Glacier National Park

The Ultimate Glacier National Park Itinerary: How to Spend 7 Days in the Park

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Hey Guys!

Planning a trip to Glacier National Park and wondering how to fit it all into one week? Well, you’re in the right place! This 7 day Glacier National Park itinerary takes you to the park’s most breathtaking lakes, scenic drives, waterfalls, hiking trails, and wildlife viewing areas while helping you make the most of your time.

From driving the legendary Going to the Sun Road and hiking to Hidden Lake Overlook to exploring Many Glacier, Two Medicine, and the North Fork, this itinerary is designed to help first time visitors experience the very best of Glacier National Park without feeling rushed.

Whether you’re looking for iconic photo spots, the best hikes, or recommendations on where to stay each night, this guide has everything you need to plan an unforgettable week in one of America’s most spectacular national parks.

Quick Overview

Length: 7 Days

Best time to Visit: Late June through late October

Must See Highlights:

Best for: Fist time visitors, hikers, photographers, wildlife lovers, and road trippers.

Tip: Before hiking, check the weather or webcams that are scattered throughout the park

Before You Go – What to Know

Best Time to Visit Glacier National Park

Peak Season for Glacier National Park is mid to late June through late October.

Going to the Sun Road usually opens late June or early July depending on the weather.

How Many Days Do You Need?

You can see the highlights in 2-3 days but a full 7 days lets you experience the major areas of the park including:

  • West Glacier
  • Going to the Sun Road
  • Lake McDonald
  • Logan Pass
  • Two Medicine
  • Many Glacier
  • Polebridge

If you only have 2-3 days, I would recommend you spend one night on the West side and two nights on the East side of the park.

Click here & here to see maps of the park

My favorite area of the park is the Many Glacier area…it’s more scenic and has lots of wildlife.

Park Entrance Fees

Where to Fly Into

I recommend Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) as it’s located approximately 40 mins from the West Entrance.

Other nearby airports include:

Renting a Car

I highly recommend you rent a car for visiting the park as the park is very spread out. Make sure to rent your vehicle before anything else as I have seen a shortage on rental cars and people have resorted to renting U-haul trucks!

Here are the best places to rent from:

Cell Service

There is very limited service throughout the park so be sure to download offline maps before arriving.

If planning long hikes, I highly recommend you have a Garmin inReach in case of an emergency. However, with that being said, newer phones will now let you call 911 even without service.

A great app to use in the park is the Guide Along app….it works offline and guides you down the Going to the Sun Road and lets you know when to stop.

Wildlife Safety

  • Carry bear spray – you can pick this up at several locations in and around the park
  • Stay at least 100 yards from bears and 25 yards from other wildlife
  • Never feed animals
  • Make noise on trails

What to Pack

  • Hiking boots
  • Rain jacket
  • Layers
  • Bear spray (you can’t fly with bear spray)
  • Refillable water bottle
  • Sunscreen
  • Camera
  • Binoculars
  • Hat – some trails are full sun exposed
  • Snacks – if hiking be sure to carry plenty of salty snacks or electrolyte powders
  • Portable battery 
  • Backpack

Download These Apps

Where to Stay

I always recommend staying inside the park because you avoid the long lines of cars trying to get into the park. Glacier is a very popular park and there are several options for accommodations  inside the park including:

Where to Dine Inside Glacier National Park

Some favorite places to eat outside of the park are: Cattle Baron Supper Club (permanently closed), Two Sisters Cafe (between Babb and St. Mary), Johnson’s (St. Mary), Serrano’s (East Glacier), Josephine’s (Coram), Backslope Brewery (Columbia Falls), and Bonsai Brewery (Whitefish).

Map showing dining options in Glacier National Park

Where to Buy Groceries

There are no grocery stores inside Glacier National Park, but there are groceries available in the surrounding towns.

You can find a few things for picnics at the general store in Apgar Village.

Browning has Glacier Family Foods, St. Mary has a small (but very expensive) grocery store, and you can find Costco, Walmart and other large grocery stores in Kalispell, Columbia Falls, and Whitefish located on the West side.

Where Do I Find Gas

Make sure you fill up your tank outside the park. There are gas stations in all surrounding towns but not inside the park.

Understanding the Layout of the Park

map showing areas of Glacier National Park

There are three visitor centers located in the park.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s dive into the perfect 7 day Glacier National Park Itinerary!

Day 1 in Glacier National Park

If you are staying on the West side of the park:

Click here to read my blog post on 110 Things to Do Outside of Glacier National Park

Day 2 in Glacier National Park

For Day 2, I would recommend spending the day driving the Going to the Sun Road.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road was completed in 1932 and is a spectacular 50 mile, paved two-lane highway that bisects the park east and west. It spans the width of Glacier National Park, crossing the Continental Divide at 6,646-foot-high at Logan Pass.

There are several pullovers along this road and to fully enjoy it, I would recommend you pack a picnic lunch and spend the day enjoying the views.

Tip: There are only 3 ways to access the Going to the Sun Road – from the West Entrance at Apgar, from the East Entrance at St. Mary’s Village and a lesser known entrance called Camas Road that is located on the West side.

