First Round of Glacier Park Vehicle Reservations Sells Out Fast

At 8 a.m. on Feb. 1, the first batch of Glacier National Park vehicle reservation tickets went on sale. The initial booking window of the year offered tickets to access the Going-to-the-Sun Road and the Polebridge entrances of the park from May 26 through June 30.

The tickets for the North Fork area were distributed within 15 minutes. By 11:30 a.m., all Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTTSR) corridor reservations were booked as well, according to park staff.

The early rush on reservations marked the first stage of this year’s efforts by Glacier officials to adjust how they operate their vehicle reservation system, a pilot program entering its third year, and which over the past two summers has demonstrated a record of success at curbing overcrowding in the Crown Jewel.

But that’s not to say that visitors haven’t bristled at the park’s vehicle reservation policy, which this year expanded to require advanced reservations starting July 1 to access the park’s Two Medicine and Many Glacier entrances (set to be included among the next block of tickets, which go on sale March 1).

Although the system’s expansion has faced pushback from some members of the public, with residents and visitors lamenting restricted access to public land and its implications for the local economy, Glacier Park officials have worked to address visitors’ concerns by tweaking the evolving managed-access system, including adjusting the hours within which reservations are required.

In December, park officials also announced a phased rollout of tickets into the reservation system, with blocks of vehicle passes slated for release on the first of each month, starting in February, for entry to certain park entrances four months later. On March 1, the next batch will be released, and will be valid for all reservation areas from July 1 through July 31. On April 1, reservations will become available for all areas for Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, and on May 1 reservations for all entry points will be released for September.

Visitors to Glacier aren’t locked out of entering the park if they miss out on an initial booking window. During the Feb. 1 release, roughly 30% and 40% of advanced reservations for the North Fork and GTTSR corridor, respectively, were made available for the first block of summer — the remaining reservations will be released on a rolling basis 24 hours in advance of the entry day starting at 8 a.m., allowing visitors, and especially locals, to visit the park without needing four months of foresight.

Glacier National Park Public Affairs Assistant Brandy Burke told the Beacon that a smaller portion of the GTTSR corridor tickets were released for the June block because much of the park will remain in early-season status, with a limited portion of the Sun Road accessible to visitors. Since 2000, the average opening date for the famed scenic corridor has been June 17, but its opening is trending later. The next block release on March 1 for entry during July will feature a higher percentage of total available tickets, Burke said.

“Through the ongoing pilot process, the park is engaged in continued learning,” Burke said. “We will adjust reservation distribution throughout the season in order to achieve desired conditions throughout the park.”

The most significant change from the previous two summers is a requirement that park visitors obtain a vehicle reservation to access the Two Medicine and Many Glacier entrances from July 1 through Sept. 10 between the hours of 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. Reservations for Two Medicine and Many Glacier valleys will be valid for one day.

Vehicle reservations will also be required to access the GTTSR from the St. Mary entrance from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., but visitors can travel as far as the Rising Sun checkpoint without a pass.

For the popular western entrances to Going-to-the-Sun Road at West Glacier and Camas, and to access the park’s North Fork area at the Polebridge Ranger Station, reservations will be required from May 26 through Sept. 10.

For the Going-to-the-Sun Road, vehicle reservations are valid for three days and are required from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., ending an hour earlier than in 2022. In Polebridge, reservations are only valid for one day and are required from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In addition to a vehicle reservation, each vehicle entering the park is required to have an entrance pass, which includes any one of the following: a $35 vehicle pass, valid for seven days; a valid Interagency Annual/Lifetime Pass; or a Glacier National Park Annual Pass.    

Visitors with lodging, camping, transportation, or commercial activity reservations within the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, Many Glacier, or Two Medicine can use their reservation for entry in lieu of a $2 reservation to gain access to the portion of the park for which they have a reservation.  

Pursuant to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, vehicle reservations are not required for tribal members throughout the park. Landowners inside the park will also be able to access their properties without a vehicle reservation.  Due to the Lake McDonald utilities project taking place along the Going-to-the-Sun corridor, visitors utilizing the West Entrance anticipate daytime delays of 30 minutes between the four-way intersection at Apgar and the Lake McDonald Lodge, and nighttime delays of up to two hours.