ROAD FACTS AND ACCESSIBILITY Dates FOR GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Going To The Sun Road is a 50 mile stretch of highway within Glacier National Park. This highway starts in Apgar, West Glacier and goes to St. Marys Visitor Center. Within this 50 miles, you will come across (in order) popular destinations: Lake McDonald, Trail of the Cedars, Avalanche Trail, Logan Pass, St. Marys Falls Trail, Sun Point Nature Trail, St. Marys Lake, and the Rising Motor Inn.
Parts of The Going To The Sun Road (GTTSR) is accessible all year long except for the high elevation areas due to snowpack. You can access the 10 mile stretch from West Glacier to Lake McDonald Lodge 12 months out of the year. The other parts of the road and park open at different times of the year as the snow starts to melt. When snow plows begin, they have a crew at each end of the road making their way to Logan Pass. Every few days, sections of the Sun Road on each side will start to open.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
WHEN SHOULD YOU EXPECT THE ROADS TO START OPENING IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
There is a lot of talk about when the entire Going to the Sun Road will open, but what about other parts of the park? You probably have questions like:
When or what time of year is Many Glacier accessible, or when will it open?
When or what time of year is Two Medicine accessible, or when will it open?
When or what time of year is Bowman Lake accessible, or when will it open?
It’s different every year, but not by much! As an example, here are the opening dates for 2024 and some for 2023. Every link will take you to verify this information.
STATUS, UPDATES AND ROAD RESERVATION INFO FOR GOING TO THE SUN ROAD AND GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
DECEMBER, JANUARY, FEBRUARY & MARCH (WINTER MONTHS)
You can access the 10 mile stretch from West Glacier to Lake McDonald Lodge all year long. If you’re planning your visit to Glacier in the winter, here are some examples of what to expect for road openings and closures. Often, closures for the 10 mile stretch along Lake McDonald on Going to the Sun Road happen due to the changes in weather. However, due to Glacier Parks quick action, they re-open fairly quickly Here are a couple examples that happened in 2024:
Wednesday, January 17th, 2024 @ 4:37 PM: The 8 mile stretch of Going To The Sun Road has closed at the foot of Lake McDonald in West Glacier due to inclement weather.
Thursday, January 18th, 2024 @ 12:26 PM: The 8 mile stretch of Going To The Sun Road has reopened to Lake McDonald Lodge
Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 @ 9:22 AM: The Going to the Sun Road has been temporarily closed on the west side to Lake McDonald Lodge do to a hazard tree.
Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 @ 12:37 PM: The Going to the Sun Road has reopened on the west side to Lake McDonald Lodge, hazard tree has been removed.
DECEMBER, JANUARY, FEBRUARY & MARCH RECAP:
Closures: The entire park is closed to vehicles except a portion of the Going to the Sun Road in West Glacier.
Accessible Roads: Open 10 miles from West Glacier entrance to Lake McDonald.
National Park Pass: Yes, you will need to have either a daily, weekly, annual or life pass enter Glacier National Park.
Vehicle Reservation: No, you do not need a reservation to access the parts of the road open to the public.
APRIL (SPING IN GLACIER PARK)
Plowing begins and roads start to open for the season. April the month for operations to start taking place in Glacier Park. April 1st, both 2023 and 2024, Glacier National Park started plowing the Going to the Sun Road. This was verified by online information and text messages from Glacier Park.
April 1st, 2024: Spring plow began on GTTSR. The road is still currently closed past Lake McDonald Lodge. (Plows started April 1st, 2023)
April 1st, 2024: The Going to the Sun Road is now open to Rising Sun Motor Inn from the East Entrance only (St Marys, East Glacier).
April 5th , 2024: The Camas Road is now open for the season to motor vehicles. Camas Road opened April 5th, 2024 and some time around April 10th, 2023 (Links provided above were a few days after the opening.) Explore Camas Road in Glacier National Park
April 9th, 2024: Roads to Fish Creek Picnic Area, and Rocky Point trailhead are now open. Fish Creek Campground remains closed to vehicles. (Accessible from Camas Road)
April 19th, 2024: The Many Glacier and Chef Mountain Roads are now open for the season.
April 28th, 2024: The Inside North Fork Road is now open north to Doverspike Meadow and south to Logging RS from Polebridge. Bowman Lake Road remains closed.
APRIL RECAP
Closures: Going to the Sun Road is still closed past Lake McDonald on the West Side, Going to the Sun Road is closed past Rising Sun on the East Side. Bowman Lake Road, and Two Medicine area all closed. Inside North Fork Road is partially closed.
Accessible Roads: Camas Road, Rising Sun, Fish Creek Picnic Area, Many Glacier, Chef Mountain are now all open for the season. The Inside North Fork Road is partially open.
National Park Pass: Yes, you will need to have either a daily, weekly, annual or life pass enter Glacier National Park.
Vehicle Reservation: No, you do not need a reservation to access the parts of the road open to the public
MAY (SPRING TIME IN GLACIER PARK)
May is the month where several poplar locations within Glacier National Park open. The 3rd or 4th week of May The GTTSR opens to Trail of Cedars, which is 16.5 miles from West Glacier entrance; an additional 5.7 miles from Lake McDonald Lodge. If you’re wanting to visit in the spring, end of May is a great time!