The Camas Entrance and Camas Road can be accessed via the North Fork Road, driving north from Columbia Falls, MT. To get there, drive 20 miles up the North Fork Road along the western edge of Glacier National Park. After turning onto Camas Road, there are only a few more miles to the entrance station.

Something to consider is the fact that the first 10 miles of the North Fork Road are paved, but the rest of the drive toward the entrance is gravel. Sometimes the road is great and other times it is a nightmare!

Stops along the Sun Road in order from West to East:

Click here to read my blog post where we spent the day driving the Going to the Sun Road

Day 3 in Glacier National Park

Today, I would spend the day driving to Polebridge.

It’s approximately 45 mins from the West Entrance.

Tip: Be sure to have bear spray & plenty of gas

My first stop would be the historic Polebridge Mercantile where you will pick up some of the famous bear claws or lots of other yummy baked goods or even lunch.

From here, I would drive another 25 mins along a very bumpy road to the beautiful Bowman Lake. 

At Bowman Lake, you can kayak, canoe, hike or just relax on the pebbled beach.

You will need to bring your own kayak or canoe and it must be inspected prior to using it in any of the lakes.

This area offers a peaceful, less crowded alternative to the park’s main hubs.

There’s a campground located here too.

Tip: Also located in this area is Kintla Lake

You could have lunch at either Polebridge Mercantile, Northern Lights Saloon (right beside the mercantile), or  Home Ranch Bottoms.

If you have time, you could drive to Whitefish and spend time at the Whitefish Mountain Resort & don’t miss having ice cream at Sweet Peaks Ice Cream.

The drive from the Polebridge Mercantile to Whitefish would take approximately 1 hr 10 mins.

Day 4 in Glacier National Park

I have been to Glacier National Park two years in a row….my first time was in 2020 and then again the following year.

With that being said, I highly recommend you split your time between the West side of the park and the East side because it takes close to two hours to drive from one side of the park to the other.

On the West side you have Lake McDonald and the North Fork area (Bowman Lake) and on the East side of the park, you have Many Glacier, Two Medicine and St Mary (the East entrance to the Going to the Sun Road…you are closer to Logan Pass from this entrance).

If you stay somewhere like St Mary Village or KOA Campground, you would be about 30-40 mins from the Many Glacier area and about 1 hour from the Two Medicine area.

For this day, I would leave the west side of the park and drive either the Going to the Sun Road to the East side or Hwy 2 to the East side.

If you drive the Sun Road, you can hike some of the trails that you may not have gotten to yet like Hidden Lake Overlook, the Highline Trail, St Mary Falls, Virginia Falls or Baring Falls.

Click here to see hiking trails by location

If you’ve already hiked these trails, you could drive Hwy 2 and do these stops.

Day 5 in Glacier National Park

Today, I would get an early start and drive to the Many Glacier area.

One of the most spectacular hikes you can do here is the Grinnel Glacier Hike.

You can either book a reservation on the boat and cut off 4 miles roundtrip, or you can hike the full hike for a total of 11 miles roundtrip.

Click here to read about where we hiked this trail

If you prefer not to do this hike, click here to read about other short hikes in the Many Glacier area.

You can also book a boat tour of Swiftcurrent Lake or rent a canoe. You would board your boat or rent your canoe at the Many Glacier Hotel.

You could also book a Red Bus tour or a horseback riding tour.

I highly recommend you have lunch or dinner at the Many Glacier Hotel if you don’t book a stay there.

The one hike I would do while in Many Glacier is the Fishercap Lake hike. This is where you will have a good chance of seeing a Moose! It’s a very short hike too.

If you continue Fishercap Lake trail, it will take you to the Redrock waterfall. It’s a total of 4 miles roundtrip.

Day 6 in Glacier National Park

Today, I would spend my day in Two Medicine.

A great hike to do will be the Running Eagle Falls hike. It’s a very short hike.

Click here to read about where we hiked Running Eagle Falls

There’s another great hike you can do called, Twin Falls. You will need to book a boat reservation for this hike.

Click here for more hikes in this area

You can also book a boat tour of the lake, have a picnic, canoe Two Medicine Lake or have lunch or ice cream at the historic General Store.

Tip: If you’re traveling with a dog, keep in mind that pets aren’t allowed on trails in Glacier (only in developed areas like parking lots, campgrounds, and along roads). Two Medicine is no exception, so you’ll want to plan pet care accordingly.

Don’t miss a bear claw from the nearby Kyiyo Mercantile & Bakery. It’s approximately 30 mins from Two Medicine Lake.

Day 7 in Glacier National Park

Today, you will be heading back to the West side to either fly back home or spend the night closer to the west side so you will be near the airport.

If you have one more full day, you could easily spend another day in the Many Glacier area, or drive the Going to the Sun Road again making additional stops or hikes.

Or you could visit Waterton Lakes National Park. Waterton is the Canadian portion of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

If you would like to visit Waterton, you will need your passport. Waterton is beautiful, usually less crowded than the rest of Glacier, and is home to the charming Waterton Townsite.

If you need more ideas of things to do, Click here to read my blog post on 110 things to do outside of Glacier National Park

To find my blog posts on our trips to Glacier National Park, Click here

I recommend following Glacier National Park Facebook pages too so you can keep up with the latest news, tips and ideas.