Going-to-the-Sun Road decides the best time to visit Glacier National Park more than the weather does. Over the last 11 summers, plows finished the road over Logan Pass as early as June 13 and as late as July 15, and the park doesn’t announce the date until crews are nearly done. Most of what people come for sits behind that road: Logan Pass, the Highline Trail, Hidden Lake, and the drive itself.
So the answer comes in two parts. For most people, the best window is the first two weeks after Labor Day. The road is open, the lodges are still open, and the summer peak has passed. If you need the high trails clear of snow and the trail to Hidden Lake open, aim for August and accept the crowds and the chance of smoke. Below are the numbers behind that advice: the road’s opening dates, monthly visitor counts from the Park Service, weather on both sides of the park, and the dates the lodges open and close in 2027.
The Short Answer
- Best overall: Sept. 7 to 20, 2027. That’s the day after Labor Day through the last night at Many Glacier Hotel. The road is open, the summer crowd has thinned, and the big lodges are still running.
- Best for the high trails: late July through August. The Highline and the trail down to Hidden Lake are most reliably open. The popular lots fill by 7 or 8 a.m.
- Fewest people with the road open: late September to the third Monday in October (Oct. 18, 2027). Expect closed lodges, early snow, and a road that can close without much warning.
- Quietest way to see the road: May and early June on the west side, when you can walk or bike the Sun Road above Lake McDonald while plows work on the upper sections.
- Winter: snowshoeing and skiing from Lake McDonald Lodge, with almost nobody else around.
- Hardest to plan: mid-June. You may get the whole road, or you may get half of it.
Going-to-the-Sun Road Sets the Calendar
Every spring, crews plow the road from both ends toward Logan Pass, at 6,646 feet. The lower stretches along Lake McDonald and St. Mary Lake open first. The full road opens when the alpine section is clear and safe, and that date moves around a lot. These are the full-road opening dates from the Park Service’s Logan Pass opening and closing record and its season-opening announcements:
| Year | Full road open | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | June 16 | |
| 2017 | June 28 | |
| 2018 | June 22 | |
| 2019 | June 22 | |
| 2020 | July 13 | Delayed by COVID-19 |
| 2021 | June 25 | |
| 2022 | July 13 | Heavy avalanche year, winter weather through late June |
| 2023 | June 13 | Earliest since 2005 |
| 2024 | June 22 | |
| 2025 | June 16 | |
| 2026 | June 22 |
Read the table this way: the road was open by June 22 in seven of the last 11 years and by July 1 in nine of them. One of the two late years was a pandemic. The other, 2022, was a big snow year. A trip that starts July 1 or later is a safe bet. A trip in mid-June is a gamble, and the park can’t tell you the odds in advance any better than this table can.
The closing date has a ceiling. Since 1992 the alpine section has closed to cars on the third Monday in October, weather permitting. In practice, weather often wins first. From 2018 through 2022 the pass closed before the third Monday every year: Sept. 29 in 2018, Sept. 25 in 2019, Oct. 9 in 2020, Oct. 13 in 2021, and Oct. 16 in 2022. This year the park closed the alpine section on Oct. 9 for rain and possible snow, ten days before the scheduled Oct. 19 closing. Count on the pass through early October and treat anything later as a bonus.
Our Going-to-the-Sun Road guide covers the stops, the vehicle size limits, and how to drive it without fighting traffic all day.
How Crowded Each Month Really Is
The Park Service counts visitors at the entrance stations every month and posts the numbers on its visitor use statistics site. Here is 2025, the most recent full year:
| Month | Recreation visits, 2025 | Share of the year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 17,984 | 0.6% |
| February | 15,202 | 0.5% |
| March | 25,909 | 0.8% |
| April | 48,576 | 1.5% |
| May | 238,766 | 7.6% |
| June | 576,577 | 18.4% |
| July | 765,061 | 24.4% |
| August | 718,766 | 22.9% |
| September | 552,479 | 17.6% |
| October | 127,537 | 4.1% |
| November | 27,967 | 0.9% |
| December | 21,733 | 0.7% |
July and August brought in 47 percent of the year’s visitors. June through September brought in 83 percent. September is quieter than summer and still busy: it ran at 72 percent of July. The real drop comes in October, which saw about a sixth of July’s traffic. May set a record in 2025, mostly on the west side, before the full road opened.
Time of day matters as much as the month. Traffic peaks from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the popular trailhead lots still fill by 7 or 8 a.m. in summer. A 6:30 a.m. start in August beats a noon start in September.
