When visiting Glacier National Park, the ideal place to stay, without a doubt, is inside the park. However, to do this, you must plan far ahead. Bookings for most in-park lodging open 13 months in advance and fill quickly.
In this article, I break down 24+ places to stay inside the park. Your options include motels, lodges, private rentals, a field camp, backcountry chalets, and campgrounds. Additionally, I detail where you can book your lodging and recommend how to split your time staying in different locations.
Then, in case you discover in-park accommodation options are booked, in this companion article, I share the best places to stay near or just outside the park that may still have availability. Together—these articles will give you the essential where-to-stay resources to make your dream trip to Glacier National Park happen.
Glacier National Park: getting oriented.
Spanning approximately one million acres, or 1,500 square miles—Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana shares a border with Canada and is larger than the US state of Rhode Island. To drive from one end to the other takes more than two hours.
See where to find Glacier in this brief Google Earth video.
Get info on its seven main entrances and the closest airports to fly into in my comprehensive planning guide.
Positives and negatives of staying in the park.
The absolute positives of staying inside Glacier National Park are location, location, location. In addition to its obvious benefit of beautiful scenery, staying within this gorgeous park will, depending on where you go, eliminate massive chunks of drive time from your exploration. You will arrive at popular trailheads sooner, beating the crowds and securing hard-to-get parking.
Or, if you do not plan to drive, staying in the park in-season will give you convenient access, depending on where you stay, to the free Glacier shuttle, allowing you to leave the hassle of driving and parking to someone else.
The negatives of staying in the park depend on your perspective. Rooms within most in-park properties can be rustic with few modern amenities—like limited Wi-Fi, no cell service, and no TVs. Some visitors view this as another perk.
However, if more luxe comfort and connectivity are important, consider staying just outside the park where you will have more options and services.
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24+ places to stay in Glacier National Park.
Here are the seven places to stay inside Glacier National Park, where you can book a room in a historic lodge, rustic cabin, cozy inn, or motel. Or stay at a campsite.
- Apgar Village (3+ options)
- Lake McDonald (northeastern shore) (2 options)
- Rising Sun Motor Inn & Cabins (1 option)
- Many Glacier (2 options)
- Glacier Institute Field Camp (1 option)
- Backcountry chalets (2 options)
- Front country campgrounds (13 options)
View the location of all these options on the map below.
How to use this map: In the map header, click the square tab to the left of my logo or click the enlarge frame to the right to view detail. You can save the map to “Your Places” on Google Maps by clicking the star next to the map name. Or you can share it by clicking the share icon.
Apgar Village: 3+ places to stay.
Approximately one mile from the West Glacier entrance, Apgar Village, on the shores of Lake McDonald, offers the most services and lodging options of any other in-park option.
Your options for places to stay in Apgar Village include:
Additionally, if you are open to camping, consider a stay at Apgar or the nearby Fish Creek Campground. Learn more here.
Village Inn at Apgar
The Village Inn at Apgar is a standard motel property with rustic and comfortable one to two-bedroom units with full kitchens on the shores of Lake McDonald. Learn more and book here.
Apgar Village Lodge & Cabins
Apgar Village Lodge & Cabins is another motel-type property that offers cabins, some with kitchens. Find it near the southern shore of Lake McDonald. Learn more here.
Private rental properties
A sort of hidden Glacier National Park accommodation secret, you can rent a limited number of private apartments and homes, some directly on the shores of Lake McDonald and within or just outside Apgar Village. Find them on VRBO. See the map below of available rentals in the Apgar area. Or search the area on Airbnb.
For example, check out the Glacier Bear Retreat, a luxe full home option that can accommodate up to 15 people in the summer. Or the Glacier Bear Cabin, a more modest two-bedroom cottage that sleeps up to six.
Apgar Village amenities.
Within Apgar Village are the Visitor Center, a general store, a casual restaurant, gift shops, and activities like horseback riding, ranger programs, Red Bus tours, and watercraft rentals. Catch the free Glacier Park shuttle in-season directly from the stop just outside the Visitor Center.
Lake McDonald (northeastern shore): 2 places to stay.
About nine miles northeast of Apgar Village, just off the lower section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, you will find two park properties—Lake McDonald Lodge and Motel Lake McDonald.
Lake McDonald Lodge
Lake McDonald Lodge is a historic chalet-style building with 82 rooms, stand-alone cabins, and two additional buildings—suite-only Snyder Hall and the Cobb House dormitory. Lodge amenities include three dining options: Russell’s Fireside Dining Room, Jammer Joe’s Grill and Pizzeria, and Lucke’s Lounge.
