Glacier National Park in 2027: What's Known, What's Changing and When to Book

Every year since 2021, Glacier National Park has changed how visitors get in, and every year the new rules have been announced between November and February. For 2027 nothing had been announced by the end of October 2026. But a lot of 2027 is already decided: the lodges are on sale, the backcountry chalets are switching to a lottery, construction schedules are published, and the 2026 fee changes for foreign visitors are in place.

This post sets out what is known, what is likely, and a booking calendar for a summer 2027 trip. For a general plan, see our trip planning guide and the three-day Glacier itinerary.

How access changed, 2021–2026

• 2021–2024: ticketed or timed vehicle entry on Going-to-the-Sun Road in various forms.
• 2025: a timed-entry pilot from June 13 to September 28, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the West Entrance and the North Fork. Each booking cost $2.
• 2026: no vehicle reservations anywhere in the park. Instead, from July 1 to September 7, parking at Logan Pass was limited to three hours, and a ticketed express shuttle ran to the pass from Apgar, Lake McDonald Lodge, St. Mary and Rising Sun. Tickets cost $1 each on Recreation.gov.

The superintendent explained the 2026 change in December 2025: 600 to 700 cars a day were entering before the 7 a.m. reservation window, driving in the dark among wildlife, and "we don't feel that you should have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to enjoy your day in the park."

How 2026 went. Visits in July 2026 were 896,503, up 17% on July 2025 and the fourth-busiest month in the park's history. The Many Glacier valley, closed for road and water work in 2025, saw day visits rise by 248% once it reopened. At Logan Pass, kiosks issued 1,200 to 1,300 three-hour parking tickets a day for 235 spaces, and the shuttle carried about 700 to 800 people a day. Visitors reported shuttle tickets as the hardest booking of the year. They were released 60 days ahead at 8 a.m., with the rest at 7 p.m. the evening before.

Hikers boarding a park shuttle at the Logan Pass stop. Image: GlacierNPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

What 2027 may look like

Nothing is official. In September 2026 the park said only that it "continues to refine transportation and access". The 2025 system was announced on November 7, 2024, and the 2026 one formally on February 18, 2026, so expect news between November 2026 and February 2027.

The best guide is the park's draft long-range transportation plan, published in May 2026. It has no vehicle reservations. Instead it proposes:

• 540 to 600 new parking spaces at "hiker hubs" near the east and west entrances;
• about 150 park-and-ride spaces, including at Many Glacier with a shuttle loop there;
• a larger shuttle fleet than today's 36 vehicles;
• a lottery for half of Logan Pass parking, with the other half first-come and limited to three hours.

The plan's timetable has implementation beginning in 2027 if federal funding arrives, and the superintendent said "we don't have a fully baked plan right now." The National Parks Conservation Association has argued for bringing back ticketed entry until the shuttle expansion is paid for. So for 2027, plan for something like 2026, with a Logan Pass shuttle and timed parking at the pass, and watch for a parking lottery.

When Going-to-the-Sun Road opens

The park starts plowing in early April and won't predict the opening date: crews clear about 40 avalanche paths. The full road opened on these dates in recent years:

If Logan Pass matters to you, book from early July. The Highline Trail opened on July 7 in 2026. Vehicles longer than 21 ft or wider than 8 ft are banned between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun.

Plowing the Big Drift below Logan Pass in May 2023. Image: GlacierNPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Construction in 2027

• Lake McDonald Lodge and Many Glacier Hotel: utility systems are being redesigned, and the park says construction is "anticipated to begin in 2027" if approved. No closure of either hotel has been announced.
• Two Medicine: road and parking rebuild, due to finish in late 2027, possibly in 2028. The campground was closed all of 2026; check before planning to camp there in 2027.
• St. Mary: water-system replacement from autumn 2026 to spring 2027, with partial campground closures.
• North Fork: the Inside North Fork Road towards Logging Creek closed on October 4, 2026, with restoration due by summer 2027. Access to Bowman and Kintla lakes is not affected.
• Many Glacier: finished. The Swiftcurrent area reopened in 2026 with 339 parking spaces, 171 more than before.

Fees: what foreign visitors pay now

Since January 1, 2026, non-US residents aged 16 and over pay $100 each on top of the entrance fee at Glacier, Yellowstone and nine other busy parks, including on fee-free days and on commercial tours. A non-US couple in one car pays $35 + $100 + $100 = $235 for a week at Glacier. The $250 non-resident America the Beautiful pass covers the car and waives the surcharge for a year, so it pays for itself at the first park. US residents pay $35 per car or $80 for the annual pass. 2027 fees haven't been announced.

The 2027 booking calendar

The Great Northern Railway's monogram on the stone gable of Sperry Chalet. Image: GlacierNPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The chalets need their own plan. Both announced on September 1, 2026 that they will pilot a reservation lottery for 2027, with nothing open before January. In 2026 rooms went on sale first-come on February 12; in earlier years they sold out within about 15 minutes. Sperry's 2026 rates were $533 to $1,160 a night per room, including meals, and Granite Park's $265 to $685, self-catering.

Lodges: Xanterra says Many Glacier Hotel and Lake McDonald Lodge "sell out quickly" and that cancellations "happen often", so keep checking. The Izaak Walton Inn at Essex closed in March 2026 and is for sale; take it off old itineraries. Our lodges and cabins guide has every property's 2027 season.

Tours that sell out

• Red bus tours: Xanterra's 1936 White Motor Company buses "tend to sell out daily". In 2026 the 3- to 4-hour Western Alpine tour cost $90 and the all-day Crown of the Continent $136, from the Quarter Circle lot at the West Entrance.
• Many Glacier boat tour: $43.10 for adults, 1.5 hours across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine, and it "books up months ahead". 2027 sailings are on sale.
• Lake McDonald boat tour: one hour on the 1930 DeSmet, $28.75 for adults.

One of Glacier's restored 1936 red buses, known as jammers. Image: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Five things to get right

1. Don't plan around vehicle reservations: there were none in 2026, and the draft plan has none.
2. Don't count on driving over Logan Pass before late June.
3. Don't expect the 2026 shuttle to stop at Avalanche Lake: it ran express to Logan Pass only.
4. Do book lodges now, and set a calendar reminder for the chalet lottery in January.
5. Do budget the $100 surcharge per foreign adult, or buy the $250 pass.

Checked against Glacier National Park and operator announcements, October 2026.