Glacier National Park:
Memorial Day Weekend Itinerary
An honest 3-day plan for Glacier over Memorial Day weekend, when Going-to-the-Sun Road is not fully open yet but the waterfalls are roaring, the crowds are thin, and the wildlife is back.
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Drag stops between days, swap a waterfall walk for a lakeshore, and add your own overlooks with the place search. The live map and drive times recalculate as you go, and we will flag the high trails that are still buried in snow over Memorial Day weekend.
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Glacier in late May: roaring waterfalls, empty trails, and an honest plan.
A glacier national park memorial day weekend trip is a different park than the one on the postcards. In late May the snowmelt is at full roar, the valleys are green, the crowds have not arrived yet, and the bears and bighorn are back on the lower slopes. The trade-off is the one fact everyone needs to plan around: the high country is still under snow.
If you are wondering how many days in Glacier National Park you actually need, most people find 3 to 5 days is the sweet spot, with a strong core of 3 days covering the west and east sides. This is a full 3 days in Glacier National Park built for late May, so if you have four or five, you can slow down and add a boat tour, a rest morning, or an extra waterfall walk.
The key thing to know: Going-to-the-Sun Road is usually NOT fully open over Memorial Day weekend. It typically opens all the way to Logan Pass in mid-to-late June. In late May, crews have usually plowed only the lower sections, the west side from Apgar and Lake McDonald up to about Avalanche, and a short stretch on the east St. Mary side. Logan Pass itself is closed and snowbound. Always check the official road status before you drive.
So this 3-day route is built around what is actually accessible and what late May does best: Lake McDonald and Apgar, the Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake when the road is open that far, lower McDonald Creek and Sacred Dancing Cascade, the waterfalls of Two Medicine and Running Eagle Falls, the lower trails and falls of Many Glacier, and St. Mary Lake with Sun Point and Baring Falls. Note that several in-park lodges and some facilities do not open until early-to-mid June, and bears are active in spring, so carry bear spray and make noise on the trail.
Most in-park lodges run by the park concessioner, including Lake McDonald Lodge and Many Glacier Hotel, do not open until early-to-mid June, so they are usually not an option over Memorial Day weekend. Plan to base outside the park in Whitefish, West Glacier, or Kalispell on the west side, or St. Mary or East Glacier on the east side. Fly into Glacier Park International (FCA) near Kalispell. Always check Going-to-the-Sun Road status on nps.gov before you go, because how far the road is plowed changes year to year.
Lake McDonald, Apgar & Avalanche Lake
Start on the west side, the part of the park most reliably open over Memorial Day weekend. From West Glacier, drive into Apgar Village at the foot of Lake McDonald, the largest lake in the park, where the colorful pebble beach and the long view up to the still-snowy peaks is one of the great photo stops in the Rockies. If the seasonal boat tour is running, an hour on the water is the easy way to take in the scale of it.
Then follow Going-to-the-Sun Road as far as it is plowed, usually to Avalanche in late May. Walk the flat Trail of the Cedars loop through old-growth forest, then continue on the Avalanche Lake trail (about 5.9 miles round trip when the road is open that far) to a glacial lake fed by a fan of waterfalls that are at their loudest with the spring melt. Check the road status first, because in some years the gate is still below Avalanche and the trail starts farther down.
- Pebble beach · long lake views · seasonal boat tour if running
- ~5.9 mi RT when the road is open to Avalanche · snowmelt waterfalls
- Usually plowed only to Avalanche in late May · Logan Pass closed
- Stay in West Glacier or WhitefishIn-park lodges mostly closed until June · base outside the park
- Check the Going-to-the-Sun Road status page before you drive. How far the road is plowed in late May changes year to year, and that decides whether you can reach the Avalanche trailhead.
- Lake McDonald Lodge and most in-park lodging do not open until early-to-mid June, so plan to stay in West Glacier, Whitefish, or Kalispell.
- Bears are active in spring as they come down to the green valleys. Carry bear spray, make noise on the trail, and never hike with earbuds in.
Avalanche Lake
McDonald CreekMcDonald Creek, the east side & St. Mary Lake
St. Mary LakeGoing-to-the-Sun RoadSpend the morning on the lower stretches of McDonald Creek, where the spring melt turns the river into a series of churning chutes. Stop at the Sacred Dancing Cascade and the McDonald Falls overlook, both short walks off the lower Going-to-the-Sun Road, before the snow line forces you to turn back. This is late May at its best: huge water, green forest, and almost no one around.
In the afternoon, drive around the south end of the park (Logan Pass is closed, so you cannot cut across the top) to the St. Mary side. The east entrance road opens a short way along St. Mary Lake in late May. Walk out to Sun Point for the classic view down the lake to Wild Goose Island, and continue on the easy trail to Baring Falls. Base for the night in St. Mary or East Glacier so you are close to Two Medicine and Many Glacier tomorrow.