Guests who stay here get convenient access to activities like Red Bus Jammer tours, boat tours, horseback riding, watercraft rentals, and ranger programs and can pick up essentials at a general store. Learn more and book here.
Motel Lake McDonald
Expect clean but dated rooms at the two-story Motel Lake McDonald, which gets the most mixed reviews of any park property. The benefit of your stay here is the location on the shores of Lake McDonald, being in the park, and having access to the next-door Lake McDonald Lodge amenities. Learn more and book here.
Rising Sun Motor Inn & Cabins.
Located on the east side of Glacier National Park and six miles west of the Saint Mary entrance, find the Rising Sun Motor Inn & Cabins just off the Going-to-the-Sun Road and a short quarter-mile drive from Saint Mary Lake.
With 72 units, stay in either its motel-style rooms or rustic cabins. Guests have access to a restaurant and general store for supplies. Learn more and book here.
Many Glacier: 2 places to stay.
Visit this gorgeous northeast corner of the park 20 miles north and west of the Saint Mary entrance and stay at the historic Many Glacier Hotel on Swiftcurrent Lake or the nearby Swiftcurrent Motor Inn.
Many Glacier Hotel
The chalet-style Many Glacier Hotel, appearing as if plucked straight out of a village in the Swiss Alps, is the crown jewel of Glacier National Park properties. Facing the magnificent alpine waters of Swiftcurrent Lake, it is a five-story hotel with just over 200 rooms and some suites and family rooms. Like other in-park properties, expect a rustic yet comfortable experience and limited amenities, such as no TV, air-conditioning, and weak Wi-Fi.
Guests can dine at the historic Ptarmigan Dining Room, which does not accept reservations, enjoying elevated American cuisine and panoramic lake views. Or eat at the more casual Interlaken Lounge or the in-house snack shop. Activity options include boat cruises, watercraft rentals, horseback rides, ranger programs, and access to Red Bus tours. Learn more and book here.
Swiftcurrent Motor Inn & Cabins
The Swiftcurrent Motor Inn & Cabins, a three-minute drive from the Many Glacier Hotel, offers nearly 100 motel-style rooms and cabins without kitchens. Like most park properties, its interiors lean toward basic and rustic. Some cabins do not have private bathrooms and share a restroom facility.
Guests can dine at its casual restaurant—or instead, drive a short distance or walk to the next-door Many Glacier Hotel and eat there. Learn more and book here.
Glacier Institute Field Camp
Just inside Glacier National Park, the Glacier Institute offers two to eight-day adult field camp programs, which include stays at one of their five onsite and communal rustic cabins.
Located a few minutes from the West Glacier entrance and two miles from Apgar Village, these programs provide a convenient in-park option.
The Glacier Institute offers interesting day programs for guided hikes, with deeper dives into wildlife and botany experiences, and camp programs for kids.
Backcountry Chalets: 2 places to stay.
Nestled high in Glacier’s backcountry are two historic hike-in and full-service lodges, the Granite Park Chalet and Sperry Chalet. An overnight stay at either, which can include meals and a bed in a double or dormitory room (Granite Park Chalet only), is a special treat for hikers who want to spend a night, or a few, in the backcountry without camping.
To book a spot, plan to request a reservation for your dates at these in-demand lodges on the precise day registration opens—typically in January of each year. Check the chalet websites for these dates.
However, if you missed this annual registration window, the chalets have no vacancy, and you have room in your budget, you may still be able to buy a spot. Private outfitter and official park concessionaire, Glacier Guides, offers guided group chalet trips for set dates.
Front country campgrounds: 13 places to stay.
If you want to stay closer to nature, Glacier National Park offers 13 front country campgrounds inside the park where you can tent and car camp, or depending on the site, take a trailer or park an RV.
Seven reservation campgrounds book out six months to four days in advance, and six no-reservation campgrounds are first-come, first-served sites. Only Apgar and St. Mary campgrounds stay open during the winter months. See details for all below.
For backcountry or wilderness camping, learn more here.
Reservation campgrounds: 7 options.
These seven Glacier front country campgrounds require reservations available for booking on a six-month rolling basis. However, a limited number of spots at Avalanche, Many Glacier, and Two Medicine can be reserved four days before a stay.
Come mid-August, St. Mary Campground reverts to a first-come, first-served site. In the winter, St. Mary and Apgar Campgrounds stay open and do not require reservations.
- Apgar Campground: In Apgar Village, just under 2 miles from West Glacier entrance, 194 sites, RVs ok.
- Avalanche Campground: 5.7 miles northeast of Lake McDonald Lodge and just under 16 miles from the West Glacier entrance, 87 sites, RVs ok.
