West Glacier

History The Great Northern Railway's main line reached the northern Rockies in 1890, and the railway opened a station here called Belton; a post office followed in 1900. When Glacier National Park was created in 1910, Belton became its western gateway and park headquarters was established nearby. That same summer the Great Northern opened the Belton Chalet, the first of its Glacier hotels. During the Depression the chalet housed crews building Going-to-the-Sun Road, which was finished in 1932 and dedicated in 1933. The village changed its name from Belton to West Glacier in 1949 to make the most of its tourist trade.

What to See The Belton Chalet, built in 1910 to 1911 beside the tracks, is part of the Great Northern Railway Buildings National Historic Landmark and was restored and reopened as a hotel around 2000; it has been owned since 2019 by Pursuit, formerly Glacier Park Inc. Apgar Village, about 2 miles north of the entrance at the junction of Camas Road and Going-to-the-Sun Road, has the Apgar Visitor Center, open daily from mid-May to mid-October and on some weekends the rest of the year. Lake McDonald, the largest lake in the park, is about 10 miles long and up to 472 feet deep, and Going-to-the-Sun Road follows its shore before climbing towards Logan Pass, 32 miles from the west entrance.

Outdoors The Middle Fork of the Flathead River forms the park's southern boundary and is part of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River system. Whitewater trips start upstream and finish at West Glacier, while gentler Class I to II floats run about 5 miles downstream to Blankenship Bridge; the rafting season is roughly May to September, with high water peaking in late May. Inside the park, Going-to-the-Sun Road opened fully on 22 June in 2026. Vehicles over 21 feet long or 8 feet wide are not allowed between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun. Avalanche Lake and the Trail of the Cedars could not be reached by park shuttle in 2026.

Getting There Amtrak's Empire Builder stops at West Glacier (station code WGL) daily in each direction. Glacier Park International Airport is about 25 miles away by road, and Columbia Falls is about 17 miles west on US-2. The west entrance station is at the edge of the village. Glacier did not use vehicle reservations in 2026, but Logan Pass parking was limited to three hours, enforced around the clock, and a ticketed Logan Pass shuttle ran from 1 July to 7 September. Non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person unless they hold an annual pass.

When to Go The best window is July to early September, when Going-to-the-Sun Road is fully open; it usually closes beyond the lower sections on the third Monday of October. June brings high rivers and snow still on the upper road. The lower sections of the road stay open all year, and Apgar Visitor Center opens on some winter weekends, staffing allowing.