Glacier National Park Alerts and Current Conditions

Cover of Brian Russ's guide to Glacier National Park

Last checked: October 25, 2026. This page tracks what's closed, what's changed, and what's coming up at Glacier National Park, Montana, from the park's alerts, news releases, conditions, and hours pages. I check it daily and rewrite it when the park posts something new. Winter weather can move road gates and close open sections without much warning this time of year, so check the park's own alerts the morning you go.

Current alerts

  • Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed for the season through the alpine section. The west-side gate is at Avalanche Creek, and the east-side gate is at Jackson Glacier Overlook. The park says travel on the open sections can change at any time with winter weather, and to be ready for winter driving. (NPS)
  • Tularemia confirmed in the Many Glacier Valley and near St. Mary Lake. On October 15 the park reported two dead snowshoe hares in the Many Glacier Valley that tested positive for this rare but serious bacterial disease, after a beaver found between Upper and Lower St. Mary Lakes tested positive in September. Leave dead animals alone and read the park's release for its precautions. (NPS; NPS)
  • White-nose syndrome found in the park's bats. On October 21 the park announced its first confirmed detections of the disease and the fungus that causes it, in bats on the east side near St. Mary. (NPS)
  • Wildlife on the roads. The park says animals are especially active in fall and deer may dart into the road. Stay at least 25 yards from all wildlife and at least 100 yards from bears and wolves. (NPS)

Open and closed right now

  • The park is open 24 hours a day, every day. Entrance is $35 per private vehicle, good for seven days, and you pay at a self-pay station when the entrance booth isn't staffed. Non-U.S. residents 16 and older also pay a $100 nonresident fee unless they're covered by an annual or America the Beautiful pass. (NPS)
  • Apgar Visitor Center: open today, Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the last day of its fall hours. The park says the Apgar restrooms stay open year-round.
  • St. Mary and Logan Pass visitor centers: closed for the season.
  • Camping: Apgar Campground is in its primitive fall-and-winter season, and St. Mary Campground is in primitive season through December 31. Bowman Lake and Kintla Lake have weather-dependent primitive camping through October 31. Many Glacier, Quartz Creek, Avalanche, Fish Creek, Sprague Creek, Rising Sun, and Cut Bank are closed for the season. Two Medicine and Logging Creek are closed for all of 2026. (NPS)
  • Lodging and food: the park's hours page says lodging isn't available in the park this time of year. The Apgar Village camp store may still be open; full grocery stores are outside the park in Browning, Hungry Horse, and Columbia Falls.
  • Shuttles: the park's shuttle and the Logan Pass parking time limit ended for the season in September. (NPS)

Coming up in the next few weeks

  • Monday, October 26: Apgar Visitor Center closes until Saturday, December 19, when it reopens on weekends, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Through October 31: the park's hours page says the Apgar Wilderness Permit Office stays open through the end of October. A wilderness permit is required year-round.
  • Sunday, November 1: winter entrance rates start, $25 per private vehicle through April 30. Bowman Lake and Kintla Lake campgrounds close for the winter.
  • Third weekend in November: the park's hours page says the Many Glacier Road closes then, weather permitting. In 2026 that's November 21 and 22.
  • January 1 to June 30, 2027: all of St. Mary Campground closes for construction.
  • Next summer: the park lists Logan Pass Visitor Center as closed until June 26, 2027, and St. Mary Visitor Center until May 21, 2027.

What this means for your trip

The Going-to-the-Sun Road closure is the one that rewrites most Glacier itineraries this time of year. You can't drive over Logan Pass, so the west side (Lake McDonald and Apgar) and the east side (St. Mary) are effectively separate trips. If you planned to cross, the drive between them is around the park's southern edge on U.S. Highway 2. The park notes that once the road closes, the section beyond the gate is open to hikers and bicyclists, which can make a quiet walk or ride up from Avalanche if you're dressed for winter.

Campers have two realistic choices now: primitive sites at Apgar or St. Mary, with no running water at Apgar. Bowman and Kintla, up the North Fork, are only weather-permitting through October 31. If Many Glacier is on your list, its campground is closed, but the road isn't on the closure list and usually stays open until the third weekend in November. With tularemia confirmed in the valley, give any dead animal a wide berth.

Fall here means short days, cold mornings, and very few services. The park's own advice is to plan ahead and be self-sufficient: stock up in Browning, Hungry Horse, or Columbia Falls, fill water bottles at the Apgar Visitor Center station, and carry bear spray, since bears spend more time foraging as they get ready to hibernate.

Before you go

  • Check the park's current conditions and alerts, including trail status and road and plowing status, the morning of your visit.
  • Park information by phone: (406) 888-7800. Near the entrances, tune to 1610 AM for the park's traveler information station.
  • Apgar Campground reservations aren't required in winter; spring-through-fall sites book on Recreation.gov.

If a closure knocks out part of your plan, my guide to Glacier National Park has nine one- to three-day itineraries at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for weather or closures. You can also check alerts and conditions for every national park.

This page is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Always check the park's current alerts before you go.