Weather on Each Side of the Divide
Glacier has two climates. The west side, around Lake McDonald and West Glacier, is lower, wetter, and greener. The east side, around St. Mary and Many Glacier, sits higher and runs cooler. These are NOAA’s 1991-2020 climate normals for the two weather stations closest to the park entrances: West Glacier (about 3,150 feet) and St. Mary (about 4,560 feet).
| Month | West Glacier high / low | St. Mary high / low | West Glacier snowfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°F / 19°F | 29°F / 12°F | 32.0 in. |
| February | 34°F / 19°F | 32°F / 14°F | 16.0 in. |
| March | 43°F / 25°F | 38°F / 20°F | 14.0 in. |
| April | 53°F / 31°F | 47°F / 26°F | 3.1 in. |
| May | 64°F / 39°F | 57°F / 35°F | 0.5 in. |
| June | 70°F / 45°F | 64°F / 41°F | 0 |
| July | 80°F / 50°F | 75°F / 46°F | 0 |
| August | 79°F / 48°F | 74°F / 44°F | 0 |
| September | 68°F / 41°F | 63°F / 38°F | 0 |
| October | 52°F / 33°F | 49°F / 31°F | 2.0 in. |
| November | 37°F / 26°F | 36°F / 22°F | 16.2 in. |
| December | 29°F / 20°F | 29°F / 15°F | 31.4 in. |
Two things stand out. June is the wettest month of the year at West Glacier, at 3.80 inches of precipitation, which is why early-summer trips see so much rain and why the snow up high hangs on. July and August are the driest, at 1.39 and 1.17 inches. Summer highs on the east side run about 5 degrees cooler than the west.
Logan Pass sits about 3,500 feet above West Glacier, so plan for it to be chillier and windier than either station. Bring a warm layer in July.
Glacier Season by Season
Mid-June to Early July: The Road Gamble
Waterfalls are at their loudest, the valleys are green, and June still draws about 190,000 fewer visitors than July. The tradeoff is uncertainty. The full road may not be open yet. Even after it opens, the high trails can stay buried: when the road opened on June 22, 2026, the Park Service announced the Highline Trail from Logan Pass was closed for snow.
Weather can also close things that were open. At the end of June 2026, heavy rain led to flooding that closed the Many Glacier Valley and parts of Going-to-the-Sun Road for several days. In-park lodges open in stages: Lake McDonald Lodge opens May 14 in 2027, St. Mary Village May 28, and Many Glacier Hotel June 3. If you come in June, keep your plans loose and build in a lower-elevation backup day.
July to Labor Day: Everything Open, Everyone Here
This is Glacier with every door open: the full road, the boats, the red bus tours, ranger programs, and the high trails as the snow melts out. It is also when about half the year’s visitors arrive. In 2026 the park ran a ticketed express shuttle to Logan Pass and limited parking there to three hours from July 1 through Sept. 7 (NPS shuttle details). Our guide to Glacier’s entry rules covers how that system works.
At Hidden Lake, timing matters. The overlook is 1.3 miles from the Logan Pass Visitor Center, according to the NPS trail page. (One of my top personal favorite easy hikes in Glacier by the way.) The trail continues another 1.2 miles down to the lake, and in both 2023 and 2024 the park closed that lower section from June 15 to Aug. 7 because bears gather near the lake outlet while fish spawn. If reaching the shore matters to you, August is the month.
The other August factor is fire. The two fires that burned through the Lake McDonald valley in 2017 and 2018 both started from lightning in August. The Sprague Fire began Aug. 10, 2017, burned about 17,000 acres south of Lake McDonald, destroyed the main building at Sperry Chalet, and closed the west side of the road on Sept. 3. The Howe Ridge Fire started Aug. 11, 2018, and burned nearly 15,000 acres along the north shore of Lake McDonald. Smoke from fires hundreds of miles away can also flatten the views. The park fire history page has the long record. Check the park’s current conditions and our Montana webcams page before you drive in.
Labor Day to Late September: The Sweet Spot
Kids are back in school, the road is still open, and the larger lodges keep running for another two to four weeks. September 2025 still saw about 550,000 visits, so trailheads fill on sunny weekends, but the pressure eases most weekdays. Trees in the valleys start turning by mid-September.
Two things change after Labor Day. In 2026 the Logan Pass shuttle and the three-hour parking limit both ended after Sept. 7. Parking at the pass goes back to first come, first served, which helps if you want a long day up there. Without the shuttle, though, one-way hikes like the Highline from Logan Pass down to The Loop need a second car or a ride. Storms also get more likely. On Sept. 6, 2026, the park closed the alpine section of the road ahead of heavy rain and thunderstorms and reopened it on the afternoon of Sept. 9.
Lodges close in a row. Many Glacier Hotel’s last night in 2027 is Sept. 20, Lake McDonald Lodge’s is Sept. 30, and St. Mary Village runs through Oct. 4. Seasons for each property are on the Glacier National Park Lodges and St. Mary Village sites. The park’s visitor centers close in late September and early October.
October: Larches, Closures, and a Short Window
October is the quietest month with the road still open, at least for part of it. The western larch are the last trees to turn, going gold in mid-October, and the Park Service notes that Highway 2 along the park’s southern edge is sometimes the best road for seeing them (NPS operating seasons). The larch are the only conifers in the park that drop their needles each fall.
