Best Road Trips From Glacier National Park to Yellowstone

One of the most scenic parts of the United States is between Glacier National Park in Montana and Yellowstone in Montana/Wyoming.

There’s also a lot to do on your trip between the two places, and some amazing stops along the way as well.

This post will examine the best way to maximize your time in between the places.

How Far is it From Glacier National Park to Yellowstone National Park

The distance between Glacier National Park and Yellowstone is pretty far. This depends highly on which entrances you measure from in the Park.

From:

• Apgar Entrance to North Entrance Yellowstone: 408 miles (6.5 hours)
• St Mary’s Entrance to North East Entrance Yellowstone: 426 miles (7.5 hours)

The Route

We are not going to cover all the possible options for travel between Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. So for this guide we will be looking at entering and exiting from the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park.

You can definitely do this another route and we’ll maybe cover that in another guide. This will include stops in Bozeman, Butte, Missoula, Flathead, and Whitefish.

This is the more activity highlighted route and the one most requested by our readers.

Closest Airports

If you are planning to fly into the area for the start of your trip. There are quite a few airports depending on where you’d want to start your journey. If you are planning on flying or starting from as south as Salt Lake City, we recommend checking our Road Trip guide from Salt Lake City to Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park

• Cody Airport (YRA): 55 miles (1 hour)
• Bozeman Airport (BZN): 88 miles (90 minutes)
• Idaho Falls (IDA): 109 miles (2 hours)
• Jackson Hole Airport (JAC): 49 miles (1 hour)
• Billings Airport (BIL): 158 miles (3 hours)

Glacier National Park

• Kalispell Airport (GPI): 24 miles (30 minutes)
• Missoula Airport (MSO): 132 miles (2.5 hours)
• Great Falls Airport(GTF): 156 miles (2.5 hours)

When is the Best Time to Go

Both of the Parks and sites in between have access much of the year. There are places that will be closed during the winter however. But we look at the best times to visit the various parks.

Summer

Summer is the best season as well as the busiest season to do the road trip. Services and access to all of the parks are open during this time.

Glacier National Park requires timed Entry for many of the entrances to the park during the summer months.

• Going to the Sun Road: July 1 – September 10: 6 am – 3 pm
• Many Glaciers: July 1 – September 10: 6 am – 3pm
• North Fork: May 26 – September 10: 6 am – 3 pm
• Two Medicine: July 1 – September 10: 6 am – 3pm

Honestly, for Glacier you should try to entry earlier, as parking is a problem by about 7:00 am. Yellowstone doesn’t have an time-entry, but driving through the park can be very slow (especially if anyone in front of you sees wildlife).

Expect lodging to have high prices and limited availability. Lodging in Parks may be booked a year in advance.

Spring

Early Spring the park roads are still mostly closed. Many of the roads don’t open until late may or even June depending on winter snowfall.

Late Spring you may be luckier with things being open. Some services will still be just opening. Prices for lodging will be more reasonable.

Spring is considered “mud-season” in Montana. Winter thaw makes things quite muddy on trails and basically everywhere.

Fall

Early fall can be a perfect time to visit the parks. In particular the days after labor day are particularly great as kids go back to school and crowds thin. Obviously this only works if you don’t have children.

Prices start to fall in fall [intended], and days in early fall are great for weather. Mid-Autumn the trees will start to change color which is perfect in the parks as well as across the state.

Trouble is that late is when snow comes and when roads and other services start to close. It’s hard to predict.

Winter

Winter can be great to visit for those who are prepared for the situation in those months.

The parks are still open, however most services are roads are closed. In Glacier, the road by Apgar is still open with access to areas around the lake. The road however plowing stops on the Going-to-the-Sun-Road a bit past the lake and requires access only via hiking, snow-shoeing, or skiing.

Yellowstone can be magical during the winter as well. There are some lodging open in the winter as well as trails. Access is via skiing, snow-shoeing, horse drawn carriage, as well as some snowmobiling. Motorized transport is very limited so you should try to book ahead.

