Events & What’s Happening
The iconic 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road through Glacier National Park fully opens each summer after snowplow crews clear the high alpine corridor, typically by late June or early July depending on snowpack.
💡Take the park shuttle from Apgar or St. Mary to avoid driving the narrow road with kids, and stop at Logan Pass Visitor Center for the junior ranger booklet.
Annual binational celebration honoring the world's first International Peace Park shared between the United States and Canada, featuring ranger talks, cross-border programming, and cultural events at Waterton and Glacier.
💡Bring valid passports for all family members if you wish to cross into Waterton, Canada for the full binational experience.
Glacier National Park hosts evening presentations by members of the Blackfeet Nation and other Indigenous peoples throughout summer, sharing traditional stories, history, and culture connected to the lands of Glacier.
💡Evening programs at Apgar and St. Mary campground amphitheaters are free and captivating for school-age children; bring a blanket as temperatures drop quickly after sunset.
National Park Service waives entrance fees on select days throughout the year including the National Park Service birthday in August, allowing families free access to all of Glacier National Park.
💡Arrive at the west entrance before 7am on free days to avoid the vehicle reservation queue and secure parking at popular trailheads like Avalanche Lake.
Glacier National Park rangers host special programming and swearing-in ceremonies for children completing their Junior Ranger activity booklets, celebrated with heightened ranger-led activities at visitor centers.
💡Pick up the Junior Ranger booklet at Apgar Visitor Center on day one of your visit so kids can complete activities throughout the trip and earn their badge.
Annual running race held in and around the Glacier National Park gateway communities, drawing participants across distances from a 5K to a half marathon through stunning mountain scenery.
💡Kids can participate in the shorter fun run distance, and the finish line festival area has food and activities suitable for the whole family.
One of Montana's longest-running winter festivals held in nearby Whitefish, featuring a parade, ski races, ice sculptures, fireworks, and family-friendly events celebrating the mountain winter culture of the Glacier region.
💡The Whitefish Mountain Resort kids' ski events and the downtown parade are the top family highlights; book lodging months in advance as the area fills quickly.
The Kalispell Farmers Market, held in downtown Kalispell approximately 30 minutes from Glacier's west entrance, features local produce, Montana-made crafts, honey, baked goods, and prepared foods from regional vendors.
💡Arrive early for the best selection of huckleberry products, a regional specialty kids love; the downtown location is walkable to a nearby playground.
Park rangers at Apgar Visitor Center on the west side of Glacier National Park lead daily interpretive programs covering wildlife, geology, and Indigenous history of the park, offered multiple times per day throughout summer.
💡The 45-minute programs are ideal for ages 5 and up; pair with the Junior Ranger booklet so kids can check off their program attendance requirement.
Rangers and special guests host evening campfire amphitheater programs at Apgar, Fish Creek, St. Mary, and Many Glacier campgrounds, covering topics from grizzly bear ecology to Glacier's glacial history.
💡Dress children in warm layers and bring headlamps for the walk back; programs vary by campground so check the weekly schedule posted at each campground bulletin board.
Held on Tuesday evenings in downtown Whitefish near the Glacier gateway, this market features local farms, artisan food producers, live music, and craft vendors in a lively family-friendly setting.
💡The evening timing works well after a day in the park; grab dinner from food vendors and let kids explore while parents shop.
Glacier National Park operates a free shuttle system along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor from Apgar Transit Center to St. Mary, stopping at major trailheads and visitor centers daily during peak season.
💡Using the shuttle eliminates the stress of parking and allows kids to enjoy the scenery both ways; the Avalanche Creek stop is the best family-friendly trailhead along the route.
Planning Your Visit
Neighborhoods & Areas
Local Tips for Families
- 💡Reserve a spot on the historic red 'jammer' bus tours through Glacier's concessionaire (Pursuit Glacier) at least 90 days before your visit — the open-top Going-to-the-Sun Road tour sells out by April for July departures and is one of the only ways to experience the road without driving its narrow sections yourself.
- 💡The Swiftcurrent Motor Inn camp store in Many Glacier sells huckleberry soft-serve ice cream for about $4 and is open daily 7am-9:30pm in summer — it's a beloved local ritual after the boat tour and far cheaper than the Many Glacier Hotel dining room.
- 💡Glacier's free red shuttle runs every 15-30 minutes between Apgar and Logan Pass from early July through mid-September; board at the Apgar Transit Center before 7am if you want a guaranteed seat to Logan Pass without a 45-minute wait in the midday queue.
- 💡Columbia Falls, MT — 16 miles west of the West Glacier entrance on US-2 — has a City Brew Coffee and a Rosauers grocery store where you can stock up on food and supplies at normal prices before entering the park, avoiding the lodge camp-store markup of 30-50% on basics.
- 💡Book the Glacier Park Boat Company's two-boat combination tour at Many Glacier (across Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes) rather than the Grinnell Glacier hiking tour if your kids are under 8 — it covers 80% of the same scenery and the guides narrate wildlife and glacier history from the deck without requiring any sustained uphill hiking.
- 💡Timed-entry permits for the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor (typically required between 6am and 3pm from late May through September) are released on recreation.gov in batches starting in late winter — set an alert and book the day your 60-day booking window opens, as permits for July weekends sell out within minutes.
- 💡The Lake McDonald Lodge lobby — with its massive stone fireplace, mounted animal trophies, and Native American artwork — is open to non-guests and worth a 30-minute visit; arrive before 9am to see it without crowds and grab a coffee at the Stockade Lounge before it fills with tour groups.
- 💡Huckleberry picking along the North Fork Road near Bowman Lake is a beloved local family activity in late July and August — black and grizzly bears feed in the same areas, so make noise, stay in groups, and carry bear spray, which can be rented from Glacier Outfitters in Apgar for about $12/day.