Do I Need a Reservation to Visit Glacier National Park?

Going-to-the-Sun Road Vehicle Reservations

Visitors to Glacier National Park in 2022 will need to use a ticket system to access portions of the park from May 27 through September 11, 2022. This special ticket is in addition to your park entrance fee. You will need one ticket per vehicle to enter the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) at the West Entrance, St. Mary Entrance, and the new Camas Entrance. It will be good for three days. This is a change from 2021 in which your ticket was good for 7 days.

You will need a separate one-day ticket per vehicle at the Polebridge Ranger Station to visit the North Fork area of the park.

Beginning in early March, you can buy your ticket on Recreation.gov. Although the park does not charge for the tickets, Recreation.gov charges a $2 nonrefundable service fee. The reservation is required in addition to a park pass.

Visitors with lodging, camping, transportation, or commercial activity reservations within the GTSR corridor can use their reservation for entry in lieu of a $2 ticket. (The North Fork area does not offer lodging, transportation or commercial services, and camping is first come, first served.)

The entry reservations are hoping to curb the famous traffic on Going-to-the-Sun Road. (Download a PDF map)

In 2020, temporary closures were required 29 times at the West Entrance. The reservation system, in its second year in 2022,  hopes to alleviate that and allow visitors peace of mind that they’ll be able to access the park when they plan to.

Reservations won’t guarantee a parking spot at some of the more crowded parking lots like Avalanche, Logan Pass and St. Mary Falls. For your best bet at snagging a parking spot, enter the park early in the morning, or late in the evening. During Montana summers daylight lasts for 15 or 16 hours, so there’s plenty of time to explore if you get out early or stay out late. 

Park shuttles will operate in 2022. Service levels are still to be determined.

For more information, visit https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/news/glacier-national-park-announces-plans-for-2022-ticket-system.htm

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