Glacier National Park in winter.

The one road you can drive.

During late fall and winter, weather forces most roads in the park to close. Going-to-the-Sun Road from West Glacier to Lake McDonald Lodge is plowed and open year-round, weather permitting, with views of Lake McDonald and the mountains to the east. Apgar Visitor Center sits about two miles north of the West Entrance. Our Going-to-the-Sun Road page covers the rest of that road and its spring opening.

Elsewhere, roads close for the season. The Many Glacier Road closes the third weekend in November, weather permitting, and Two Medicine Road closes once snow requires it; in 2026, construction closes it at the Highway 49 intersection from mid- to late September. From October 2026 the Inside North Fork Road is closed to all traffic from the Polebridge Ranger Station to Logging Creek for a construction project. Our Glacier road closures page has each road.

Winter entrance rates apply from November 1 to April 30: $25 for a private vehicle, $20 for motorcycles, and $15 per person on foot or bike, each good for seven days. If the entrance station is not staffed, a self-registration area is available. No vehicle reservations are required anywhere in the park in 2026; our Glacier fees page has the passes. Near park entrances, tune to the Travelers' Information Station at 1610 AM, or call 406-888-7800.

Skiing, snowshoeing, and staying safe.

The unplowed section of Going-to-the-Sun Road beyond Lake McDonald Lodge is a popular winter ski and snowshoe route, and NPS says the park has many other places to ski and snowshoe. Winter recreation brochures and maps are at Apgar Visitor Center and in the park headquarters lobby, and the NPS skiing and snowshoeing page has route information. That page warns that ice is common on roads and on heavily skied trails, and it points to the Flathead Avalanche Center for avalanche conditions.

Ranger-led snowshoe walks ran Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 pm from January 10 to March 15, 2026. They last two hours, are not recommended for children under 6, and are canceled if West Glacier is forecast below 10°F. Snowshoes rent for $2 at Apgar Visitor Center, starting an hour before the walk. NPS had not posted dates for winter 2026-27 when we checked in September 2026, so check the NPS guided winter activities page before you plan around one. Guided snowshoe and ski tours also run through park partners and authorized commercial companies, whose guides hold at least Wilderness First Aid and CPR certifications and have taken an avalanche safety course in the last three years.

Backcountry camping needs a permit. From November 1 through April 30 special wilderness rules apply, no permit office is open, and all permits are issued electronically by advance reservation, per the NPS winter backcountry camping page. NPS says conditions can change fast: in eight hours the temperature can fall from 50°F to well below zero. Check the latest avalanche advisory for Glacier, avoid old avalanche paths, and stay off steep, open slopes and cornices. NPS encourages carrying avalanche rescue gear: a beacon, probe, and shovel.

Hypothermia can set in even above freezing, NPS warns, so avoid getting wet, skip cotton, and dress in layers with a rainproof shell and a warm wool hat. In winter, white-tailed deer are the large mammals you're most likely to see, waterfowl may be on Lake McDonald, and ravens are likely. Do not approach or feed wildlife; watch with binoculars, a spotting scope, or a long lens.

Where to sleep.

There is no lodging in the park in winter. NPS points to the State of Montana's visitmt.com tourism site for places to stay outside the park. For camping, Loop B of Apgar Campground is open for primitive camping, first-come, first-served, with a vault toilet and no running water. In primitive status there is no potable water or dump station, and NPS says to boil lake water or melted snow before using it for drinking or cooking. On the east side, NPS expects partial closures at St. Mary Campground from fall 2026 to spring 2027 during water system work, and the whole campground will be closed from January 1 to June 30, 2027 for construction. Our Glacier camping page covers the summer campgrounds.

Food is limited. The campstore in Apgar Village may be open for snacks and drinks, and the nearest full-service grocery stores are outside the park in Hungry Horse and Columbia Falls. Apgar Visitor Center is open Saturday and Sunday in winter, with a water bottle filling station and restrooms that stay open all winter. The St. Mary and Logan Pass visitor centers are closed.

How quiet winter really is.

February is the quietest month at Glacier, averaging about 17,000 recreation visits against 761,000 in July. December runs 2% of July's visits and January 2%, while November and March are each about 3%.

So is Glacier worth visiting in winter? Yes, if you want Lake McDonald under snow, a ski or snowshoe up the closed road, and very few people. It is the wrong season if you want Logan Pass, Many Glacier, or a room in the park. Read the best time to visit Glacier page to compare the months.

Daylight and cold.

On December 21 the sun rises at 8:25 a.m. and sets at 4:43 p.m. at Apgar Visitor Center, per the U.S. Naval Observatory, which leaves 8 hours 18 minutes of daylight. By March 21 sunset is 7:51 p.m., on daylight time. Start ski days early and be back at the car well before dark.

NOAA 1991-2020 normals at the West Glacier station (USC00248809, 3,148 ft) put January's average high at 30°F and low at 19°F, with about 32 inches of snow in January and 31 in December. Treat those as preview numbers: we have not finished reviewing that station for this park. They describe the valley near the West Entrance, where the plowed road starts.

Common questions.

How cold does it get in Glacier National Park in winter?

At the NOAA station in West Glacier, December averages a high of 29°F and a low of 20°F, and January 30°F and 19°F (preview numbers). In the backcountry, NPS says temperatures can fall from 50°F to well below zero within eight hours, and ranger snowshoe walks are canceled when West Glacier is forecast below 10°F.

What is the most crowded month in Glacier National Park?

July. It averages about 761,000 recreation visits, followed by August at about 693,000. February is the quietest, at about 17,000.

Where these facts come from

The plowed road, visitor centers, restrooms, water station, ski and snowshoe route, brochures, guided tours, wildlife, Apgar primitive camping, the Apgar campstore, grocery stores, lodging, and 1610 AM come from the NPS Visiting in Winter page (last updated December 13, 2023); snowshoe walk dates, rental, age, and the guide certification rule from the NPS guided winter activities page (last updated February 9, 2026). Winter permits, temperature swings, and avalanche advice come from the NPS winter backcountry camping page and the NPS safety page; road closures from the NPS hours page and the NPS construction page; winter entrance rates and no 2026 vehicle reservations from the NPS fees page; primitive camping rules from the NPS camping information page; the 2027 St. Mary Campground closure from the NPS campgrounds data, and its fall 2026 partial closures from the NPS construction page. Sunrise and sunset come from the U.S. Naval Observatory for 2026 in local clock time. Temperatures and snowfall are NOAA 1991-2020 normals at W Glacier (USC00248809), a preview station. Entrance points are from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Crowd numbers are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package on NPS IRMA Stats. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.