If you are lucky enough to get to plan a Glacier National Park itinerary but only have one day to explore, you might feel a little overwhelmed because of all the options of things to see and do.
What are the best hikes?
Is Going-To-The-Sun Road really worth it?
Should I even bother if I only have one day?
I’m going to be honest: one day is definitely not enough time to fully appreciate such an amazing park, but it is 100% worth it if that’s all the time you have. Glacier has some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen, and I’ve been dreaming of going back ever since that one amazing day.
When we originally planned our Glacier itinerary, we were supposed to have several days there and then head up north into Canada to Jasper, Banff, and the surrounding areas.
But then 2020 happened and we could no longer cross the border. So we rerouted our itinerary and ended up going south instead to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho.
Unfortunately, that left us with only one day available to explore Glacier, and even though it wasn’t a lot of time, I’m so glad we didn’t skip it. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen!
Planning your trip? Use our favorite resources!
For accommodations – Hotels.com | Expedia | VRBO
For car rentals – Discover Cars
For tours & excursions – Viator
For cheap flights – FareDrop
For travel insurance – Safety Wing
So if you find yourself in a similar situation or you’re passing through and short on time, don’t worry: you can still see a lot of the highlights on a one-day Glacier National Park trip. So let’s get started!
One Day Glacier National Park Itinerary
If this is your first time visiting Glacier National Park and you want to make the most of your day, here’s the perfect itinerary to help you see the best things in the park.
NOTE: This Glacier National Park itinerary is based on a summer visit when most parts of the park will be open. If you plan to visit during the winter season, check the National Park Service website to see the status of road and visitor center closures.
Wake up early! The earlier the better
When we were visiting Glacier National Park, we met up with some friends who live in their RV full-time, so we stayed at an RV park near Flathead Lake. We were over an hour from the park entrance which meant an extra early start for us.
But no matter where you are staying, get into the park early, especially if you are visiting in the summer months – it can get very crowded, and some of the parking lots will fill up very fast.
In order to hit all the things on this Glacier National Park itinerary, I’d recommend getting into the park no later than 8:00 am, and ideally earlier if you can manage. You’ve only got one day after all, so make the most of it!
Drive Going-To-The-Sun Road
2025 Update: From June 3 – September 28, parts of Glacier National Park require a vehicle reservation, including the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road. Visit the Glacier NPS website for details and the most up-to-date information on the vehicle reservation system.
If you can only do one thing in Glacier, drive Going-To-The-Sun Road. This 50-mile road will show you the best places in the park and the most gorgeous scenery in the shortest amount of time.
It seemed that every tunnel, twist, and turn in the road revealed even more spectacular views than the last. You are definitely going to want to take your time and soak in as much as you can.
Some tips for driving Going-To-The-Sun Road:
– Get gas before taking the drive! The only fuel stations are located at the entrances to the park. To avoid the stress of wondering if you’ll make it to the station to fill up, make sure you top off the tank the night before or first thing in the morning, whatever works best for you.
– Drive slow! The speed limit throughout the drive is 45mph, but many people will be driving slower than that. I don’t blame them, I couldn’t get enough! Just take your time, be patient, and enjoy the drive.
– Watch out for other vehicles and pedestrians. Cars will be constantly pulling over and then merging back into traffic. People will also probably be crossing the road to get better pictures, so just be alert at all times.
– Because of the narrow, steep nature of the road and the multiple tunnels, there are restrictions to the height, width, and length of vehicles allowed on the road. As a general rule, leave any pull-behind trailers, campers, or RVs behind. Any standard car, truck, or SUV will be just fine. You can check out the specific vehicle restrictions and general info for Going To The Sun Road here.
The road has two entrances: the West entrance off of US Highway 2 and the St. Mary entrance off of US Highway 89. Since we stayed south of the park, we started at the West Glacier entrance, but if you are staying north or east, you could start at the other end by the St. Mary Visitor Center and reverse this itinerary.
NOTE: When we were there, the road was only open from West Glacier to Rising Sun and then you had to turn around – you could not get in from the St Mary side because of closures. The road also closes in the winter and occasionally for road work and weather. Make sure you check before you go for any possible closures. You can check current Going-To-The-Sun Road closures here.
Take A Hike
No Glacier National Park itinerary is complete without doing at least one hiking trail! Lucky for you, there are plenty of hikes to choose from regardless of your fitness level and time frame. Even if you don’t really like to hike or if you have little kids, there are a couple of short hikes that are quick, easy, and suitable for everyone!
