Glacier National Park airports, west side and east.

Which airport for Glacier?

NPS names three airports for Glacier, and the right one depends on the side of the park you're headed to. The west side is the West Entrance at West Glacier, the way to Lake McDonald, Apgar and the west end of Going-to-the-Sun Road. The east side has three entrances, St. Mary, Many Glacier and Two Medicine, reached from Great Falls on Highway 89 through Browning. Going-to-the-Sun Road crosses between the two sides over Logan Pass, but the entire road usually isn't open until late June at the earliest; our Going-to-the-Sun Road page covers that road. The rest of the year, NPS puts West Glacier to St. Mary at 90 miles and 2 hours around the south end of the park on US Highway 2 and Highway 89.

Every airport-to-entrance drive.

Every airport-to-entrance drive we route. The west-side lines use the road near the West Entrance, open all year. The dashed east-side lines depend on seasonal roads: NPS says parts of US-89 outside the park are seasonal, the closure gate on the east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road moves with the weather, and Many Glacier Road closes the third weekend in November, weather permitting. Two Medicine has no airport route here, because Two Medicine Road is closed for construction from September 8, 2026, with work scheduled into late 2027 and possibly 2028.

Missoula is 133 miles from the West Entrance, 3 h of driving against 37 min from Glacier Park International. Great Falls is 161 miles to St. Mary and 176 miles to Many Glacier. Glacier Park International can still be the quicker way to the east side: add NPS's 2-hour estimate for West Glacier to St. Mary on US Highway 2 and Highway 89 to the 37 min from the airport, and it comes out shorter than 3 h 27 min from Great Falls.

Match the airport to your month.

After the east-side roads close, through late May: fly to Glacier Park International or Missoula. The road near the West Entrance is open all year, and NPS says Going-to-the-Sun Road from West Glacier to Lake McDonald Lodge is usually plowed and open, weather permitting, while most other roads can't be reached by vehicle.

Late May to late June: by late May, NPS says most roads are open to vehicles except Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass. Great Falls now works for St. Mary and Many Glacier, but you can't cross to the west side over the pass yet.

Late June to the third Monday in October: the full Going-to-the-Sun Road is usually open, conditions permitting, so any of the three airports works for either side. After that, Many Glacier Road stays open until the third weekend in November, weather permitting. Road seasons for the whole park are on our Glacier road closures page. If you haven't picked a month yet, start with the best time to visit Glacier page.

Winter: fly to the west side.

Once the east-side roads close for the season, the dashed Great Falls routes drop off the map, leaving Glacier Park International and Missoula to the West Entrance. NPS gives no fixed 2026 dates for those east-side closures, only the general seasons above. Our Glacier in winter page covers what's open.

Kalispell, Missoula, or Great Falls?

We don't publish fares. What sets them is how many nonstop routes an airport has, and whether your trip needs a connection. Glacier Park International lists six airlines, hub service to Seattle, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Denver and Las Vegas, and seasonal direct flights to cities including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago. Missoula lists year-round routes to Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, Phoenix/Mesa, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Denver, and more in season. Its homepage gives two different totals, so we don't print one. Great Falls lists Alaska, Allegiant, Delta and United.

For most trips Glacier Park International is the first airport to check. It's the closest, and its road into the park is open all year. Missoula adds 3 h of driving but may have the nonstop you need. Great Falls makes sense for an east-side stay when its flights suit you better.

Glacier Park International rehabilitated its main runway in July 2026, with the runway closed on weekdays and open every weekend. Per the airport's runway page, the remaining work is about 15 overnight closures from 12:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. for runway grooving, done by October 1, and those aren't expected to affect flight schedules.

Rental cars, the train, and shuttles.

Plan on a car, and fill the tank first: NPS says there are no fuel stations inside the park. At Glacier Park International, four major rental agencies are in the terminal next to baggage claim and three more are off site by shuttle, and shuttles, taxis, a limousine service, Uber and Lyft serve the airport. Missoula has seven rental agencies in its baggage claim area, open from 6 a.m. to the last flight arrival. Great Falls lists Avis/Budget, Hertz, Enterprise and National/Alamo.

Amtrak's Empire Builder stops year-round at West Glacier (Belton) and at the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, and seasonally at East Glacier Park. Xanterra, the company behind Glacier National Park Lodges, runs a West Side shuttle for a fee between the West Glacier train station, Lake McDonald Lodge and Village Inn at Apgar, May 15 to September 28, 2026; seats are limited, so book ahead by phone at (855) 733-4522. Its Many Glacier Hiker's Shuttle runs July 1 to September 21, 2026, between Many Glacier Hotel or Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and St. Mary Visitor Center, first come, first served with no advance reservations (operator's shuttle page). The NPS getting around page still describes an older hiker's shuttle that took reservations.

Inside the park, the ticketed 2026 Logan Pass Shuttle ran July 1 to September 7, from Apgar Visitor Center and Lake McDonald Lodge on the west side and St. Mary Visitor Center and Rising Sun on the east. NPS says vehicle reservations weren't required in 2026; our Glacier reservations page has the details.

We don't carry live flight status, schedules or fares. Those change daily. Check them on the airline's or the airport's own site before you book.

Common questions.

Which airport is the cheapest to fly into for Glacier National Park?

We don't publish fares, and they change daily. Nonstop breadth is the better guide. Glacier Park International lists six airlines and hub service to Seattle, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Denver and Las Vegas, and Missoula lists year-round routes on five airlines. The more nonstops from your home airport, the better your odds of skipping a connection.

Does Frontier fly to Glacier Park International Airport?

Not according to the airport's current airline list, which names Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Sun Country and United.

Is Glacier Park International Airport closed for runway work?

Not for now. The main runway closed on weekdays through July 2026 and reopened every weekend. The airport says about 15 overnight closures from 12:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. remain for runway grooving, done by October 1, and aren't expected to affect flight schedules. Check the airport's runway page and your airline before you travel.

Where these facts come from

The three airports, approach highways, Amtrak stops, fuel note, in-park drive estimates and Going-to-the-Sun Road opening note come from the NPS Glacier directions page; road seasons and winter access from the NPS operating hours and seasons page; the seasonal US-89 note from the NPS getting around page; the 2026 West Side and Many Glacier Hiker's shuttles from Xanterra's Glacier National Park Lodges shuttle page; the Two Medicine Road construction from the NPS project work page; 2026 vehicle reservations from the NPS vehicle reservations page; Logan Pass Shuttle dates and stops from the NPS 2026 shuttle page. Airport-to-entrance distances and drive times are computed by the OSRM routing engine on OpenStreetMap roads (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with airport coordinates from OurAirports and entrance coordinates from OpenStreetMap nodes; last computed 2026-09-11. They are road distances and no-stop times, not live traffic. NPS gives only approximate airport distances, so we use the routed figure to a named entrance. Airline, route, rental and ground transport notes come from the airports' own pages: Glacier Park International's airlines, ground transportation and runway rehabilitation pages; Missoula's airlines and destinations and rental cars pages; Great Falls' airlines, direct destinations and rental cars pages. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.