Going-to-the-Sun Road, stop by stop.
One road, and two gatekeepers
Fifty miles from Apgar to St Mary over a 6,646-foot pass, and the two things that decide how the day goes: the plough and the parking at Logan Pass.
Guided from $1,605 per person. Free to ask, pay after the guide confirms.
“I’ve requested to book a Chain Lakes Loop guide on ExplorOFF, and it was the best idea ever! I highly recommend going with their guided option since you get a real human connection on the trail and don’t have to worry about a thing. Yulia was great to talk to!”
13 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Going-to-the-Sun Road: every stop pinned in order.
Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park
Every stop on this trip, in order, opens as one driving route in the Google Maps app. No copying addresses across one at a time.
Going-to-the-Sun Road in photos: 5 of the stops.
Plan and book your 2 days in Going-to-the-Sun Road, one step at a time
- Going-to-the-Sun Road is fully open for the 2026 season, over Logan Pass from both the West Glacier and St Mary entrances. Source
- No vehicle reservation is needed anywhere in Glacier in 2026. The ticketed Logan Pass shuttle and the three-hour parking limit at Logan Pass both ended on Labor Day, September 7, and overnight parking at the pass is not allowed. Source
How 2 days in Going-to-the-Sun Road split up
Plan 2 days for Going-to-the-Sun Road. Logan Pass: 6,646 ft. Reservation: None. Going-to-the-Sun Road runs about 50 miles across Glacier National Park, from Apgar on Lake McDonald over Logan Pass at 6,646 feet and down to St Mary. It is the only road across the park, it is carved into a cliff for much of the middle, and driving it end to end without stopping takes roughly two hours. Nobody drives it without stopping.
Day 1: Apgar, Lake McDonald & the Climb to Logan Pass
7 stops · Day one
Day 2: Logan Pass, the East Side & St Mary Lake
6 stops · Day two
Apgar, Lake McDonald & the Climb to Logan Pass
Start at Apgar, at the foot of Lake McDonald, and start early. No vehicle reservation is needed in 2026, but an early start is still what gets you a parking space at the top. The Logan Pass lot fills by mid morning in July and August and then stays full until late afternoon.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
Start at ApgarGo early · Logan Pass lot fills by mid morning · DriveThe west end of the road, at the foot of Lake McDonald. No vehicle reservation is needed in 2026; starting early is still what gets you a parking space at the top.
Lake McDonald Lodge10 mi · coloured stones · ViewpointThe lake with the coloured stones under clear water. The lodge is the halfway marker on the west side and has the last reliable toilets before the climb.
Trail of the Cedars & Avalanche Lake0.9 mi loop · or 4.5 mi RT · HikeA flat accessible boardwalk through old growth, with the Avalanche Lake trail leaving from it. The lake is 4.5 miles round trip and 730 feet, and it is the best short hike on the west side.
- The Loop and the Weeping Wall
The hairpin, then water on the road · ViewpointThe single hairpin that gains the cliff, and above it a rock face that pours straight onto the tarmac in early summer. Close the window.
Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0Logan Pass6,646 ft · lot fills by mid morning · ViewpointThe top of the road and the start of both Hidden Lake Overlook and the Highline Trail. The car park fills by mid morning through July and August and stays full until late afternoon.
Raft the Middle Fork of the Flathead2.5 hr whitewater trip · 4.9 from 1,980 reviews · afternoon, back in West Glacier · activityOnce you are back down from Logan Pass, the afternoon is free, and the raft trips leave from West Glacier, where you sleep tonight. The Middle Fork of the Flathead runs along the park boundary through nine named Class II and III rapids, with Glacier's peaks in view the whole way. It turns a day spent mostly in the car into one the whole group gets wet and loud on together.
Book this →- Stay in West Glacier
Or Lake McDonald Lodge in season · about 1 hr down from the pass · lodgeThere is no lodging at Logan Pass and no overnight parking, so the night is back down the west side: West Glacier just outside the entrance, or Lake McDonald Lodge inside the park while it is open. From West Glacier the pass is about an hour back up in the morning.