Most of the popular trails are right along Going-To-The-Sun Road, so you can drive the road until you get to your preferred hike and then continue the drive afterward.
pro tip:
This is where getting into the park early is really going to come into play. The parking lots for most of the hiking areas will fill up fast, so make sure you know where you want to go before leaving and head directly there.
I highly recommend the Trail of the Cedars, and then if you want a little something more, continue on to Avalanche Lake.
The Trail of the Cedars is an easy, accessible 1-mile hike that takes you through some beautiful trees to the stunning Avalanche Gorge.
From there, you can choose to continue the loop back to the parking lot or turn off and follow the trail to Avalanche Lake. This is a moderate trail that comes out to about 6.7 miles round trip, including the Trail of the Cedars loop.
Get all the details on Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake here.
We got to the car lot for this trail sometime around 9:00 am and there was only one parking spot left! We definitely got lucky. This is a popular hike but SO worth it!
pro tip:
Being flexible and patient is going to be important here. If the hike you want to do has a full parking lot and you don’t want to wait around for an empty spot (and I don’t blame you if you don’t – your time is precious!) or is closed for bear activity or trail work, then you may want to have a second and third option picked out just in case. Don’t let something like that ruin your visit – have a backup plan and enjoy the experience, no matter what happens!
While Avalanche Lake was the only designated hike we got to do, there were quite a few on my list to try. Here are some other highly recommended ones:
Highline Trail (this will be the first hike I do on my next trip!)
Hidden Lake Overlook (one of the most popular)
St Mary/Virginia Falls (a great option if you want to see some waterfalls)
Grinnell Glacier Trail (a difficult and long trail but one of the top-rated)
To see all the route options in Glacier, check out AllTrails, my go-to site for hiking trails.
And just like any time you are out in nature, don’t forget to practice the Leave No Trace principles.
Pack a Lunch and Have A Picnic
After our hike it was soon lunchtime, so we continued to drive the Going-To-The-Sun Road for a bit, enjoying more of the scenery, until we found a nice pull-off to have lunch.
I 100% recommend you pack a lunch for your day in Glacier. Not only will it save you from having to leave the park to get food and therefore waste the precious time you have there, but you can eat your lunch with a million-dollar view.
There are plenty of places outside the park where you can pick up groceries for your day in Glacier. Some of them include Walmart and Albertson’s in Kalispell, Super 1 Foods in Whitefish, Smith’s Food and Drug in Columbia Falls, and Canyon Foods Supermarket in Hungry Horse.
So do yourself a favor: pack your lunch and have a picnic with one of the best views.
Speaking of spectacular views…
Stop and Enjoy the Scenery
I touched on this earlier, but while you are driving around, you will come across so much beauty that you will want to stop at every single pull-off and take pictures of everything.
Obviously, if you did that, you would have time for almost nothing else.
So what I recommend is to make minimal stops on your drive out to St Mary and make note of some of the places you would like to stop on the way back. This way you can see how long it takes you to drive the whole road, see how you are doing on time, and prioritize what you want to see on the way back.
Another option is to only stop at pull-outs that are on the same side of the road as you are. This will also make it easier to get back out on the road when you are finished, as during the busy summer months traffic can get a little crazy and it might take you a while if you have to cross both lanes of traffic to get back on the road.
Some of the popular areas to stop are Logan Pass Visitor Center (the highest point on the road), Jackson Glacier Overlook, Sunrift Gorge, and Wild Goose Island Lookout.
Dip Your Toes in the Glacial Lakes
Glacier National Park got its name for a reason – there are currently 26 glaciers in the park, and many of the lakes in the park were created from melted glaciers and glacial runoffs. So needless to say, those lakes are COLD.
If you want to check out a less-populated area of the park and cool off in the frigid water, here’s a great spot:
At Wild Goose Island Lookout, take the trail down to Saint Mary Lake. We didn’t even know there was a trail at first, so you might have to poke around, but if you start making your way toward the lake you’ll see a trail. Keep following it down until you get to the rock beach.
There were only a handful of people there and the beach was large enough that we could spread out and have some privacy.
It was the perfect little break to just sit down, relax, and feel the icy cold glacial lake water. Plus the view was pretty spectacular too.
If you’re brave enough, you could go for a swim.
Our friend Kyle jumped in but the rest of us were too chicken. It was some of the coldest water I’ve ever felt! I did put my feet in but I could only stand it for a few minutes.
You could eat your lunch or a snack here if you wanted as well.
