What changed for 2026.
You do not need a vehicle reservation to drive into Glacier or along Going-to-the-Sun Road in 2026. The park replaced that system with two things focused on Logan Pass, the busiest stop on the road.
| Vehicle reservation | Not required anywhere in the park in 2026. |
| Logan Pass shuttle | Ticketed: $1 per person age 2 and up, plus a Recreation.gov processing fee. |
| Shuttle season | July 1 through Labor Day, September 7, 2026. |
| Logan Pass parking | Limited to three hours, starting July 1 (weather permitting). |
| Where to book the shuttle | Recreation.gov only (or 877-444-6777). Not sold in person. |
How the shuttle booking works.
Logan Pass shuttle tickets come out in two windows on Recreation.gov. A block opens 60 days ahead starting May 2, 2026, at 8 a.m. Mountain time, on a rolling basis. The rest are released the night before at 7 p.m. Mountain time, starting June 30. The ticket is cheap, but it is required to ride, so book ahead if you plan to use the shuttle to reach Logan Pass in peak summer.
Driving vs. the shuttle.
Because there is no vehicle reservation, you can drive Going-to-the-Sun Road on your own schedule in 2026. The trade-off is Logan Pass: the lot is small, and from July 1 your parking there is capped at three hours. If the lot is full or you would rather not watch the clock, the shuttle is the easy way to reach the pass. Many visitors drive the road and use the shuttle for the busiest stop.
When it matters most.
Glacier's season is short and intense. July is the busiest month of the year here, with about 761,346 visits in a typical recent year and 765,061 in 2025. The summer stretch from June through September carries roughly 84 percent of the whole year's visits, so that is when lines, parking, and any booking pressure are heaviest. For the full month-by-month picture, see the crowd calendar linked below.
Common questions.
Do you need a vehicle reservation for Glacier in 2026?
No. Glacier dropped vehicle reservations for 2026. You can drive into the park and along Going-to-the-Sun Road without one. Logan Pass is instead managed with a ticketed shuttle and a three-hour parking limit.
Is Going-to-the-Sun Road open without a reservation in 2026?
Yes, no reservation is required to drive it in 2026. The road opens for the season once plowing is done. Check the park's road-status page for the current opening date before you go.
How much is the Logan Pass shuttle?
It is $1 per person age 2 and up, plus a small Recreation.gov processing fee. Tickets are required to ride and are sold only on Recreation.gov, not in person.
What is the Logan Pass parking limit?
Starting July 1, 2026, parking at Logan Pass is capped at three hours, weather permitting, to keep the small lot turning over. The shuttle is the alternative if the lot is full.
Reservation rules change from year to year, and sometimes mid-season. Confirm the current rule on the official park page before you book or travel. Glacier 2026 vehicle reservations (NPS) · Glacier 2026 Logan Pass shuttle (NPS)
Rules on this page last verified against the official NPS pages on July 13, 2026.
How we read the crowds
The monthly visit counts on this page come from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics. "Share of peak" compares a month against the park's own busiest month, so 100 percent marks the single busiest month of the year. The reservation and permit rules come from each park's official NPS pages, linked above and last verified on July 13, 2026. We are an independent site and not affiliated with the National Park Service.
Independent site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Data comes from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025; editorial analysis is ours. The NPS Arrowhead and other NPS marks are not used.