This National Park is all Montana’s. We should share that it borders Wateron Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada and together, these two parks form the world’s first international Peace Park. Great Falls is just 156 miles from the east entrance of Going-to-the-Sun Road at Saint Mary. This equates to a Montana Drive time of just under 2.5 hours.
The park is open all year, although, some of the entrances and modes of transportation have restrictions. Gaining access to this park requires some planning in the summer. Park pass and vehicle reservation tickets can be required to travel Going-to-the-Sun Road, depending on entrance and time of year.
2024 is the fourth year Glacier National Park has implemented a vehicle reservation system. The Crown of the Continent has seen a steady increase in visitation over the past 15 years, so the reservation system has been enacted to protect resources and provide a high-quality visitor experience. Adjustments were made to the 2024 system based on visitor comments and recommendations.
There’s good news for those traveling to the east side of Glacier (that’s the side closest to Great Falls)! Visitors can access Going-to-the-Sun Road from the St. Mary entrance on the east side without a vehicle reservation. A vehicle reservation is also not needed to access Two Medicine. Another option? Go through any park entrance before 6:00 a.m. or after 3:00 p.m. without a vehicle reservation.
Vehicle reservations, which are valid for one day, will be required in three areas between 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. from:
- West Entrance (Going-to-the-Sun Road at Apgar Checkpoint): May 24-September 8
- North Fork Entrance: May 24-September 8
- Many Glacier Entrance: July 1-September 8