Driving between Glacier and Yellowstone is possible, but weather can be unpredictable. Drive carefully, I’ve seen way too many accidents than I would like to count on the roads in Montana.

There’s also world class skiing and snowboarding in Montana in winter. Also makes a great side trip from the road trip below.

How Many Days for the Road Trip

For this road Trip I would recommend at least 9 days for Glacier National Park to Yellowstone National Park. There is so much to see and do in the areas. In Particular the parks are some of the best and largest in the United States. Sure you could rush through, but you’ll be driving most of the time and miss a lot.

Recommended Itineraries

The following are several recommended itineraries for the trip. I would say you could do as little as 6 days, but in reality you need at least 8-9 days. More is obviously better.

Fastest

You would do yourself a disservice if you didn’t spend at least 2 – 3 days in each place. You’ll need to start the day early and go into the evening to maximize your time.

• Day 1: Glacier National Park
• Day 2: Glacier National Park
• Day 3: Glacier to Yellowstone NP (with 1 – 2 activities)
• Day 4: Yellowstone National Park
• Day 5: Yellowstone National Park
• Day 6: Yellowstone National Park

Recommend

This gives you the best views of the different park highlights as well as time to explore some activities around Western Montana as well. You won’t see everything, but you’ll see a lot.

• Day 1: Glacier National Park
• Day 2: Glacier National Park
• Day 3: Glacier National Park
• Day 4: Glacier National Park
• Day 5: Glacier to Missoula
• Day 6: Missoula to Yellowstone
• Day 7: Yellowstone NP
• Day 8: Yellowstone NP
• Day 9: Yellowstone NP

Extended

This is how I would recommend if you have more time available.

• Day 1: Glacier National Park
• Day 2: Glacier National Park
• Day 3: Glacier National Park
• Day 4: Glacier National Park
• Day 5: Glacier National Park
• Day 6: Glacier to Missoula
• Day 7: Missoula to Bozeman
• Day 8: Bozeman; Evening drive to Yellowstone
• Day 9: Yellowstone NP
• Day 10: Yellowstone NP
• Day 11: Yellowstone NP
• Day 12: Yellowstone NP

Glacier National Park

One of my favorite parks in the United States. It’s actually my current 2nd favorite park (after Yosemite). There’s just so much to see and do that even a week doesn’t feel enough in the park.

However, I think there’s a lot to do in a few days. Below are some recommendations on things to see and do.

Hiking is the most popular aspect of the park. Several of our favorite trails are below as well.

Things To Do

Glacier National Park is massive. There’s so much to do and see in the park. We’ll cover the highlights for a few day trip to Glacier. If you have more time, there’s things You can only really reach on multi-day hikes

• Boating on Lake McDonald: The Beautiful Lake McDonald is a great place to explore in the Apgar area of the Park. There are rentals for boats for motorized and non-motorized. The Lake is long, so don’t expect crossing.
• Scenic Drive on Going-to-the-Sun Road: By far the most popular activity in the park. The Going to the Sun Road is beautiful with incredible vistas. It’s also route for many of the hikes, so you’ll likely be on it during your time. Reservations need during Peak Season.
• Highline Trail Hike: 15 miles. One of my favorite hikes in the park. Highline explore alpine areas, has some of the best wildlife viewing, and you can overlook a Glacier. Logan Pass Area.
• Ptarmigan Tunnel Hike: 10.6 miles. Long Day hike to see the Ptarmigan Tunnel and beautiful glacier nature and wildlife. High Bear sighting area. Many Glaciers Area.
• Iceberg Lake Hike: 9.3 miles. Beautiful Glacial Lake along a moderate hike. Great to combine with Ptarmigan Tunnel. Many Glaciers Area
• Avalanche Lake Hike: 4.6 miles. Beautiful lake hike located not far past Lake McDonald. Popular Hike.
• Hidden Lake Hike: 5.3 miles. Great moderate hike near the Continental Divide. Great to Do when stopping at the Logan Pass Visitor Center. Can reduce by 2 miles if you go to Overlook instead of Lake. Logan Pass Area.
• Grinnell Glacier Hike: 11.2 miles. Lovely out and back hike that take visitors close to Grinnell Glacier. You can also overlook the glacier from Highline above. Many Glaciers Area.
• Two Medicine Lake Loop: 10 miles. Loop takes on a scenic hike that circumnavigates the lake. Two Medicines Area.