Paddleboard/kayak/take a boat on McDonald Lake
After spending some time relaxing by Saint Mary Lake, we got back in the truck and turned around to go back the way we came on Going-To-The-Sun Road. We made a couple more stops for some pictures and then decided to end our day at McDonald Lake.
McDonald Lake is the largest lake in Glacier National Park. It is also the most popular lake for water sports like kayaking and paddleboarding. You can also check out the Apgar Village Visitor Center there if you’re interested in chatting with the park rangers or finding out additional information.
Kyle and Renee have paddleboards, so we pumped them up and took them out for a quick paddle. This was the first time I had ever been on one before so I was a bit nervous, but I picked it up pretty quickly and had a lot of fun!
This was a great way to end our one-day Glacier National Park itinerary. If you are into water sports, you could rent a kayak or paddleboard and spend some time exploring the lake before dinnertime. You can also swim, take a boat tour, or just sit and relax, maybe even eat your dinner at one of the picnic tables if you packed it along.
There are also some places nearby where you can grab a bite to eat, so you could always eat first and then come back to the lake around sunset. I bet the views would be amazing!
Go stargazing
If you aren’t too tired and the sky is clear, you definitely need to spend some time gazing at the night sky! This is something we didn’t get the chance to do but is on the list for next time.
Glacier National Park is a designated dark sky park, which means not only is the sky so clear and dark that you can see so many stars, you can also see the Milky Way with your own eyes!
There are plenty of places you can go to look at the sky – any of the visitor centers would be a good choice, or even Lake McDonald if you don’t want to venture too far into the park.
Just remember that in the summer, the sky doesn’t get completely dark until pretty late, so keep that in mind when planning out your day.
So, to summarize the perfect one-day Glacier National Park itinerary:
- Wake up early and aim to be in the park no later than 8 am
- Drive Going-To-The-Sun Road
- Take a hike (I recommend Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake)
- Pack a lunch and have a picnic with a view
- Stop and enjoy the scenery
- Dip your toes in glacial water
- Spend some time in or on the water at Lake McDonald
- Go stargazing
Quick Facts about Glacier National Park
- Glacier became the 10th national park on May 11, 1910.
- The park is over 1500 square miles and has over 760 lakes, almost 750 miles of trails, and 26 glaciers (all of which are sadly shrinking every year).
- As incredible as Glacier is, it barely cracks the top 10 most visited national parks. In 2022, there were over 2.9 million visitors, compared to the most visited, Great Smoky Mountains, which attracted 12.94 million people.
When is Glacier National Park open?
Glacier National Park is open all year round, 24 hours a day. However, parts of the park are only open seasonally, such as most of Going-To-The-Sun Road and the visitor centers, but there are things to do in the park all seasons. Check out the Glacier NPS website for more details.
In general, the popular attractions and visitor centers are open from mid-June to late October, but this all depends on the weather and when the snow comes. You can check current park conditions and road closures here.
How much does it cost to enter Glacier National Park?
A 7-day park permit costs $35 per vehicle in the high season and $25 from November 1 to April 30. If you are on a motorcycle, it’s $30 for the high season and $20 during winter.
If you have an America the Beautiful pass, entry is free. I highly recommend getting this pass if you plan to visit more than one national park in a year – it will save you money. A one-year pass costs $80.
A Glacier National Park annual pass is $70, but this would only be worth it if you are going to be visiting the park for longer than a week and you aren’t planning to go to any other national parks within the year.
There are also several days throughout the year when entering any national park is free! Check out the list of free National Park days here.
Best Time To Visit Glacier National Park
Glacier is open all year round and there are neat things to do during all seasons, but there are certain things that are closed during the snow/winter months.
Parts of Going-To-The-Sun Road are closed much of the year, and the whole road is only fully open to motorists between mid- to late June until late October, although this does change every year based on snowfall (check the Glacier road status page for up-to-date information).
Visitor centers are also only open seasonally, typically between May and October, and there tends to be limited accommodation and restaurant options in the off-season.
But don’t let that discourage you from coming! Even if you do find yourself here when parts of the park are closed, there is still lots to do. Plenty of hiking and biking trails are accessible all year, and backcountry camping is allowed all seasons too. Fishing, boating, and rafting are also popular.
In the winter, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are great activities, and there are plenty of trails for any skill level.
So no matter when you come, there are lots of great activity options for you!
With all that being said, if you want the best chance of avoiding the crowds and still having everything open, early to mid-September is going to be the perfect time of year to go.
Check the weather and seasons in Glacier National Park here.
How To Get To Glacier National Park
If you are flying to Glacier National Park, the closest airport is Glacier Park International Airport. There are lots of cities with direct flights, including Salt Lake City, Minneapolis/St Paul, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and more!
