question about Glacier National Park

You can go into the park without the pass before 6 am. If you can get everyone up and ready to go before then, then that'd be the way to go. Probably see a bunch of cool wildlife at dawn.

After September 10 you don't need a pass to enter the park..Fortunately for us we will be there September 20 and beyond.

It also increases the chance of getting snow or bad weather-which is what happened to us the first week of October 2021 in Yellowstone.

yes, thanks. booked a couple of boat tours in the park as a fallback option. the website doesn't state you can get in after 3pm this year but hopefully it opens back up sometime in the afternoon.

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I used the shuttle system

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By shuttle system do you mean the Red Bus Tours?

We’ve been planning a GNP trip for about 3 months and I don’t recall seeing anything about a shuttle. Just wondering if I’m missing something.

it's my understanding you can use the shuttle system to get around the park but I'm not certain. that's what i'm trying to determine.

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By shuttle system do you mean the Red Bus Tours

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No there are free shuttle buses - regular white buses that seat about 25-30? - that travel along the Going to the Sun Road and you can hop on and off them at your leisure. It's convenient because you don't have to worry about finding a place to park your car. Some hikers also use them because some trails start at one shuttle stop and end at another instead of making a true loop.

Note that the main park is divided into two sections - east and west. Logan Pass is the high point in the middle of the GTTS Road so shuttle buses that start from the west side (Apgar Visitor Center) drive up to the Logan Pass Visitor Center, making several stops along the way, then they turn around and go back to Apgar. Shuttle buses that start from the east side (St. Mary Visitor Center) do the same. So if you are staying on the west side and you want to see something on the east side, you have to do a shuttle transfer at Logan. Or you could just drive along Hwy 2 over to Hwy 89 and start from the east side. That's one reason I would prefer to split lodging into different areas of the park. It's not always easy to navigate from place to place and you definitely want to see the east side and the Many Glacier area as they are better than the west side in my opinion.

The Red Bus Tours are private operations in these old red vehicles that they have kept running for about 100 years. They are mostly patronized by very old people who are nostalgic for the good old days and lack the mobility to move around on foot. It's still kind of cool to see them puttering around the park but I wouldn't pay to do a tour in them. You will be sitting in a Depression-era minivan with 10 people in their 80s the entire time.

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there are free shuttle buses

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Thanks, a few questions and I think I will understand the shuttle.

To use the free shuttle I guess you need a park pass but that's all?
It's first come - first on the bus?

The shuttle only operates on the GTTSR; and not Many Glacier or Two Medicine, etc.?

We're staying two nights on the east side and two on the west. We don't have anything planned for the last day; we were thinking about a Red Bus tour but may do the shuttle instead - now that I know it exist. We will have driven the GTTSR on the 3rd day from the east side to the west.

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You could tell there were people who drove through the entire park and never got to stop because they couldn't find a parking place.

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man i really want to see GNP but it sounds disney-esque with all the hassles and preplanning you have to do

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Thanks, a few questions and I think I will understand the shuttle.

To use the free shuttle I guess you need a park pass but that's all?
It's first come - first on the bus?

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That's my understanding but I have not been there since Covid started so do your homework and check to make sure. National Parks were always popular and somewhat crowded during peak season but those numbers practically doubled during Covid when people developed cabin fever and couldn't travel abroad. Maybe that will calm down some. But yes, when I was there (twice) I would pack a daypack (water, sack lunch, sunscreen, poncho, etc.) then park at the visitor center and then hop on the shuttle bus that was waiting in the parking lot and go to where I had planned to go that day. Sometimes a bus is full and you have to wait 20 minutes for the next one. The bus will make scheduled stops at certain popular areas of the park and you hop off, do your hike, have your picnic, whatever and then hop on the next shuttle bus that stops when you want to return or go somewhere else. It's pretty efficient but like I said crowds were smaller when I went. Just plan what you want to do in advance.

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The shuttle only operates on the GTTSR; and not Many Glacier or Two Medicine, etc.

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Pretty sure this is correct. Two Medicine isn't very popular. You can just drive your car down there and park in the parking lot and snap some photos, enjoy the views or have a picnic at the recreation area. It's more of a rest stop than an actual destination. There are some hikes that originate there but they are long and difficult. I would also recommend stopping by to see the East Glacier Lodge. It's beautiful and historic and you don't have to stay there to visit or walk around.

Many Glacier is the BEST part of GNP in my opinion and most people would agree with me on that. You should definitely visit for a day or two. You can drive up there from East Glacier/St. Mary as a day trip. I don't think there is a shuttle that goes there but I might be wrong. I would recommend getting an early start from your accommodation and driving up there early to beat the crowds and find a parking spot. Most people are lazy and get a late start. There's a large parking lot behind the Many Glacier Lodge and another large lot by the campground and the Swiftcurrent Inn. I don't know if you need a pass or not. From there I would do the Grinnel Glacier hike which is the best hike in the park. You can also book a boat ride across the lakes which will cover the first part of the hike if you want to give your legs a rest. Either option is fine and if you cant hike for physical reasons you can just ride the boats over and back. You need to book the boat in advance and I think this would also cover as a pass if you need it. Cracker Lake is another good hike in this area. After the hike grab a beer in the lodge, sit on the rocking chairs on the back deck and enjoy the views.

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This is our first trip to GNP and probably last. We're two married couples that are all 70+ and all our hikes will be relatively short ones.

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I'd contact the park directly and inquire about services for seniors. If one of them has a handicap designation, even better.