Glacier National Park Backcountry Map: Campgrounds, Passes and Routes
Glacier's backcountry map shows 65 designated campgrounds spread across the park, and you need a permit for every one of them. Roughly 3,000 advance reservations go through a Recreation.gov lottery each spring, and the rest are first come, first served through the fall. Cracker Lake, Cosley Lake, Boulder Pass, Dawson Pass and Lake Ellen Wilson are five of the destinations backpackers ask about by name. Our Glacier National Park weekend itinerary covers the day-hike version of some of this same ground.
How the Backcountry Permit System Works
Every overnight stay in Glacier's backcountry needs a wilderness permit, and there are three ways to get one for the 2026 season.
- Large group lottery (9 to 12 campers). Applications open March 1, 2026 from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time. There is a $10 non-refundable application fee, and the park sets aside only five large-group advance reservations a year. Winners are notified March 3 and have until March 10 to confirm.
- Standard lottery (1 to 8 campers). Applications open March 15, 2026, same 24-hour window, same $10 fee. About 3,000 advance reservations are available. Winners can book their itinerary on Recreation.gov starting March 21, and the booking window stays open through April 30.
- General on-sale, first come first served. Whatever was not claimed in the lottery goes on sale May 1, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. Mountain Time, and stays bookable through September 30.
Advance reservations are capped at 16 miles of travel per day. If you miss the lottery entirely, walk-up permits are issued the day before or the day of a trip at the Apgar Wilderness Permit Center, Many Glacier Ranger Station, Polebridge Ranger Station, St. Mary Visitor Center or Two Medicine Ranger Station, not at Waterton. About 30 percent of campsites are held back for walk-ups, and the office stops issuing permits at 4:30 p.m. From May through October the fee is $10 per permit plus $7 per person per night; winter permits are free.
Five Backcountry Destinations, and Where They Sit on the Map
| Name | Region | Trailhead Area | What It's Known For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Ellen Wilson | West side, Gunsight Pass corridor | Lake McDonald / Sperry | A cirque lake with a waterfall dropping into it, on the long route between Lake McDonald and St. Mary |
| Cracker Lake | Many Glacier | Many Glacier | A milky turquoise lake colored by glacial flour, at the base of Mt. Siyeh's north face |
| Cosley Lake | Belly River, far northeast | Chief Mountain / Belly River | One of the quieter corners of the park, close to the Canadian border, on the Belly River trail system |
| Boulder Pass | North Fork | Kintla Lake or Bowman Lake | A high alpine pass on one of Glacier's most remote multi-day routes, connecting toward Goat Haunt |
| Dawson Pass | Two Medicine | Two Medicine | The high point of the Dawson-Pitamakan Loop, usually done as a long day hike rather than an overnight |
Reading the Map Before You Go
The park publishes an interactive backcountry trip planner alongside the paper map, and it is worth checking both before you build an itinerary: mileage and open campsites change with trail crews, bridge outages and grizzly closures, none of which show up on an older printed map. Cracker Lake and Lake Ellen Wilson are the two most common first backcountry trips out of this list, since both are reachable in a single long day from a road-accessible trailhead. Boulder Pass and the Belly River toward Cosley Lake are multi-day commitments best planned with a full spare day for weather.
What to Pack for These Trips
All five of these areas are grizzly country, so a hard-sided food canister or the park's provided food-hang cables at each campground, plus bear spray, are not optional. Water filtration is standard; none of these routes have treated water sources along the way. If a stay at Sperry or Granite Park Chalet fits your dates instead of a tent, see our Glacier backcountry chalets guide for the difference between a chalet reservation and a wilderness permit.
Glacier National Park Backcountry Map: Campgrounds, Passes and Routes FAQs
Through the Recreation.gov spring lottery (large groups apply March 1, standard groups March 15, both for a $10 fee), through the general on-sale that opens May 1 for whatever is left, or as a walk-up permit issued the day before or day of your trip at one of five ranger stations.
From May through October it is a $10 permit fee plus $7 per person per night. Winter wilderness permits are free.
Sixty-five designated campgrounds spread across the park, each reachable only with a wilderness permit for that specific site and night.
In the Many Glacier area, reached from the Many Glacier trailhead. The lake's milky turquoise color comes from glacial flour, fine rock ground up by the glacier above it.
It is a pass and a viewpoint, not a campground. Most hikers cross it as part of the Dawson-Pitamakan Loop out of Two Medicine in a single long day rather than camping there.
In the North Fork region, on a multi-day backcountry route usually started from Kintla Lake or Bowman Lake. It is one of the more remote crossings in the park, not a day-trip destination.
Yes. The worked day-by-day plan is Best Day Hikes in Glacier National Park: 3-Day Weekend (3 Days), with the permits, the stays and the drive times already sorted. Tell us your dates and we will put it together for you and confirm what is genuinely open on those days. Asking is free: no card, no deposit, and nothing is held until you say yes.