The cost is services. Lodging inside the park is closed for the season, most businesses in and near the park close in early October, and the alpine section of the road can shut on any given day. Many Glacier Road stays open until the third weekend in November, weather permitting, which makes the east-side valleys a good October option even after Logan Pass closes.
Winter: Lake McDonald on Snowshoes
Glacier sees about 15,000 to 22,000 visitors a month from December through February, and West Glacier averages more than 30 inches of snow in both December and January. Going-to-the-Sun Road is plowed from West Glacier to Lake McDonald Lodge, weather permitting. You can park at the lodge lot and ski or snowshoe up the unplowed road beyond it. The Apgar Visitor Center is open on weekends, and rangers lead snowshoe walks on weekends; in 2026 they ran Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. from Jan. 10 to March 15. Primitive camping is open at Apgar. Details are on the NPS winter visits page.
Bring everything you need. The lodges are closed, and most services in and near the park are shut from early October to late May.
Spring: Hiker and Biker Season
In spring, before the full road opens to cars, the road above Lake McDonald belongs to people on foot and on bikes while plows work on the upper sections. The rules are specific. Road crews close the plowing zone Monday through Thursday. When crews aren’t working, you can hike or bike up to the avalanche hazard closure, which stays in place at all times. The park sets those closure points each Thursday, so check the road status before you go. There was no hiker-biker shuttle in 2026, and there are no services past Apgar Village and West Glacier (NPS bicycling page).
Riding a car-free Sun Road between snowbanks is one of the best things you can do in the park, and May visitation, while it set a record in 2025, is still about a third of July’s. Expect to get wet from snowmelt on the upper road.
The Best Time for Specific Trips
- The Highline Trail: late July or later. It was closed for snow when the road opened in 2026. Check the NPS trail status page before you go.
- Hidden Lake itself: August or later, after the bear closure that ran June 15 to Aug. 7 in 2023 and 2024.
- Many Glacier hikes (Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake, Cracker Lake): June 3 to Sept. 20, 2027, while Many Glacier Hotel is open and the boats run from its dock.
- Driving the whole road with the fewest cars: weekdays after Labor Day, at sunrise.
- Fall color: mid-September for the valley trees, mid-October for the larch.
- Biking the Sun Road: spring hiker-biker season, before the road opens to cars.
- Whitewater on the Middle Fork of the Flathead: early June for the highest water. The river settles into gentler rapids later in summer.
What to Book, and When
No vehicle reservation is needed to drive into Glacier in 2026. You still need a park pass: $35 per private vehicle for seven days, and visitors who live outside the United States pay an extra $100 per person age 16 and up unless they carry a qualifying annual pass. The park hadn’t announced its 2027 shuttle and parking rules as of mid-October 2026.
The in-park lodges and boat tours are the things that sell out. Lake McDonald Lodge and Many Glacier Hotel have posted their 2027 seasons, and Glacier Park Boat Company is taking 2027 tour reservations. Campgrounds book through Recreation.gov. At St. Mary Campground, water system construction will close some or all sites from fall 2026 into spring 2027, so check its status before you plan around it.
For the rest of your planning, our guide to where to stay near Glacier compares the west and east sides by drive time, the 3-day Glacier itinerary puts the best stops in order, and the guide to the best things to do in Glacier covers the park region by region. To see how the road climbs over the Divide, turn the 3D Glacier National Park map. For the rest of the state, see the best time to visit Montana.
Glacier National Park Timing FAQ
What is the best month to visit Glacier National Park?
September, and the first two weeks after Labor Day in particular. Going-to-the-Sun Road is open, the in-park lodges are still open, and visitation is down from the July and August peak. In 2027 that window runs from Sept. 7 to Sept. 20, when Many Glacier Hotel closes.
When does Going-to-the-Sun Road open?
There is no set date. Over the last 11 years the full road over Logan Pass opened between June 13 and July 13, and it was open by July 1 in nine of those years. In 2026 it opened June 22.
When does Going-to-the-Sun Road close?
The alpine section closes to cars on the third Monday in October at the latest (Oct. 18 in 2027). Weather often closes it sooner: from 2018 through 2022 it closed before that date every year.
What is the least crowded time to visit Glacier with the road open?
Late September through mid-October. In 2025 the park counted 127,537 visits in October, against 765,061 in July. Services thin out in that window, and an early storm can close Logan Pass.
Is Glacier National Park worth visiting in winter?
Yes, if you want snow and solitude more than scenery from a car. Going-to-the-Sun Road is plowed from West Glacier to Lake McDonald Lodge, and the unplowed road beyond it becomes a snowshoe and ski route. Lodging inside the park is closed.
When can you hike to Hidden Lake?
The overlook, 1.3 miles from Logan Pass, is reachable once the road and trail are clear of snow. The trail beyond it, down to the lake, was closed from June 15 to Aug. 7 in both 2023 and 2024 because of bear activity near the lake outlet, so plan on August or later if you want to reach the water.
