5-Day Glacier National Park Itinerary: The Complete Guide

Five days in Glacier National Park is enough to cover all five major regions — Lake McDonald, Going-to-the-Sun Road, Many Glacier, Two Medicine, and the North Fork. This itinerary is structured to minimize drive time between areas while hitting the park’s signature trails and viewpoints.

Glacier National Park sits in northwest Montana along the Canadian border, spanning over 1 million acres with 734 miles of trails, per NPS.gov. The entrance fee is $35 per private vehicle (7-day pass). During peak season, the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor requires a timed-entry vehicle permit (~$2, bookable at Recreation.gov). Book this before finalizing your travel dates.

Day 1: West Glacier & Lake McDonald

Start at the West Entrance (off US-2). The Apgar Visitor Center opens at 8 AM with trail maps, bear spray rentals, and current road conditions. Apgar Village sits at the southern tip of Lake McDonald — Glacier‘s largest lake at 9.4 miles long and up to 472 feet deep.

Morning: Avalanche Lake Trail — 4.6 miles RT, 500 ft gain, easy–moderate. The trailhead is 16 miles east of West Glacier on the GTSR. The path follows Avalanche Creek through old-growth cedar-hemlock forest to a cirque lake enclosed by 2,000-foot cliff faces with four waterfalls. Allow 2–3 hours. Arrive before 9 AM to get a parking spot.

Afternoon: Lake McDonald. The colored pebble beach at Apgar or Fish Creek is a short walk from the campground — red, green, and purple argillite and siltite rocks stained by ancient mineral deposits. Glacier Guides rents kayaks and canoes (~$25/hour) from Apgar. Even a short paddle gives a perspective of the valley walls unavailable from the road.

Evening: Lake McDonald Lodge. Built in 1913 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the lodge has a lobby full of Native American artwork, mounted wildlife, and hand-hewn timber columns. Dinner at Russell’s Fireside Dining Room requires reservations in summer — book at glaciernationalparklodges.com.

Day 2: Going-to-the-Sun Road & Logan Pass

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is a 50-mile mountain highway that climbs from 3,153 ft at West Glacier to 6,646 ft at Logan Pass, crossing the Continental Divide. It connects the west side to the east through terrain otherwise accessible only by multi-day backcountry routes. Drive east-to-west on the way back to avoid oncoming traffic on the narrow cliff sections.

Logan Pass Visitor Center (6,646 ft) is the road’s high point and the park’s busiest trailhead. Mountain goats routinely wander the parking lot and surrounding meadows — maintain 25 yards distance, per NPS.gov. Arrive by 7 AM if driving yourself. The lot fills by 9 AM on peak summer days and vehicles without a corridor permit will be turned back at entrance stations.

Hike: Hidden Lake Overlook — 2.7 miles RT, 650 ft gain, moderate. Starting from Logan Pass, a boardwalk trail crosses subalpine meadows of beargrass and Indian paintbrush to the overlook above turquoise Hidden Lake. Allow 1.5–2 hours. Extend 1.4 miles to Hidden Lake itself (adds 500 ft gain, strenuous). Mountain goats are consistently spotted along this trail in summer.

Hike: Highline Trail — 11.8 miles one-way, 830 ft gain, moderate–strenuous. This traverses the Garden Wall with 360-degree views of the Continental Divide from a ledge trail carved into sheer cliffs. The first half-mile has an optional safety cable along an exposed rock face. Hike out-and-back to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook (7.6 miles RT) for the best views, or arrange a shuttle back from The Loop trailhead.

East side: St. Mary and Sun Point. The GTSR descends to St. Mary Lake — 10 miles long and the second-largest lake in the park. Stop at Sun Point Nature Trail (1.4 miles RT, easy) for views of the turquoise lake and waterfall gorge. St. Mary Visitor Center has an orientation film on Glacier’s geology and a bookstore.

Day 3: Many Glacier

Many Glacier is Glacier’s most celebrated valley — often called “the Switzerland of America” for its dense concentration of peaks, lakes, and accessible glaciers. Drive 30 miles north from St. Mary on US-89 to Babb, then 12 miles west into the valley. The Many Glacier Hotel, built in 1914–1915 on Swiftcurrent Lake, is a National Historic Landmark.

Hike: Grinnell Glacier Trail — 10.6 miles RT, 1,600 ft gain, strenuous. The park’s most iconic hike passes Grinnell Lake (vivid turquoise from glacial rock flour) and Upper Grinnell Lake before reaching the glacier. Grinnell Glacier has shrunk from roughly 710 acres in 1966 to approximately 152 acres today, per the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center. Start by 7 AM and carry 2+ liters of water. An optional boat shuttle from the Many Glacier Hotel dock cuts 2.5 miles off the approach.

Alternative: Iceberg Lake Trail — 9.7 miles RT, 1,200 ft gain, moderate–strenuous. The lake retains floating icebergs through August most years due to its north-facing cirque. Trailhead is at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn adjacent to the hotel. This trail has one of the highest grizzly bear sighting rates in the park — carry bear spray and make noise at blind corners.

