When we visited Glacier National Park in the beginning of July, we were disappointed when we discovered the Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed between Avalanche on the west side and Rising Sun on the east side. It was surprisingly difficult to find information on what we could actually do when we got there. We put together this guide to help your planning go a little smoother.
How to Plan When Going-to-the-Sun Road is Closed
1. Check park closures.
Visit the NPS website to find out what area of the park are closed. This is a good starting point to find out what parts of Going-to-the-Sun Road are closed, in addition to construction information and more.
2. Find out which areas are accessible.
If this is your first time visiting Glacier National Park, knowing which areas are closed is only the start. This interactive map put out by the National Park Service is a good resource.
3. Decide which side of the park you want to visit (either or both)
Because we were unable to secure a vehicle reservation for Going-to-the-Sun Road (and also short on time), we decided to skip the west side of the park and go straight to the east side. If you have more time, visiting both sides of the park is definitely doable.
How to Get From One Side of the Park to the Other when Going-to-the-Sun Road is Closed
We took Highway 2. This highway runs along the southern border of the park. It was very winding and scenic. Driving Highway 2 from West Glacier to St. Mary can take between 2-3 hours.
4. Determine if you need a road reservation.
Typically this is the case if you plan on driving on Going-to-the-Sun Road, with a few exceptions. Entering from the Polebridge Entrance Station also typically requires a vehicle reservation.
The areas that do not require vehicle reservations are Many Glacier, Two Medicine, Cut Bank, the segment of Going-to-the-Sun Road between the St. Mary Entrance and Rising Sun. This map shows the roads that require a reservation. For more information about Glacier National Park’s new reservation system, continue below.
5. Decide what you want to do (hikes, scenic drives, camp, bike, etc.)
When a large portion of Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed, sometimes you can still bike some of it. Unfortunately, this option wasn’t available to us at the beginning of July. The road was closed to all traffic after Rising Sun on the east side. Biking may be available a little later in the season. There are still plenty of hikes that are open even if Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed.
6. Choose where to stay.
If you want to stay in the park, your best bet would be to book as far in advance as possible. Reservable campgrounds start booking 6 months in advance and often sell out very quickly. For more spur of the moment visits or if you were unable to get a reservation, you can attempt to camp in one of the first-come first-serve campgrounds. We stayed at the Many Glacier campground in a first-come first-serve site. We got to the campsite before 7 AM and there was already a line. It took about four hours of waiting in line to secure our site. I would recommend getting in line ASAP. If you’re planning a a big hike, it can be a good idea to stay at a campsite near the trailhead.
Planning a road trip? Check out our complete list of what we packed for our year-long cross country trip.
7. Check for trail closures.
If part of Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed, it is likely that there will also be trail closures. The area maps on this page are helpful to see what trails there are. This interactive map by the National Park Service is a good resource for checking trail status. Continue below to see our favorite hikes.
8. Determine which trails you want to hike.
I like to use AllTrails to see reviews, pictures, and the difficulty of the hike I am considering. AllTrails is also helpful for seeing the top hikes in an area. I first used the trail status page linked above to figure out what was actually open and then I looked up the hike on AllTrails to see pictures.
9. Figure out the parking situation.
If the hike you want to do is very popular, it may be difficult and frustrating to get a parking spot. For hikes off Going-to-the-Sun Road, like the hike to St. Mary’s Falls, you may need to wait for someone to leave to get a spot. Prioritize your plans and go to your top hike first thing in the morning to reduce frustration.
Our Favorite Hikes for when Going-to-the Sun Road is Closed
1. Grinnell Glacier Trail (~10.6 miles round trip)
This was one of our favorite trails in the park. If Going-to-the-Sun Road was open, we likely would have done the Highline Trail and missed out on this great trail. The best way to do this trail is to start early in the morning. We arrived very early, a little before seven in the morning to get a campsite at Many Glacier campground. This campground is within walking distance to the trailhead. If you don’t plan on camping there, you can drive straight to the trailhead parking lot. At this time, there were plenty of empty spots. By the time we walked over to the trail around noon, people were parking way down the side of the road.