If you are driving, here are the driving times from some of the closest larger cities:
Spokane, Washington: 4.5 hours
Missoula, Montana: 2.5 hours
Helena, Montana: 3.5 hours
Boise, Idaho: 10 hours
Boseman, Montana: 5.5 hours
Billings, Montana: 6.5 hours
Cody, Wyoming: 8.5 hours
You can also take Amtrak to get to Glacier via the Empire Builder train which travels the Chicago-St. Paul/Minneapolis-Spokane-Portland/Seattle route. If you plan to rent a car while you are here, your best bet is taking the train to Whitefish, Montana, and picking up a car there. If you plan to take tours or shuttles, you can get off at West Glacier.
I highly recommend using Discover Cars to find your rental car. They search all the rental companies for the best price, and if your plans change, you always get free cancellation.
How To Get Around Glacier National Park
Having your own vehicle to get around the park is going to be the best option, but there are a couple of other choices if you don’t.
You can take the park’s shuttle service to explore the Going-To-The-Sun Road. This operates July 1 through Labor Day weekend (as long as the road is cleared of snow). The schedule is between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm.
More information on the Glacier shuttle system can be found on the NPS website.
You can also take a guided tour through the park. There are currently two companies that offer this option, Glacier Sun Tours and the Red Bus tour.
How many days do you need in Glacier National Park?
The short answer: as many days as you can!
While our Glacier National Park itinerary was only for one day, if you can swing it, you should definitely visit for longer. If you want to hit the main sites and throw in a couple of shorter hikes, 2-3 days would be enough. If you want to do some longer hikes, 4-5 days would be best. And if you want to see all the sections of the park, you should allocate at least a week for a great experience.
Glacier National Park is huge: even with a week, you’d never be able to experience all the area has to offer. So make sure you plan as many days as you can in order to see as much as you can!
What To Pack for your Glacier National Park Itinerary
In order to make the most of your Glacier National Park itinerary, here are some things you should not forget:
National Park Pass
If you have the National Park Pass, make sure you don’t forget it! They come with a rearview mirror holder so you can hang it up and not have to dig around for it when you enter the park.
Camera
This is a given, but you are going to be so amazed by all the beauty, you’ll be kicking yourself if you don’t have a good camera to capture all the beautiful landscapes.
A good phone camera would work well for most landscapes, but if you want to get some awesome wildlife pictures, you might want something with a zoom lens.
Binoculars
Is that a bear or just a tree stump? If you have binoculars, you won’t have to guess!
Hiking shoes & good socks
If you plan on doing any kind of hiking, I’d recommend hiking shoes or boots rather than sneakers. The socks you wear with your boots will also make a huge difference in how your feet feel. I like Cloudline wool socks, but there are lots of great brands out there.
Layers
The weather in Glacier can change rapidly, and even in the summer, temperatures can get chilly. Make sure you pack along a variety of clothing, including clothes you can layer. You might even want to consider bringing along a raincoat so a rainy day doesn’t ruin your visit.
Water
More than likely, you’ll be out and about in the park all day and may not have quick access to a store. While the visitor centers do sell water, it will be much easier to just bring lots of water with you so you don’t have to worry about running out or changing your plan in order to go find some.
Hiking pack + the 10 essentials
While most of the trails in Glacier National Park are well-traveled and you’ll see people frequently, you still want to be prepared. Bring along a hiking backpack and keep it stocked with the 10 essentials for hiking and you’ll be set.
Sunglasses & sunscreen
Nothing can ruin a trip faster than sunburn, am I right? And since Glacier is located at a pretty high altitude, you want to make sure you protect your skin and your eyes from the sun.
Bug spray
The bugs can get pretty bad in the summer, so just be prepared and carry some with you.
Bear spray
If you plan to do any hiking, you should carry bear spray with you, keep it easily accessible, and know how to use it.
Optional: Hiking poles
While not a necessity, I thought I’d include this one since a lot of people find them useful. I tend to use hiking poles more when I’m backpacking than just day hiking, but some of the hikes in Glacier can be challenging and hiking poles might come in handy.
For a complete packing guide, check out What To Pack For A Road Trip: The Ultimate List For Every Kind of Adventure.
Places To Eat In Glacier National Park
We did not eat out when we were in Glacier, but some of the places that have received good reviews and that I would like to check out another time include Two Sisters Cafe outside St. Mary, Home Ranch Bottoms and Polebridge Mercantile and Bakery in the North Fork area, and Glacier Highland in West Glacier.
