UPDATE 2026: TRAVELING TO GLACIER IN 2026
Visit this link for a thorough update to the Glacier National Park entry and travel policy:
Many Glacier area is in the northeast section of Glacier National Park, outside of Babb, Montana. It’s a long drive from any of the airports in the area. This is an amazing area that deserves as much time as you can give. When you plan your visit, it’s best to give the area your full attention and not plan any other locations in Glacier Park that day. There is a lot to see and do. Research your trip and be sure to book months in advance. You will be glad you did.
While planning your Glacier National Park visit, there are a few important items to consider.
First are the vehicle reservations. The vehicle reservation plan for 2024 has been decided and is detailed here: 2024 Vehicle Reservations For Glacier National Park. Paste this document to your fridge and study it, its very important. The actual ticket for your reservations will be available for purchase at www.Recreation.gov. Be sure and search on Glacier Park Vehicle Reservations once you login.
If you are planning on staying at the Many Glacier Historic Hotel, book right away. Most dates are already sold out (according to the booking calendar I can see today). Book Here.
One of the top activies in the area is a historic boat tour with Glacier Park Boat Company They are already taking reservations for next year. Don’t wait. The Many Glacier historic boat tour is unique in that it encompasses 2 lakes and 2 separate historic boats.
Two of the trails in the area are very well known and are top rated hikes in the nation. They are the top bucket list destination for thousands of people. Research the Grinnell Lake and Grinnell Glacier hikes on Alltrails.com (as linked) for the best discussion. The boats are a fun story as well. if you take the Glacier Park Boat Company tour that leaves from behind the hotel–you will save 4 miles of walking. A 2-boat tour, you leave from the behind the hotel on the Chief Two Guns boat. It takes you to the end of Swift Current Lake where all passengers disembark, hike a steep 1/4 mile hill, board the Morning Eagle boat. At the end of Josephine Lake, you disembark the Morning Eagle and your are a short distance from both the Grinnell Lake and Grinnell Glacier trails.
Keep in mind that the boat tours, Grinnell Lake, and Grinnell Glacier may be the top bucket list destinations but they are not the only attractions in the area.
Swan Mountain Outfitters is a National Park Authorized Concessionaire and they have been working in the park for years. Read More Here. They are the only company offering horseback rides in Glacier National Park. They also offer an extensive series of hunting and willderness guided packing trips into the local non-park wilderness areas. Check their main website here for more information.
Swan Mountain Outfitters does maintain an office at the back of the Many Glacier Hotel parking lot. You will also see a corral for the horses there as well. It is my understanding they generally ride the Cracker Lake Trail that takes off from the south east side of the hotel parking lot. It’s generally best to contact them through their main website and book before you go to Many Glacier.
Other very popular trails in the area include Iceberg Lake, and Redrock Falls. Redrock Falls is known to be an easier trail, easy to navigate for children. For the long distance hikers in your family, have them look at a map of Glacier Park (alltrails.com and hikinginglacier.com). There are many incredible backpack journeys in and out of the Many Glacier valley that might interest them.
One other side note. Be prepared for people on the trails where ever you go. Enjoy the company and make new friends – when you meet on the trail anywhere in Glacier Park, you meet like-minded people.
Also keep in mind that the Grinnell Glacier Trail and the Grinnell Lake Trail (as well as all other trails in the area) are subject to snow and bear related closures throughout the year. Often, the Grinnell Glacier Trail will not open till late May or June. Be sure and check (see below) before you go.
Grizzly bears are a fact of life in the Many Glacier area. Please remember that you are the visitor entering the bear’s home. Glacier National Park and the northern Flathead County to the west of the park are home to over 1000 bears. It is the largest concentration of grizzly bear in the lower 48 states. What can you do? Don’t be afraid and stay informed.
If you are online, check the Glacier National Park website for trail status reports and check them often. Sign up for trail, road, and campground reports by text as well. Stay informed. You can also check with any Visitor Center in the park. Keep in mind that there is very little cell service in the park. Most areas there is none at all.
To wrap up, the National Park Service has a fantastic website for planning your trip to Glacier. Definitely a must read! Check it here: Plan Your Visit.
Let’s keep Many Glacier and Glacier National Park clean and safe for everyone. No one is left out of this process. The area is protected for a reason. Plan your vacation well and have the trip of a lifetime. Glacier is worth it.
See also: Two Medicine Lake – Step Back in Time
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