Places To Stay

During the Summer, places to stay in the park are nearly impossible to come by. So you will need to book early. Even areas outside of the park may book up. Consider looking at places further away as well such as Kalispell.

You can book hotels within the Park up to 13 months ahead of your stay.

Inside the Park

• Many Glaciers Hotel: Largest Hotel in Glacier NP. Beautiful located within Glacier NP in the Many Glaciers Area.
• Swiftcurrent Motor Inn: 95 cabin and motor inn rooms. Overall more basic than Many Glaciers Hotel. Great location close to many trails.
• Rising Sun Motor Inn: 72 rooms. Located within the park along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Comfortable, clean rooms, but great location. Also an onsite restaurant.
• Granite Park Chalet: 12 rooms. Gorgeous location, located along the Highline Trail. Can book starting in January. Books Quickly.
• Lake McDonald Lodge: 82 rooms. Historic Lodge located within the park alongside Lake McDonald. Very popular.

Outside the Park

There’s a lot of options outside the park of varying distance. My preference is the western side as there are more services. Also be sure to check AirBNB and VRBO.

• Cedar Creek Lodge: Run by Xanterra (like the Glacier NP lodges), but located outside of Glacier NP. Open year round, free breakfast.
• The Ridge Glacier: Lovely cabins located close to the Western entrance for Glacier National Park
• Cedar Creek Lodge: Large hotel complex (with conference Center) in Columbia Falls. Located near Apgar – West Glacier Entrance.
• Pine Lodge Whitefish: Located further out in Whitefish. A good chain hotel with clean rooms, and good access to restaurants and services in Whitefish.

Camping in the Park

Camping in Glacier National Park is a great experience. However, all the campgrounds are very popular and book up fast. Be sure to reserve before your stay. There is also lots of backcountry camping, but permit required.

• Apgar Campground: 194 sites. Largest Campground in the Park. Access to services in Apgar Village. Reservations required during summer, first-come first-serve outside that time.
• Fish Creek Campground: 178 sites. Second Largest Campground in Glacier. Located along the north shore of lake McDonald near Apgar Village.
• Many Glacier Campground: 109 sites. Located in Many Glaciers area of the Park. Super popular (one of the earliest to book up).
• St. Mary Campground: 148 sites. Largest on the eastern side of the park. Located near St. Mary’ Lake but not on the Lake. Reservations required/recommending during the summer.
• Sprague Creek Campground: 25 sites. Small campground on the north-eastern side of Lake McDonald. Towed Campers / RVs great than 21 feet not allowed.

Where to Eat

• Apgar; Eddie’s Cafe: Nice little café in the Apgar area of Glacier NP. Burgers were quite good.
• Saint Mary’s; Two Dog Flats: Ok, American Fare. Great location in the Park however.
• Many Glaciers, Ptarmigan Dining Room: Beautiful location in Many Glaciers at Swiss Chalet. Pricey and some great options. Best in that area.
• WhiteFish; Wich Haus: My Favorite Sandwich place in Whitefish. Some unique and interesting options, salads, and more. Everything we had was really good.
• Whitefish, Buffalo Café: Great local restaurant with good American fare. Burgers, Tacos, and good breakfast options too.
• Whitefish, Wild Coffee Company: My favorite coffee place in Whitefish. Their biscuits are also really great. My favorite is the Haskill Basin.
• Whitefish, Rebel Kitchen: Excellent local restaurant that specializes in Gluten Free.