If you want to do what we did and cook your own meals, there are plenty of grocery stores in the areas around the park. Some of them include Walmart and Albertson’s in Kalispell, Super One Foods in Whitefish, Smith’s Food and Drug in Columbia Falls, and Canyon Foods Supermarket in Hungry Horse.
Places To Stay In Glacier National Park
We stayed in our friends’ RV on this trip so we didn’t book anything ourselves (and I can’t for the life of me remember the name of the RV park), but there are lots of hotels, RV, and camping options in the park itself, in Kalispell, East Glacier Park Village, and the surrounding area.
If you want to stay in the park, the options include Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, Granite Park Chalet, and several others.
pro tip:
No matter where you stay, make sure you plan ahead and book as soon as you can. Places can book up very quickly, especially in the summer.
If you’d like to stay outside of the park or would like to camp, here are the websites I use to find accommodations:
Recreation.gov – the site to book all camping, tours, passes, and more at federal recreation sites in the United States.
Hipcamp – the Airbnb of camping. They have everything from tent sites to glamping, RV parks, cabins, and more.
Airbnb & VRBO – these two sites are my preferred way to find places to stay when I’m not camping. Not only can it be cheaper than a hotel, but I love getting to know the locals, and you can’t beat the knowledge and recommendations from the people who live there!
Hotels.com – my preferred website for finding and booking hotels.
Are there bears in Glacier National Park?
Yes, there are both black bears and grizzly bears in Glacier, but don’t stress about it! If you plan to do some hiking, just make sure you hike with at least one other person and carry bear spray (and have it easily accessible and know how to use it). Pay attention to your surroundings, make plenty of noise, and you’ll be fine!
NOTE: You can’t fly with bear spray so I’d recommend purchasing it once you arrive if you are traveling by plane.
You should also give any other animals that you encounter plenty of space too. You could see anything from deer to mountain goats to bighorn sheep. Any wildlife can be unpredictable, and you want to keep yourself and the critters safe!
How To Avoid Crowds In Glacier National Park
Since Glacier National Park has a pretty small window of time when the main attractions are open, it is going to be difficult to avoid the masses. Everyone wants to experience this amazing place! But there are a few things you can do to avoid the crowds as much as possible.
Visit in June or September
The majority of visitors come to Glacier National Park between late June and August. If you try to plan your trip for mid-June or early to mid-September, you’ll avoid the worst of the crowds.
However, keep in mind that the Going-To-The-Sun Road only opens once the snow has been removed, which can sometimes take until mid- to late June, and the snow can start up again as early as September, so you’ll have to watch the Glacier NPS page to see the status of the roads.
That being said, if the roads are open, you’ll have a wonderful experience in the park with far fewer tourists to contend with.
Stay in or close to the park
If you want to plan a Glacier National Park itinerary without the swarms of people, your best option is to stay in the park or as close to the park as you can. This will allow you to be in the park before and after the majority of visitors and you’ll get an experience the rest won’t.
Arrive as early as possible
Related to the above tip, getting into Glacier National Park as early as you can will allow you to make sure you get the parking spaces you want for your hikes and experience more of the park without the line of cars. Besides, how cool would it be to catch the sunrise coming over the mountains?
Also, if you visit Glacier in the high season and get into the park before 7 am, you don’t need a vehicle registration pass to drive the Going-to-the-Sun road. Just another bonus of getting into the park as early as you can!
Consider exploring less popular areas
While some might argue that there are no parts of Glacier National Park that aren’t touristy, there are certain areas that don’t have the masses that Going-To-The-Sun Road does.
Areas to the far west side of the park, like Bowman, North Fork area, and Kintla Lakes, or places to the north, like Waterton Park, are not as well known or popular and will more than likely have fewer people around. Pretty much any area away from Going-To-The-Sun Road is going to have a better chance of having more manageable crowds.
Places To visit Around Glacier National Park
While you could spend weeks exploring Glacier National Park, if you want to add another destination or two to your road trip, here are a few suggestions:
- Yellowstone National Park
- Grand Teton National Park
- Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho
- Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada
- Banff National Park, Canada
- Jasper National Park, Canada
If you have a full week, I’d suggest doing this Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton road trip itinerary.
Conclusion: One-Day Glacier National Park Itinerary
And there you have it! I hope this was helpful for you in planning your Glacier National Park itinerary.
If you want to see a more inside scoop of what our one-day trip was like, check out the video below from Happily Ever Hanks. They are good friends of ours and traveled with us on our 2-week trip to Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho.
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