Logan Pass, the East Side & St Mary Lake
From the pass, the Hidden Lake Overlook boardwalk is 2.7 miles round trip and climbs gently through the meadows behind the visitor centre to a viewpoint above the lake. It is the highest-value hour on the whole road. The Highline Trail starts from the same car park and runs north along the Garden Wall with a cable-assisted ledge in the first mile; it is a full day rather than a stop, and it is the reason some people come at all.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Drive back up to Logan Pass
About 1 hr from West Glacier · go early · DriveAn early start back up the road gets you a space in the Logan Pass lot before it fills.
- Hidden Lake Overlook
2.7 mi RT · from the pass · HikeBoardwalk then trail, up through the meadows behind the visitor centre to a viewpoint above the lake. The highest-value hour on the whole road, and there are usually bears in the meadows.
Jackson Glacier OverlookA named glacier, from the car · ViewpointThe one pullout where a named glacier is visible from the road. It is noticeably smaller than the photograph on the interpretive sign, which is the point the sign is making.
- Sunrift Gorge & Sun Point
30-second walk · then the lake · ViewpointA slot the creek has cut through the rock, thirty seconds from the car, then Sun Point a mile on for the full length of St Mary Lake.
- Wild Goose Island Overlook
The postcard · late afternoon · ViewpointOne tree-covered island in the middle of St Mary Lake with the peaks stacked behind it. This is the view the road is famous for, and the reason to drive west to east: it lands in afternoon light.
- St Mary
East entrance · food, fuel and beds · ViewpointThe east end of the road. Food, fuel and beds, and the jumping-off point for Many Glacier if you are carrying on.
Book the 1 night
Beds near the trailheads are the one thing on this trip that genuinely runs out. Everything else can be decided later.
Tell us your dates and we will do the checking. We find what is still open near each trailhead and email you this plan back with a booking link for each night. Nothing is charged and you decide at the end.
Request to bookWhat to pack for Going-to-the-Sun Road
Built from this route, not a generic list. Every line says why it is here.
On every day of this trip
On your feet
Because you are sleeping indoors
For the driving days
Specific to Going-to-the-Sun Road
The four things that catch people out
The vehicle reservation
Glacier dropped the vehicle reservation for 2026 and ran a ticketed Logan Pass shuttle and a three-hour parking limit at the pass instead, July 1 to Labor Day. The rules have changed almost every year, so check the National Park Service page for your summer.
The road opens when it opens
The alpine section is ploughed a few hundred yards a day and the full road usually opens between late June and mid July. It is announced, not scheduled. Book flexible and check the park status page the week before.
The 21-foot limit is real
Between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun, nothing over 21 feet long, 8 feet wide with mirrors, or 10 feet tall. Trailers and big campervans have to go round the park on US-2, which is two and a half hours.
Logan Pass parking runs out
The lot at the top fills by mid morning through July and August and stays full until late afternoon. Arrive early, book the summer shuttle, or come back at four.
Going-to-the-Sun Road, answered
Going-to-the-Sun Road itinerary: the questions people ask most.
No. Glacier didn't require a vehicle reservation anywhere in the park in 2026, Going-to-the-Sun Road included, so only the entrance fee applies: $35 per vehicle in summer, $25 from November 1 to April 30, plus $100 per person for non-US residents 16 and older unless they hold an annual or America the Beautiful pass. From July 1 to Labor Day the park limited Logan Pass parking to three hours, with a free timestamped permit from the kiosk, and ran a Logan Pass shuttle on $1 Recreation.gov tickets. The rules have changed nearly every year, so check the National Park Service page for the summer you are going.
The full road usually opens somewhere between late June and mid July, and closes with the first serious autumn snow. Crews plough the alpine section a few hundred yards a day, so the opening is announced rather than scheduled. The lower sections at either end open much earlier.
About two hours end to end for the 50 miles without stopping, and nobody drives it without stopping. Give it a full day one way, or two days with a night at either end if you want the hikes as well.
Not between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun. The limit on that section is 21 feet long, 8 feet wide including mirrors, and 10 feet tall. Larger vehicles have to go around the park on US-2, which takes about two and a half hours.
West to east. You climb out of the forest into the alpine, which is the better reveal, and you reach Wild Goose Island and St Mary Lake in the late afternoon light. East to west puts the best view of the drive behind you in flat morning light.
