Where to Stay in and Near Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park quickly became my favorite National Park. It could have been the beautiful scenery, the lack of people compared to Yellowstone, or the life-changing experience of hiking the Highline Trail – or all three! I highly encourage you to see what this gem of a National Park is all about and if you do, here’s a list of places to stay in and around Glacier National Park.
I always recommend staying inside National Parks if you can. I usually end up staying just outside of them because I’m a last-minute planner, but I ALWAYS wish I had booked sooner to get a spot within the park. There’s something about staying inside a National Park after everyone leaves that’s kind of magical.
Luckily, there are quite a few to work with here.
Hotels Inside Glacier National Park
Granite Park Chalet is (in my opinion) the coolest place to stay of them all. You have to hike at least 4 miles on the Loop trail of 7.6 miles on the Highline trail to get here, but staying here was the best experience I’ve ever had in a National Park. Read more about that in this post!
Sperry Chalet is probably just as cool as Granite Park Chalet, but I haven’t been there yet. This is another chalet in Glacier’s backcountry that you must hike or horseback ride to get to.
Lake McDonald Lodge is located right on Lake McDonald on the West side of Glacier National Park. This lodge looks like it was plucked right out of Switzerland and placed in one of the most beautiful spots in Montana.
Village Inn at Apgar is a motel in Apgar Village also on Lake McDonald. This motel has easy walking access to all of the shops and restaurants in Apgar Village. It’s also right next to the part of Lake McDonald where you can swim or rent boats.
Many Glacier Hotel is located on the East side of Glacier National Park right on Swiftcurrent Lake. The scenery here is unmatched. You have a beautiful lake with mountains everywhere.
Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and Cabins is on the other side fo Swiftcurrent Lake and offers motel-style lodging or individual cabins. Just like Many Glacier Hotel, the sceneray around here is just plain beautiful.
Rising Sun Motor Inn and Cabins sits near Saint Mary Lake. Like Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, lodging consists of either a modest motel room or a cabin to yourself.
Camping in Glacier National Park
If you’re looking to stay in the park, but the hotels are filled up, or if you just want a more outdoorsy adventure, you can always opt to try camping in Glacier National Park! Most of the campsites are first come, first served (more info here).
Apgar Campground is the only campground that’s open year round (including winter!) and it’s the largest in the park with 194 sites. It’s just a short walk from Lake McDonald.
–> Visiting Glacier National Park in Winter? Here’s the guide you need! <–
Avalanche Campground has 87 sites open to both tents and RV campers.
Bowman Lake Campground is located closer to Polebridge, MT which is a less crowded area of Glacier National Park. The drive here is partially off road and I’ve seen articles suggest having 4-wheel drive to get here. The 48 campsites are located just steps from the beautiful Bowman Lake.
Cut Bank Campground is a smaller campground with only 14 sites, but this means you’ll have this area almost to yourself! This one is on the East side of the park.
Kintla Lake Campground is one of the most remote campgrounds in Glacier NP. It has 13 sites and is located in the Northwest corner of the park (near Bowman Lake Campground).
Lodging Creek Campground is another small campground giving tent campers a lot of solitude away from RVs. Since the road to get to these 7 campsites is a dirt road, trailers are not recommended.
Quartz Creek Campground is in the same area as the last few on this list – the Northwest corner. It remains primitive all year round and has 7 campsites for tent campers.
Rising Sun Campground is in the East side of the park near St. Mary’s. It has 84 campsites open to both tents and RVs.
Sprague Creek Campground has 25 campsites, some of which have views of Lake McDonald! This campground is just north of the lake in a very pretty location.
Two Medicine Campground has 100 campsites and is on the East side of Glacier National Park. This is a great spot if you’re interested in Red Bus Tours or boat tours out of Two Medicine.
In addition to the first come, first served campgrounds, there are also a few that take reservations (click here for more info):
Fish Creek Campground has 178 campsites and is located near Lake McDonald. Some sites even have an unobstructed view of the lake!
Many Glacier Campground offers 109 sites and is one of the most popular campgrounds in Glacier because of all the wildlife that comes through.
St. Mary Campground is on the East side of Glacier with 148 campsites. It has convenient access to St. Mary Visitor’s center as well as the shuttle service that starts there.
Hotels Near Glacier National Park
The hotels in Glacier National Park tend to fill up rather quickly. If you’re planning more of a last-minute trip, you’ll probably have better luck scoring a stay at any of these hotels near Glacier.
Cedar Creek Lodge is located in Columbia Falls, Montana and is about a 27 minute drive from Apgar Visitor’s Center. This is a great place to stay if you want to visit the surrounding towns like Whitefish for winter activities near Glacier National Park.
Glacier Haven Inn is where Austin and i stayed when we visited Glacier National Park. It’s a cozy motel about 30 minutes from Apgar Visitor’s Center. It had everything we needed, but I’ll note that it didn’t have any Wifi or cell service. We actually really liked that about this inn, but I know some people won’t!
St. Mary Village is located just outside of Glacier NP’s East entrance. It has a woodsy cabin feel and has some of the best views of the mountains.
Glacier Park Lodge looks like an incredible place to stay with a farm-to-table restaurant and gardens outside. The offer a variety of rooms in the main lodge as well as a few private cottages.
Circle R Motel is located in East Glacier, MT and reminds me a bit of Glacier Haven Inn – an affordable motel close to the entrance.
Cabins Near Glacier National park
Aside from hotels and campsites, you might also be interested in renting one of these cabins near Glacier National Park for your stay. There’s nothing like feeling adventurous and woodsy, but still having a bed to sleep on!
Under Canvas Glacier is a luxury glamping experience. While not technically a cabin, their luxury tents tend to feel like you’re in an actual building with all the amenities you need!
Glacier Outdoor Center offers individual cabins in West Glacier. They have options with up to 3 bedrooms in a single cabin.
Reclusive Moose Cabins offer a few cabin options located near the West entrance of Glacier. They are also a short drive to Columbia Falls, MT which is where you can pick up any food or supplies you need while you’re there.
The Ridge at Glacier offer comfortable and luxurious cabins about 20 minutes from Apgar Visitor’s Center. These are right off the highway, but it definitely doesn’t feel like it.
