Safe Travel Planning for Glacier National Park & Northwest Montana

Glacier National Park draws RVers from across the country every summer, and the single most common planning mistake is not checking vehicle size restrictions before committing to a route.

Going-to-the-Sun Road has real size limits

Per the National Park Service, vehicles and vehicle combinations longer than 21 feet (including bumpers) and wider than 8 feet (including mirrors) are not permitted on the section of Going-to-the-Sun Road between Avalanche Creek and Rising Sun/Sun Point. There’s no strict height restriction posted for that section, but the NPS notes that vehicles taller than 10 feet may have difficulty on the stretch from Logan Pass to The Loop due to rock overhangs. If your rig or combination exceeds these limits, plan on parking at a shuttle stop and riding the park’s shuttle system instead, or unhooking a trailer and driving the section in your tow vehicle alone.

Know before you go — the road doesn’t stay open year-round

Going-to-the-Sun Road closes for the season each fall and typically doesn’t fully reopen until sometime in June or July, depending on snowpack — the exact dates shift year to year. Check the National Park Service’s current-season page before planning a spring or fall trip, since a partial closure can change your route entirely.

Check road conditions before mountain travel, not just the weather

Montana Department of Transportation’s 511 service gives real-time road condition information across the state, which matters more in mountain corridors than a standard weather forecast — a clear morning at your campground doesn’t tell you much about a pass an hour up the road.

Plan for spotty cell coverage

Coverage inside the park and through several of the surrounding mountain corridors is inconsistent. Download offline maps before you go, note the nearest visitor centers or ranger stations along your route, and let someone know your general travel plan if you’re heading somewhere remote.