In summer, yes. In 2026 it was a Logan Pass express that needed a $1 ticket on Recreation.gov, ran July 1 to Labor Day, and did not stop at Avalanche Lake or Trail of the Cedars. It is still the honest answer to the Logan Pass parking limit if you want the Highline: leave the car below, ride up, hike, ride back down. Outside those dates you drive.
Wild Goose Island Overlook for the view, Logan Pass for the setting, and Trail of the Cedars if you want somewhere flat and shaded to stretch your legs. If you only have time for one walk, take the Hidden Lake Overlook boardwalk from Logan Pass.
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.
Pick how you want to go.
Same 2-day route. Same 10 stops.
- 1 night, a campsite near West Glacier
- $30
- Raft the Middle Fork of the Flathead
- $110
- Rental car, 2 days
- $190
- Gas, about 57 miles
- $10
- 1 night, a room in West Glacier
- from $171
- Raft the Middle Fork of the Flathead
- $110
- Rental car, 2 days
- $190
- Gas, about 57 miles
- $10
- A private local guide, rooms and campsites booked
- Included
- Airport pickup and every drive
- Included
- Park, permit and campsite fees paid
- Included
- All the gear and the trail meals
- Included
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Three years leading guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests, and she builds every custom itinerary herself. Based in Seattle.
Last checked October 2026
You might also love these
Other itineraries near this one.
Best Day Hikes in Glacier National Park: 3-Day Weekend
A 3-day Glacier National Park hiking itinerary covering Grinnell Glacier, the Highline Trail, Hidden Lake Overlook, and Lake McDonald,…
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…
Glacier National Park 4 Day Itinerary: Both Sides of the Divide
Two nights at West Glacier and Lake McDonald, Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass, then two nights at Many Glacier and Two Medicine.
Guides for this tripThe Most Beautiful US National Parks, Ranked by What You SeeNational Parks to Visit in Summer, and Four to AvoidSperry and Granite Park ChaletsFamily Trip to Glacier National Park
What adventurers say about us.
All reviews are from verified guests. ★★★★★ 5.0 average from 20+ bookings.
"Felt like going out with a really knowledgeable friend who just happens to know everything about the area. No awkward tour-guide energy, just a magnificent day."
"Yulia is an incredible guide. She knew every trail, every viewpoint, and exactly how to pace the day for our group. The photos she took of us were stunning. 100% booking again."
"I was visiting Seattle solo and this was the best decision I made on the trip. Yulia picked me up, had snacks, and took us to a trail I never would have found on my own. Absolute must-do."
"We did this as a couple's trip and it was perfect. Yulia adapted everything to us, our pace, our interests, our photo obsession. The mountain views were unreal."
"Phenomenal experience. Yulia has deep local knowledge and a real passion for the outdoors. She went out of her way to show us the hidden gems tourists never see. Will remember this forever."
"I've done a few guided hikes and this was by far the best. Yulia is warm, funny, and genuinely expert. The trail she chose had the most insane wildflower bloom, we got so lucky."
Fees, reservation windows, shuttle dates and trail closures are planning estimates. Confirm hours, road status and any reservations with the land manager before you go.
What other travelers are saying
Be the first to leave a tip or question for the next traveler.
Was this helpful?
One tap. It goes straight to Yulia and Margarita.
You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.
The best hikes in America run on lotteries that open once a year and sell out in minutes. Every trail runs on its own calendar. Pick the ones you want and we do the watching.
The WaveCoyote Buttes North · Arizona / UtahPermitLotterybrutal odds
Half Dome CablesYosemite NP · CaliforniaPermitOpens Mar 1fair odds
Mt. WhitneyInyo NF · CaliforniaPermitOpens Feb 1tough odds
Angels LandingZion NP · UtahPermitLotterytough odds
The SubwayZion NP · UtahPermitLotterytough odds
Mount St. Helens Summit ClimbGifford Pinchot NF · WashingtonPermitReservationtough odds
How it works
- An email the morning each window opens, never the day after.
- A 14-day heads-up so you can line up your group and dates.
- Win odds and a ranked backup plan for every trail you pick.
Didn't win? We keep watching. We check recreation.gov every day for The Enchantments, Half Dome and Angels Landing, and email you the moment a sold-out date frees up. Cancellations are the second chance most people never hear about.