This trail is out-and-back and follows along a cliffside with a beautiful view over bright blue lakes. Conditions at the end of the trail were bad, so the last mile was closed and we were unable to finish it. Despite being unable to go to the Grinnell Glacier Viewpoint, this trail was definitely worth it. If you’re not up for this long of a hike, you can take a shuttle boat across Lake Josephine to cut off almost 4 miles. The boat takes off from the Many Glacier Hotel.
2. Ptarmigan Trail to Iceberg Lake (~10 miles round trip)
This was another amazing trail. The parking lot for the trailhead is at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. Since we had stayed at the Many Glacier campground the previous night, we were able to easily get parking before 7AM. This trailhead is also within walking distance from the campground, but we were checking out that day. I highly recommend getting an early start on this trail. We saw few other people on the way to Iceberg Lake, but passed many people on the way back.
The trail started out easy and mostly flat. Near the end, the trail became snow-covered and difficult to follow without a GPS trail map. There was also a difficult water crossing over freezing, rushing water. Iceberg Lake at the end was very beautiful and very cold. Since we were among the first people there, we had the whole lake to ourselves. We even saw a herd of big-horn sheep. I wouldn’t recommend this hike to beginners.
3. St. Mary’s Falls onto Virginia Falls (3.9 miles round trip)
Because Going-to-the-Sun Road was open until Rising Sun, we were able to access this trail. The trail is easy enough, but if you don’t get there early enough, parking can be difficult. We waited in our car for half an hour for a spot to open up. It really is a free-for-all and very competitive to get a spot. The trail itself was also pretty crowded, but the scenery made it worth it. This trail is where we saw our first moose.
The trail follows along a river until you reach St. Mary’s Falls. You can turn around here, but we recommend continuing down the trail to Virginia Falls. We found Virginia Falls even more scenic than St. Mary’s Falls. Once you get closer to the falls, the trail does get steeper and a little more difficult. Make sure to climb up to the upper overlook of the falls and cross the narrow wooden bridge. Prepare to get a little wet.
4. Trail of the Cedars (~1 mile round trip)
This was a highly recommended hike for the west side of the park. Unfortunately, we were unable to get a vehicle reservation and had to skip it. This is a short loop trail about a mile long that is on a boardwalk. The trail goes through a cedar and hemlock forest with trees up to 500 years old.
What You Need to Know About the New Reservation System
Quick Facts:
- A vehicle reservation is required for every vehicle entering Going-to-the-Sun Road from 6 AM until 4 PM daily between May 27 and September 11. The reservation must be purchased in advance. You cannot purchase it at the entrance gate.
- The reservation is valid for three days, including the date of entry.
- Qualifying service reservations can act as the vehicle reservation. Qualifying service reservations include certain campgrounds inside the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, lodging reservations, commercial tour reservations, and more. Visit Recreation.gov for a complete list of qualifying reservations. If you are unable to get a vehicle reservation for your desired day, this can be a good workaround.
- The reservation fee for a vehicle is $2.00 and is non-refundable.
- The vehicle reservation fee does not include the park pass, which must be purchased separately.
- Vehicle reservation tickets are non-transferrable.
- The Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor starts at the Camas Entrance Station and the West Entrance Station on the west side of the park and the Rising Sun Checkpoint on the east side of the park.
- The first portion of vehicle reservations open up 120 days in advance at 8 am MDT. The remaining tickets open up the day before at 8 AM MDT.
- Before Going-to-the-Sun Road opens completely in the spring, vehicle reservations are not required at the Rising Sun checkpoint on the east side of the park.
Vehicle Reservation Tips:
- If you are unable to get a vehicle reservation, you are still able to enter Going-to-the-Sun Road after 4 PM and before 6 AM. Also consider reserving a kayak or boat tour on Lake McDonald. They are reasonably affordable and will act as a vehicle reservation for the day, so you will be able to drive on Going-to-the-Sun Road.
- Vehicle reservations are extremely competitive and typically sell out minutes after they open. Be prepared.
- Set up your Recreation.gov account in advance. This account is required to reserve your ticket and can take up precious time if you need to make the account when you are trying to check out.
- Make sure your vehicle fits size requirements for Going-to-the-Sun Road.
- Consider using the free shuttle.
Enjoy this post? Please consider sharing to social media.