Glacier to Missoula

You can certainly do the drive between Glacier National Park and Yellowstone in one day. It’s a long drive, and there’s a lot to do along the way. We recommend breaking it up with at least one overnight. More than one is even better.

If you are doing the trip as a loop, consider an overnight each way.

If you have extra time, considering extending your trip.

Things to Do

• National Bison Range: Owned and Operated by the Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the National Bison Range brings the culture and care of the local bison to their original stewards. There’s approximately 350 bison in the range over a large area. Hiking and fishing available too.
• Whitefish Mountain: Big Mountain as its called locally is a massive ski area. Worth especially visiting if you are here in the winter and love winter sports. Summers have Mountain Biking.
• Fort Missoula: Contains 20 historic buildings and over 50,000 artifacts across 32 acres. Protects and maintains artifacts of western Montana.
• Wild Horse Island: An interesting but difficult island to reach within Flathead lake. The island is famous for the wild animals on the lake. However, due to the size of island you may not actually even see any of the animals during your visit.

Where to Stay

For this route, I would recommend staying in Missoula Montana. Missoula has a great selection of hotels and restaurants in a fairly large city.

• AC Hotel Missoula Downtown: Beautiful Hotel in Downtown Missoula. Great jumping off point to food and attractions.
• City Center Motel – Missoula: Great Location, Clean, and Good Prices. Lots of nearby restaurants.
• Residence Inn Missoula: Great rooms & location, very clean. Included Kitchens. Prices are higher than some other options though.

Places to Eat

• Kalispell; Montana Club: Great Local Restaurant known for its burgers and steaks. Good appetizers too.
• Missoula; Empanada Joint: Quite good Empanadas in Missoula. Convenient downtown location.
• Missoula; Five on Black: I really liked this fast casual Brazilian food joint. My only regret was getting the smaller sized bowl.
• Missoula; Market on Front: Great Urban Market with some excellent sandwiches as well. Really liked the Chicken Florentine and Hot Hippie. Has breakfast options too.

Missoula to Yellowstone

There’s as much to do between Missoula and Yellowstone as between Glacier and Missoula. We recommend a day of exploring the areas (or more!). You can also break it up if you are doing a round trip.

Things to Do

• Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site: The NPS run cattle ranch is a real cattle ranch you can explore. Pretty cool history, talks, and activities.
• Museum of the Rockies: One of the premier Dinosaur fossil museums in the World. And featured in Jurassic Park as well.
• Grizzly Encounter: Grizzly Bear Rescue that you can visit outside of Bozeman Montana. Bears that cannot be released into the wild.
• World of Mining: Mining had a huge impact on Butte (and Montana). Explore the history of mining, part of an actual mine, and the legacy of mining in Montana.
• Emerson Art Center: Cool place to check out art and buy from local artists. Has several galleries, workspaces, and more.

Where to Stay

I recommend staying either in Bozeman if you are heading south. Or if you are passing north, you could do the activities before going on to Missoula. There’s a lot of things to do in Bozeman and area if you have a few days as well.

• Kimpton Armory Bozeman: Beautiful Hotel with clean rooms, great service, and a fantastic location in downtown Bozeman.
• AC Hotel Bozeman Downtown: My favorite hotel downtown (also cause it’s a Marriott). Great location close by downtown and great Restaurants.
• The Lark Bozeman: Perfect Location in the heart of Downtown. Clean rooms, Good service, and walkable to lots of places.

Places to Eat

• Bozeman; Blackbird: Quite possibly the best restaurant in Bozeman (or maybe even Montana). The Italian food is top-notch. Super popular, recommend reservations.
• Bozeman; Sidewall Pizza: My favorite pizza spot in Bozeman. Check out the Emerson Galleries while you wait. Be sure to ask for ranch dressing.
• Bozeman; Montana Ale Works: Great Selection of Food and Drinks. Large Location and Menu.
• Bozeman; Revelry: Great Restaurant with quality food. Also a popular and delicious Brunch. Busy, recommend reservations.
• Butte; Pekin Noodle Parlor: Oldest Continuously Operated Chinese Restaurant in America. Worth checking out.