Easy option: Swiftcurrent Lake Nature Trail — 2.6 miles, flat, easy. A loop around Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes with excellent wildlife viewing. Moose are commonly spotted in the willows along Swiftcurrent Creek in early morning. Ranger-led boat tours on Lake Josephine depart twice daily from the hotel dock in summer (~$20/person).

Day 4: Two Medicine & East Glacier

Two Medicine Valley is Glacier’s least-visited major region — a 45-minute drive south of St. Mary on US-89, then 12 miles west. The sparse crowds make it one of the best areas in the park for wildlife viewing: grizzly bears, black bears, elk, and bighorn sheep are commonly encountered. The landscape holds deep significance to the Blackfeet Nation, whose ancestral territory borders the park’s east side.

Running Eagle Falls (Trick Falls) — 0.6 miles RT, easy. One of the park’s most unusual waterfalls: in spring, water flows simultaneously from the top of the falls and from a cave opening halfway down the cliff. The Blackfeet name is “Pitamakan.” This is an excellent first stop — short, accessible for all ages, and historically significant.

Hike: Upper Two Medicine Lake — 8.8 miles RT, 600 ft gain, moderate. A valley-floor trail past Two Medicine Lake to the upper lake with classic alpine scenery and almost no crowds. The optional boat tour from the Two Medicine boat dock ($14/person, departs twice daily) shortens the hike to 5.8 miles RT. The lake reflects Rising Wolf Mountain (9,505 ft) on calm mornings.

Evening: East Glacier Park town. Glacier Park Lodge, built in 1912 by the Great Northern Railway, anchors this small town just outside the southeast entrance. The lobby features 60-foot Douglas fir logs as structural columns — the Blackfeet called it “ominugwa” (Big Tree Lodge). The lodge restaurant is a reliable dinner option. East Glacier also has the only Amtrak station with direct rail access to the park.

Day 5: North Fork or Flex Day

The North Fork is Glacier’s most remote accessible region — a 30-mile drive north of West Glacier on an unpaved road leads to Bowman Lake and Kintla Lake. Cell service is nonexistent, most roads require high-clearance vehicles, and the campgrounds are walk-in only. It is the park’s best option for solitude and grizzly bear sightings at dawn and dusk along the creek corridors.

Bowman Lake: 6 miles of paved road from Polebridge, then 6 miles unpaved. One of the most photogenic lakes in the park — 7 miles long, glacier-fed, framed by Numa Ridge, with no motorized boats allowed. The Bowman Lake Campground (48 sites) is the North Fork’s main base. The Quartz Lake Loop (12.7 miles, strenuous) visits three alpine lakes and is the signature North Fork hike.

Alternatively for Day 5: return to a favorite area, take a guided boat tour on Lake McDonald, book a half-day horseback ride from Apgar, or attend an evening ranger campfire program at Apgar Amphitheater. The Huckleberry Mountain Lookout (12.4 miles RT, 3,000 ft gain) near the North Fork is one of Glacier’s best summit hikes if you’re up for a full day out.

Logistics: When to Go & Getting Around

Best Time for a 5-Day Trip

July 15 – August 15 is the most reliable window: the GTSR is fully open, all trails are snow-free, and all park services operate. Crowds peak July 4 through August 10. Mid-September is the best shoulder season — fewer visitors, fall larch color, and most trails still clear — but some concessions and campgrounds close after Labor Day. The GTSR typically closes to vehicle traffic in mid-October, per NPS.gov.

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Getting There

The closest major airport is Glacier Park International (FCA) in Kalispell, 30 miles from the West Entrance. Direct summer flights operate from Seattle, Denver, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and Chicago. Missoula Airport (MSO) is 2 hours south. Amtrak’s Empire Builder stops at West Glacier and East Glacier Park stations daily — the only national park accessible by overnight train from both coasts.

Getting Around

A rental car is strongly recommended. The park spans roughly 60 miles east-to-west and Many Glacier, Two Medicine, and the North Fork are each 1.5–2 hours apart by road. The free Glacier Shuttle runs the GTSR corridor from Apgar to St. Mary July through Labor Day, with stops at all major trailheads — it’s the best way to do point-to-point hikes without a shuttle arrangement.

Where to Stay

Staying inside the park eliminates morning drive time and puts you in position for early-morning wildlife viewing and first-access parking at major trailheads. All in-park lodges are operated by Pursuit (formerly Glacier Park Inc.) and open early June through mid-September. Book at glaciernationalparklodges.com — peak dates sell out 6–12 months in advance.

Camping: 13 campgrounds with 1,009 sites total, per NPS.gov. Sites run $10–$23/night and are reservable at Recreation.gov. Most open reservations in mid-March for the full summer season. Apgar, Fish Creek, and St. Mary are the largest and most convenient campgrounds.

Outside the park: Whitefish (25 miles northwest) has the best concentration of restaurants, breweries, and hotels. West Glacier has motels and cabins immediately outside the west entrance. Browning (east side, Blackfeet Nation) offers budget motels and serves as the best base for Two Medicine without a long east-to-west drive.