Best Time to Visit Glacier National Park

July to September

Months to avoid: October to June (Going-to-the-Sun Road closes mid-October, most facilities shut, snow at elevation by September end)

Recommended stay: 4-6 days

Plan Glacier National Park for July to September. Give it 4-6 days. The window to avoid is October to June (Going-to-the-Sun Road closes mid-October, most facilities shut, snow at elevation by September end).

What the season gets you

• Going-to-the-Sun Road is 50 miles of switchbacks through glaciated alpine terrain that opens fully only July through mid-September, requiring a vehicle reservation in peak season
• Grinnell Glacier Trail is a 10.6-mile round trip through meadows and moraine to an actual glacier remnant with a turquoise lake fed by meltwater at its base
• Many Glacier Valley on the east side of the Continental Divide is quieter than the west, has better grizzly sightings, and the historic Many Glacier Hotel sits right on Swiftcurrent Lake