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Yellowstone National Park

The Oldest National Park in the World. Yellowstone is an incredible place of wildlife and volcanic opportunity.

The park is also massive, covering over 3,400 square miles. It takes hours to drive from one end of the park to the other. You’ll not be able to see it all in one trip, but we you can certainly see the highlights in a few days.

I recommend at least 3 days to explore the park.

Things To Do

I’d recommend focusing one of your days around the geyser basins. There’s a ton to see in the area, and while its tempting to try to do everything, save driving and exploring those parts for other days.

• Visit Old Faithful: It’s a bit touristy for sure. However, it’s the most famous site for a reason. One thing you’ll learn is how rare a regular geyser is. There’s both long and short eruptions that tend to go on slightly different time schedules. I recommend going early in the day to avoid crowds.
• Upper Geyser Basin: Even more impressive is all the other various geysers that are in this high geothermal area. A highlight for me was watching the Lion Geyser group erupt. It’s hard to predict though.
• Midway Geyser Basin: Some of the other famous features are in Midway, such as Grand Prismatic Spring. Worth walking the boardwalks but for best views check the Overlook Trail.
• Fairy Falls: One of my favorite Trails in the park. It’s also the best way to see Grand Prismatic Spring from the overlook. Continue on after to the waterfall. In spring/fall the best views of the spring tend to be late in the day when the temperature is warmer so there’s less steam.
• Artist Paint Pots: Colorful mud pots on a nice hiking trail. Gets you pretty close to various different colored waters and mud pots. There’s also Fountain Paint pots as well.
• Steamboat Geyser: There’s a warning about your car in the parking lot. You probably won’t be there for a major eruption, but as the largest geyser it can send water over 300 feet in the air.
• Mammoth Hot Springs: Amazing set of hot springs and travertine fountains. You can hike up and around the springs and explore the boardwalk and trails around the fountains.
• Fort Yellowstone: Old fort established in 1891. Most of its now taken up with National Park administrative structures. The fort has a museum and visitor center. It’s also a good place to check out the various shops and restaurants. I saw lots of elk in this area as well.
• Grand Canyon of Yellowstone: I scoffed when I first heard the name, but it is really impressive to see. There’s two parts to the waterfalls and I’d recommend taking the trails to both. The lower falls are the more impressive. Be sure to also drive to Artist Point, Inspiration Point, Lookout Point, and Uncle Tom’s Trail.
• Hayden Valley: The closer of the valleys to the items we discussed so far. Hayden valley is a great place to catch various wildlife. There was high bear and wolf activity during my time here. I saw wolves but missed the bears unfortunately.
• Lamar Valley: Definitely worth visiting if you have time and especially if you are traveling on to places east of the park. Lamar valley is the premier place to see wildlife in the park. I saw wolves, bears, bison, elk and more in my drive through the area. Keep an eye out for wildlife spotters with scopes to know where animals are being found. Some will even let you look through as well.

Where to Stay

Yellowstone National Park is massive. If you can stay in the park I would recommend it. If you are going for two or three days. I would recommend splitting up your booking.

One day in Grant Village, Old Faithful. Another Day in Mammoth Hot Springs area. You could also maybe do a third in Tower Falls, Grand Canyon area as well.

Inside the Park

Lodging in Yellowstone is beautiful and one of the best experiences in the park. It’s also very popular and books up quickly.

You can book stays up to 13 months ahead of time.

