That changes this weekend, as the summer reservation season ends.

So now, you can wake up in the morning, check the weather, and decide to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

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How did the Glacier Reservation system work in 2024

This year, GNP made some changes to the reservation system, which offered more accommodations for locals or travelers who were sure of their schedules.

Reservations were required during most of the day, but the restrictions were lifted in the late afternoon and evenings. Also, Glacier visitors could drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road from the east without a reservation.

Reservations ending

Sunday will be the last day reservations are required for the GTTSR from the West Entrance, the North Fork, and Many Glacier.

However, the park warns in past years that's led to increased vehicle traffic, so entrance could be suspended if it gets too crowded. Visitors are told to be ready for temporary delays, especially between 10 am and 2 pm).

Parking at Logan Pass, Apgar Village, and Avalanche could also be crowded.

NPS photo; Jacob W. Frank

Shuttle service is already on the fall schedule, and will end on September 15th, so lines for those rides may also be long.

Entry fees and bikes

Even though reservations aren't required, you'll still need to pay an entry fee at the park gates, either a limited, 7-day pass or with any of the applicable federal pass cards.

Also on Monday, you can start riding the Going-to-the-Sun Road without any time restrictions. This year, bikes couldn't use the road between 3 pm and 6 pm, from Apgar to Logan.