Glacier National Park: Memorial Day Weekend Itinerary

For most visitors, 3 to 5 days is the sweet spot, with a strong core of 3 days. Three days is enough to cover the west side (Lake McDonald, Apgar, and Avalanche when the road is open that far), the east side along St. Mary Lake, and the quieter Two Medicine and Many Glacier valleys, which is exactly how this itinerary is built. With 4 or 5 days you can slow the pace, add a boat tour, and fit in extra waterfall walks. In late May, remember that Going-to-the-Sun Road is usually not fully open, so a longer stay does not unlock the high alpine hikes yet.

Yes, 3 days in Glacier National Park is enough to see the highlights without rushing, and it works especially well over Memorial Day weekend when the high country is still snowbound and the accessible areas are lower down. A typical 3-day plan spends day one on the west side around Lake McDonald and Avalanche, day two crossing to the St. Mary side, and day three in Two Medicine and Many Glacier. If you can add a fourth or fifth day you will get more breathing room, but 3 days covers the essentials.

Two days is the realistic minimum, and it works best in summer when Going-to-the-Sun Road is fully open: drive the road and hike near Logan Pass on day one, then spend day two in Many Glacier or Two Medicine. Over Memorial Day weekend, with Logan Pass still closed, split the two days as one on the west side around Lake McDonald and Avalanche and one on the east side. You will see real highlights, but you will feel the two-hour drive around the south end of the park.

One day gives you a taste, not the park. In summer you can drive the full Going-to-the-Sun Road, stop at Lake McDonald, Logan Pass, and St. Mary Lake, and squeeze in a short walk like Trail of the Cedars. In late May, with the alpine section of the road closed, a single day is best spent entirely on the west side. If you can stretch it to 3 days, do it.

Plan 4 to 5 days if hiking is the priority. That gives you a full day each for the big summer trails such as Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake, and the Highline, plus a buffer day for weather. If you visit in late May, when those high trails are still snowbound, 3 days is plenty for the open lower trails: Avalanche Lake, Running Eagle Falls, Apikuni Falls, and the St. Mary Lake walks in this itinerary.

Usually not all the way. Over a typical glacier national park memorial day weekend, crews have only plowed 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 and the alpine middle of the road are still closed and snowbound, and the full road normally opens in mid-to-late June. Always check the official road status page before you drive, because how far it is open changes year to year.

Yes, if you go in with the right expectations. Late May trades the alpine high country for huge snowmelt waterfalls, green valleys, returning wildlife, and far fewer crowds than summer. You focus on the lower, accessible areas: Lake McDonald, Avalanche Lake when the road is open that far, Two Medicine and Running Eagle Falls, the lower Many Glacier trails, and St. Mary Lake. The catch is that the famous high alpine hikes and the full Going-to-the-Sun drive are not available yet.

Typically the west-side Going-to-the-Sun Road up to about Avalanche (Lake McDonald, Apgar, Trail of the Cedars, Avalanche Lake), the lower east-side road along St. Mary Lake to Sun Point and Baring Falls, Two Medicine with Running Eagle Falls, and the Many Glacier road and its lower trails. Closed or snowbound: Logan Pass, the alpine middle of Going-to-the-Sun Road, and the high trails. Several in-park lodges and facilities also remain closed until early-to-mid June.

Mostly no. The lodges run by the park concessioner, including Lake McDonald Lodge and Many Glacier Hotel, generally do not open until early-to-mid June, so they are usually unavailable 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, all easy to book ahead.

Yes, but stick to the lower trails. Good late-May options include the Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake (when the road is open to Avalanche), Running Eagle Falls in Two Medicine, Apikuni Falls and the lower Swiftcurrent lakeshore in Many Glacier, and Sun Point to Baring Falls on St. Mary Lake. The high trails such as Grinnell Glacier and Iceberg Lake are still buried in snow and often unsafe, so save those for summer.

Yes. Spring brings both grizzly and black bears down into the green lower valleys, which is exactly where the open trails are over Memorial Day weekend. Carry bear spray where you can reach it quickly, make noise around blind corners and near rushing water that masks sound, hike in a group, and never wear earbuds. Store food properly and give any wildlife plenty of room.

Because Logan Pass is closed, you cannot drive over the top of the park in late May. To get between the Lake McDonald (west) side and the St. Mary or Many Glacier (east) side, you drive around the south end of the park on US 2, roughly a two-hour transfer. Plan your itinerary so you are not crossing back and forth, and base on whichever side you will spend more time.

Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) near Kalispell is the closest, about 30 minutes from the west entrance at West Glacier and close to Whitefish and Kalispell, where most early-season lodging is. Rent a car at the airport, since you will be driving between the west and east sides and there is little to no transit in late May.

No. Glacier dropped its vehicle reservation system in 2026: you drive in on the park entrance fee alone. In its place the park is piloting a ticketed-only shuttle and three-hour timed parking at Logan Pass, which does not matter over Memorial Day because the pass is still snowed in. The rules change year to year, so check the vehicle reservations page on nps.gov when you plan your dates.

Yes. Amtrak's Empire Builder runs along the southern edge of the park and stops at West Glacier (Belton) on the west side and, seasonally, at East Glacier Park on the east side, which makes the train a scenic alternative to flying into Glacier Park International (FCA). You will still want a rental car or a local shuttle once you arrive, since getting between the west and east sides in late May means the long drive around the south end on US 2. Check current Amtrak schedules and which stops are running for your dates.

Yes. Tell us your dates and we check what is still open for the plan on this page, then send it back with a booking link for each night and the total. Nothing is charged and nothing is held, and you pay the normal rate.