• Old Faithful Inn: 327 Rooms. Probably the most popular of Yellowstone Accommodations. Historic Inn is a beautiful structure, with historic dining room, shops, bakery, and more. Located next to Old Faithful geyser.
• Old Faithful Snow lodge: 134 Rooms. The newest of the Yellowstone lodges. Located across from the Old Faithful Inn. Has full service dining, bicycle rentals, ski and skate rentals in the winter.
• Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel: 211 Rooms: I like the location of this hotel and it’s quite pretty as well. Good food options in this area too and you are close to Gardiner, MT if you want more.
• Grant Village: 300 Rooms: Features hotel, restaurant, lounge, gift store. Central location in relation to many popular sites. Very quiet area as well.

Outside the Park

You should try to plan a day close to several attractions. I would recommend at least one day north in Gardiner, and one day in west Yellowstone. You could also look out the east entrance if you are planning more time in Lamar Valley or heading east after.

• Gardiner, Travelodge: It’s a clean, decent option outside of the north entrance. I’ve stayed here before and found it to be fine. Clean and close to the north entrance.
• Gardiner, Yellowstone Gateway Inn: Located close to the north entrance. Has comfortable rooms with full kitchens.
• West Yellowstone, Yellowstone Park Inn: Located super closer to the west entrance of the park. Features comfortable rooms and and continental breakfast.
• Silver Gate lodging: Located close to northeast entrance (Lamar valley). It’s a good location close to the entrance.

Camping

Camping in Yellowstone is an incredible Experience. One of the darkest sky places you can go in the United States. Below are recommendations of campsites within the park.

• Grant Village Campground: 430 Sites. Located close to Yellowstone Lake. Grant Village Campground offers unpowered-RV and Tent sites, showers, and laundry. Close to Grant Village for restaurants, camp store, and amenities.
• Madison Campground: 278 sites: Located in between West Yellowstone and Old Faithful. Basic facilities but beautiful location.
• Canyon Campground: 273 sites: Very popular campground located near the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Amenities include laundry, showers, dump sites.
• Bridge Bay Campground: 432 sites: Largest campground in Yellowstone, located near Yellowstone lake. Not as many amenities as nearby Grant Village. Popular for boaters.
• Mammoth Campground: 85 Sites: Only year round campground. Currently closed for 2022 due to flood damage.
• Lewis Lake Campground: 85 sites: Located next to Lewis Lake near the South Entrance of Yellowstone NP. Basic campsites and amenities.

Traveling Further On

If you are Planning to Continue Traveling South. I recommend Checking out our Post on Road Trips from Yellowstone to Salt Lake City. The Post covers areas around Yellowstone, Grand Teton’s, Jackson, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah. It’s a great selection of Things to See and Do.

Tips & FAQs

• Wildlife is Dangerous. I wish I didn’t have to say this but after watching folks make bad decisions. Please stay at least 25 yards from Bison, Elk, Moose, Deer. And at least 100 years from predators.
• Bring Bear Spray. There’s a high chance of grizzly bear encounters in parts of Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. They sell Bear Spray at Costco (check Kalispell) in Montana and Wyoming.
• Book Lodging Early. Yellowstone and Glacier National Park Lodging books up very early. Don’t delay.
• Glacier Requires Timed-Entry during the summer. Be sure to check and book on Recreation.gov. You can also get reservations the night before as well but you need to be fast.
• Overestimate travel times. Distances in the Parks are very far. As well as there’s lots of traffic during high seasons.
• Start Early. Not only will you have less crowds. But for some places, in particular Glacier, you’ll need to arrive early to get Parking.
• Consider National and State Forests for Camping. Surprisingly many areas around National Parks are far emptier. You have better chance of finding last minute camping opportunities there.
• Consider an Interagency Pass. I highly recommend the America the Beautiful Pass. For $80 you get admission to all NPS sites. If you include in other places like Grand Tetons, you’ll already profit.

Other Posts You May Like

• MONTANA: Guide to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
• NORTH DAKOTA: Guide to Theodore Roosevelt National Park
• NORTH DAKOTA: Guide to Knife River Indian Villages
• WASHINGTON: Guide to Cape Alava, Western Most Point in Continental US