- Fish Creek Campground: 2 miles from Apgar Village, 3.5 miles from the West Glacier entrance, 178 sites, RVs ok.
- Many Glacier Campground: 5 miles from the Many Glacier entrance, next to the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and Cabins, and 1.3 miles from the Many Glacier Hotel, 109 sites, RVs ok.
- Saint Mary Campground: Less than a mile from the Saint Mary entrance, near the Visitor Center and services just outside the park, 148 sites, RVs ok.
- Sprague Creek Campground: Less than a mile southwest of Lake McDonald Lodge and 9.5 miles from the West Glacier entrance, 26 sites, RVs ok.
- Two Medicine Campground: Just over a mile from the Two Medicine entrance and 7 miles from the town of East Glacier Park, 100 sites, RVs ok.
Learn more about these campgrounds and book a reservation here.
Are all the reservation campgrounds booked? Get options for camping outside the park here.
No reservation campgrounds (First-Come, First-Served): 6 options.
These six Glacier front country campgrounds are available on a first-come, first-served basis and do not require reservations.
- Bowman Lake Campground: North Fork area, 5.7 miles from the Polebridge entrance, 48 sites, no trailers/RVs.
- Cut Bank Campground: East side of Glacier, 19.1 miles south of the Saint Mary entrance, 14 sites, no trailers/RVs.
- Kinta Lake Campground: Northwest corner of the North Fork area, 14.2 miles from the Polebridge entrance, 18 sites which rarely fill due to its remote location, 13 sites, no trailers/RVs.
- Logging Creek Campground: On the west side of the park, 7.9 miles south of the Polebridge entrance, 7 primitive sites, no trailers/RVs.
- Quartz Creek Campground: On the west side of the park, 5.6 miles south of the Polebridge entrance, 7 primitive sites, no trailers/RVs.
- Rising Sun Campground: Located 5.9 miles west of the Saint Mary entrance, on Saint Mary Lake, 84 sites, RVs ok.
Learn more about the non-reservation campgrounds here.
Why you should stay in more than one location.
To give you the best access to all park highlights and to limit long round-trip drives, I recommend you break up your trip by staying in two to three areas of the park.
If you only have time for two areas, I suggest splitting your time between Apgar Village or Lake McDonald Lodge and the Many Glacier area. Doing this will give you the best access to the west and east sides of the park.
Given more time, add a stay in the Two Medicine area, either at the in-park campground or in the nearby town of East Glacier Park. Doing this will give you convenient access to the trails around gorgeous Two Medicine Lake.
Before you book: 5 things to know about Glacier National Park lodging.
Here are five things you should know before you book lodging inside Glacier National Park.
- Rustic: Expect most in-park lodging to be rustic with basic but limited modern amenities, like no televisions, air conditioning, or in-room phones. In exchange, you will get clean facilities and incredible memory-making views.
- Minimal connectivity: Prepare for cell service to be non-existent and Wi-Fi to be weak and limited to select hot spot areas.
- Short season: Glacier in-park lodging opens for the summer season early to late May and begins closing early to mid or late September.
- Cancellation policies: You will book your in-park motel, lodge, hotel, or non-private cabin stay through one of two websites—Glacier National Park Lodges or Glacier Park Collection. The first manages five properties and offers a generous cancellation policy—full deposit refunds for cancellations made within three days of a stay.
The second manages two properties and offers a more confusing and less generous cancellation policy—full deposit refunds for cancellations made within 30 days of a booking. After this, deposits are refundable, less administrative fees, or not at all, depending on when you cancel. Get more details here.
- Competition to book: The competition to book in-park properties is stiff and comes from visitors around the world. If you cannot find availability, do not worry. You can stay outside the park. I share many excellent alternatives here. However, if you have your heart set on staying in Glacier, you can still make it happen. Set your calendar for the precise date registration opens—typically 13 months in advance—on the websites mentioned above in #4 and book your stay for next summer.
Related reading.
If you are planning a Glacier trip, check out these related articles. Get more information, ideas, and resources to plan better travel and get out the door with less hassle.
- How To Plan a Glacier National Park Trip: 17 Essential Tips
- The Best Places To Stay Near Glacier National Park
- The Best of Glacier NP: An Action-Packed 4-Day Itinerary
- The Best Places To Eat Around Glacier National Park
- Glacier Reservation & Pass: How to Enter This National Park
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- 49 Things You Need to Do to Plan Your Best Trip (Free Travel Research & Planning Checklist)
- Pack Faster & Better with This Universal Printable Packing List
- Pre-Trip: A Practical Checklist to Close the House & Pack
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Feedback & questions.
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