- Short walks off the lower road · churning spring melt
- Easy lakeshore walk · classic Wild Goose Island view
- Drive around the south end to the east sideLogan Pass closed · no cut-across · allow extra time
- Stay in St. Mary or East GlacierSets you up for Two Medicine and Many Glacier on day three
- With Logan Pass closed you cannot drive over the top, so you loop around the south end of the park (US 2) to get between the west and east sides. Allow a couple of hours for that transfer.
- The east side is windier and the weather flips fast in late May. Pack layers and a windshell even if the west side was calm.
- Sun Point and Baring Falls are an easy, mostly snow-free walk and give you the iconic St. Mary Lake view without a high climb.
Two Medicine, Running Eagle Falls & Many Glacier
Start at Two Medicine, the quiet southeast corner of the park that sees a fraction of the crowds. Walk the short trail to Running Eagle Falls (about 0.6 miles round trip), also called Trick Falls because in high water it pours over the top and out of a cave at once, exactly the kind of show late-May snowmelt puts on. Then take in Two Medicine Lake, ringed by snow-dusted peaks, with the boat dock and easy lakeshore strolls.
Finish at Many Glacier, often called the heart of the park. The Many Glacier road usually opens by late May, though the hotel does not open until June. The high trails are still buried in snow, but the lower ones are walkable: hike to Apikuni Falls (about 2 miles round trip) for a roaring snowmelt cascade, and walk the lower Grinnell-area trails along Swiftcurrent Lake for the big amphitheater of peaks. On the way between valleys, pull off at the Goat Lick Overlook on US 2, where mountain goats come down to the mineral cliffs in spring.
- ~0.6 mi RT · easy · double waterfall in high water
- Quiet southeast corner · snow-ringed lake · boat dock
- Apikuni Falls ~2 mi RT · upper trails still snowy · hotel opens in June
- Goat Lick Overlook on US 2Mountain goats at the mineral cliffs · easy roadside stop
- Running Eagle Falls is at its most dramatic in late May, when high water pours over the top and out of the cave below at the same time. It is a short, easy walk for a big payoff.
- In Many Glacier the upper trails (Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake) are still under snow over Memorial Day weekend. Stick to lower options like Apikuni Falls and the Swiftcurrent lakeshore.
- The Goat Lick Overlook on US 2 between East Glacier and West Glacier is a reliable spring spot to see mountain goats, and it is right on your drive home.
Many Glacier
Two Medicine LakeNow build your Glacier trip.
You have seen all three days. Open the free drag-and-drop planner and tune it for your dates, your pace, and whether you base in Whitefish, West Glacier, or over on the St. Mary side.
What we actually learned visiting Glacier in late May.
Check the road status first, every time
Over Memorial Day weekend Going-to-the-Sun Road is usually plowed only to Avalanche on the west side and a short way on the St. Mary side, with Logan Pass still closed. How far it is open changes year to year, so check the official status page before each day and build your plan around the gate.
Late May is about waterfalls and quiet
You are trading the alpine high country for roaring snowmelt waterfalls, green valleys, returning wildlife, and a fraction of the summer crowds. Lean into the lower trails and the falls. The big alpine hikes simply are not in season yet.
Most in-park lodges are still closed
Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, and most concessioner lodging do not open until early-to-mid June. Plan to base outside the park in Whitefish, West Glacier, or Kalispell on the west, or St. Mary or East Glacier on the east.
Carry bear spray and make noise
Spring brings bears down into the green valleys, right where the open lower trails are. Carry bear spray where you can reach it, make noise around blind corners and rushing water, and never hike with earbuds in. Give wildlife plenty of room.
You cannot cut across the top yet
With Logan Pass closed, getting between the west and east sides means driving around the south end of the park on US 2, roughly a two-hour transfer. Plan your days so you are not crossing back and forth, and base on the side you will spend the most time on.
Expect snow on anything high
Trails that climb, like Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake, or anything near Logan Pass, are still buried in snow and often unsafe over Memorial Day weekend. Stick to valley and lakeshore trails and short waterfall walks, and pack waterproof boots and layers.
The car-free upper road is a late-May bonus
Once crews plow the upper Going-to-the-Sun Road but before it opens to cars, the stretch above the Avalanche vehicle gate is often open to cyclists and walkers only. It is a rare chance to ride or stroll toward Logan Pass with no traffic, and one of the reasons to visit in late May at all. The exact open sections and any temporary closures for avalanche work can change day to day, so check the park status page the morning you plan to go.
Everything you will actually want to know.
Ready to go? Get your
Glacier Memorial Day route.
What is actually open in late May, the Going-to-the-Sun Road status, the best lower trails and waterfalls, where to base while the in-park lodges are still closed, and the south-end drive between the west and east sides.
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