Glacier National Park in Montana is one of the USA’s most prestigious national parks. It’s a favorite park for some of my friends. In the summertime, it is a view, hike, and wildlife extravaganza but Glacier National Park in the Spring is another story – still some good views but massive closures too.
Apgar Village
Apgar is a village inside the park on the west side of Going to the Sun Road. There are several shops and restaurants here, but they were literally shoveling out from under the snow. Apgar is home to the only Visitor Center that’s open in the spring, but it’s only open on weekends. I visited on a very sunny, very busy Monday afternoon and was shocked it wasn’t open – surely the income from the gift shop might have paid the opening costs?
Lake McDonald
In the spring, if you’re not hiking or biking or skiing further afield, Lake McDonald is the attraction. The lake wasn’t open to boating and it’s way too cold to swim (near freezing, with patches of ice present), but it’s beauty is undeniable. Make sure you walk on one of the red rock beaches. The colors of the rocks on the
floor of the lake are unique.
Two Medicine & Many Glaciers
The entry roads to these two portions of the east side of the park will likely be open if you visit in the spring, but will dead-end well before the parking and visitor centers. It is possible to hike or bike in, as the road looked clear beyond the closure gate.
St. Mary
The St. Mary (east) entrance of the Going to the Sun Road is open, but only for the first few miles along the St. Mary lake. The lake was still frozen in late April. The views from this side of the park are especially good in the Spring as the mountains are completely covered in snow – the summer view is of tree covered mountains.
Entry Fee
Entry for Glacier National Park in the spring is $20 for 7 days. This is incredibly high considering the small part of the park that’s accessible. If you’re visiting other parks in the coming year, consider purchasing the $80 pass good for all parks for a full year.
Wildlife
I’ve visited in the summer and the wildlife is spectacular – I viewed bears, mountain goats, moose, marmot, big horn sheep, and even a wolverine! In the spring, some animals are still hibernating, or they are located further inside the park. On this visit, I only saw a few deer and butterflies, but it was cool to have a butterfly land on me while enjoying the sun at the lake.
Glacier National Park in the Spring – Stay:
Most of the lodges and all of the non-park campgrounds are closed until tourist season – late May or even June. There are some hotels open in East Glacier (check rates and availability), West Glacier (check rates and availability), and further west at Columbia Falls (check rates and availability).
The only campgrounds open in the park are Apgar and St. Mary, operating on Primitive, winter operations – meaning only pit toilet is available. On a mid-week, late April visit, I found that Apgar (which was still located in the picnic area on the lake as the camp was still under snow) was nearly full by 4pm. So, I headed the long away around Highway 2 to Browning and up 89 to St. Mary and I was the only one camping there.
See what it’s like to visit another National Park that’s heavily under snow until the summer – Crater Lake in the Spring.
Glacier National Park is just one of many US National Parks to visit.
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