May 2nd, 2024: The Going to the Sun Road is now open on the East side only to Jackson Glacier Overlook.
May 11th, 2024: The Going to the Sun Road is now open for the season to Avalanche (Trail of Cedars) on the West Side of Glacier Park. (Opened May 17th, 2023)
May 12th, 2024: The Bowman Road and campground are now open for the season.
May 14th, 2024: The Goat Lick Parking area and restrooms are now open for the season.
May 16th, 2024: The Two Medicine Road is now open for the season.
May 17th, 2024: The Cut Bank Road is now open for the season.
May 24th, 2024: The Kintla Road is now open from Polebridge Ranger Station to Kintla Lake for the season.
May 29th, 2024: Inside North Fork Road is now open to Camas Creek at the southern end. Remains closed at Logging Creek at the northern end.
MAY RECAP
Closures: Going to the Sun Road is still closed past Avalanche (Trail of Cedars) on the West Side. Going to the Sun Road is still closed past Jackson Glacier Overlook.
Accessible Roads: Jackson Glacier Overlook, Trail of Cedars, Avalanche, Bowman Lake Road, Goat Lick, Two Medicine, Cut Bank Road, and Kintla Lake. The Inside North Fork Road is partially open to Camas Creek.
National Park Pass: Yes, you will need to have either a daily, weekly, annual or life pass enter Glacier National Park.
Vehicle Reservation: Yes, you will need road reservations to access certain parts of Glacier National Park. Road reservations started on May 24th, 2024 for Going to the Sun Road and North Fork from 6 am to 3 pm.
HISTORICAL ROAD OPENING DATES!
HOW TO PREDICT ROAD OPENINGS AND CLOSURES IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK?
Up until 2024, receiving confirmation of the dates the roads would open and close has been difficult. Other than the GTTSR, the park typically didn’t tell us of when the seasonal closures happened for the roads outside of the GTTSR. After doing some digging, I was able to find facts of past opening and closing dates with linked sources. I wasn’t able to track down all of the closing dates, however, if the Going to the Sun Road is closed, that doesn’t mean the rest of the park is closed. There are places just as beautiful, if not more beautiful in the park than the Going to the Sun Road, so knowing when these spots are accessible is important.
Avalanche (Trail of the Cedars) West Glacier
2024 Opening Date: May 11th
2023 Opening Date: May 17th
2013 Opening Date: May 3rd
2009 Opening Date: May 8th
2008 Opening Date: May 16th
2007 Opening Date: April 27th
2006 Opening Date: April 22nd
2020 Closing Date: November 26th
Bowman Lake Road, West Glacier
2024 Opening Date: May 12th
2011 Opening Date: May 20th
2008 Opening Date: May 17th
Camas Road, West Glacier
2024 Opening Date: April 5th
2021 Opening Date: April 16th
2009 Opening Date: May 7th
2007 Opening Date: April 27th
Many Glacier (Swift Current)
2024 Opening Date: April 19th
2021 Opening Date: May 28th (Due to Road Construction)
2023 Opening Date: April 21st (other link)
2013 Opening Date: May 3rd
2011 Opening Date: May 16th
2009 Opening Date: May 8th
2007 Opening Date: April 27th
2006 Opening Date: April 22nd
2023 Closing Date: November 20th
Rising Sun, East Glacier (St. Mary’s)
2024 Opening Date: April 1st
2021 Opening Date: April 16th
2013 Opening Date: April 26th
2009 Opening Date: May 8th
2008 Opening Date: May 16th
2007 Opening Date: April 27th
2006 Opening Date: April 22nd
Jackson Glacier Overlook
2024 Opening Date: May 2nd
2023 Opening Date: May 12th
Two Medicine, East Glacier
2024 Opening Date: May 16th
2013 Opening Date: May 3rd
2009 Opening Date: May 8th
2007 Opening Date: April 27th
2006 Opening Date: April 22nd
It’s been shown that Many Glacier, Two Medicine, Avalanche, and Jackson View Overlook will remain open throughout October & part of November every year. Past information shows Many Glacier, Two Medicine and other parts of the park have been opening by mid-May. History shows, you can expect to see the majority of Glacier National Park by vehicle once Memorial Day comes around.
As for accessibility to hiking trails, campgrounds and accommodations within the park - that’s another story. A deep dive I will do in the near future.
If you’re looking for historical dates for the Going to the Sun Road, I’ve linked the Glacier National Parks Website to see the Going to the Sun Road opening and closure dates by year.
Want to see in real time what’s open? Here the map of what roads are currently open within Glacier National Park.
TEXT FOR LIVE UPDATES FROM GNP
Did you also know that you can register to receive updates on road openings & closures, trail closures & postings, and receive live campground updates? This is a new thing that Glacier National Park started doing. I’m signed up and it’s an amazing resource, and I highly recommend utilizing it if you’re visiting the area. Skip the unknown and hours of searching online forums, and get updates sent directly to your phone! You can visit the GNP website for more information or you can follow the steps below.
Text "GNPROADS" to 333111 to sign up to receive live road updates on park road openings and closures
Text "GNPTRAILS" to 333111 to sign up to receive live trail updates on park trail closures and postings!
Text "GNPCGS" to 333111 to sign up to receive live campground updates and be the first to know if a campground fills up!