Whether it's your first time planning to visit or it's your 10th time. Chances are, you've heard about the required reservations in addition to the park passes.
Starting in 2021, Glacier National Park introduced a reservation system. This was implemented to help regulate the very large number of people visiting the park. Even with the number of visitors gradually getting lower, the reservation system is still in effect.
For the summer of 2024, the reservation system will look a little different. The good news is, visitors will only need reservations to access the North Fork area at Polebridge, the Many Glacier and the West Glacier entrance to the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Summer of 2023, vehicle reservations were required for all 6 main entrances to the park.
PASSES WILL ONLY BE VALID FOR 1 DAY - Rather than 3 days like summer of 2023.
How much will it cost?
There is technically no cost to the reservation, but a $2 processing fee is charged on each transaction.
For the park pass, it depends on which pass you are looking to get. Here is the link to view the park passes and their prices: https://www.recreation.gov/sitepass/74280
You can purchase the park pass either online or at one of the park gates when you arrive.
FOR ANY PARK PASSES AND VEHICLES RESERVATIONS, THE ONLY PLACE TO PURCHASE THEM IS THROUGH THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE. YOU WILL FIND A LINK THAT TAKES YOU TO RECREATION.GOV ON GNP'S WEBSITE AND THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES.
How to get the reservation?
Vehicle reservations are only available online. You will find it here: recreation.gov.
A portion of all reservations will be available on a rolling basis. This means that 120 days in advance, they will become available. This starts Jan. 25, 2024 at 8am.
All of the remaining vehicle reservations will be available at 7pm, for next day entry. This begins May 23rd. (Last year, next-day entry's were released at 8am the day before).
Another way to obtain a reservation is if you book an activity within the park. This can be horse back riding, boat tours, etc. These reservations will allow you entry into the park.
There's a lot of great information....
Here's a couple links to pages on the official website as well as our local source of news. Both of these links will stay updated and I suggest checking them out closer to the summer as there any updates will be posted here the quickest.
Vehicle Reservations - Full information: Click here
Flathead Beacon: Click here