We're planning a trip to Glacier next year, RV trip, end of August through the first couple of weeks in September.
We're starting at the west entry for a couple of weeks before moving to the East entry also for a couple of weeks.
We've never been there before and looking for some tips or ideas other than what I can find online, I guess more local or frequent visitor tips. I have a Jeep Gladiator I can also sleep in if there's anyplace that would be good for that.
I live close to the Park and often go there - both day hiking from campgrounds, as well as backpacking.
Things in Glacier are always in flux, it seems. A few years ago they instituted a timed entry permit system, as Going to the Sun road is always so crowded. The other really crowded area is Many Glacier. Before the permit system they would regularly close the entrance to Many G when it got too crowded and there was nowhere to park. I read just yesterday that for some reason they will not have entry permits for 2026 - don't know why they are walking that back. Either way, be prepared for crowds almost everywhere.
As far as Logan Pass goes, you will almost certainly not find an open parking spot within a mile during the day. People start coming in a 5:30 and its full by 7 am. You can watch that on the web cams they have there. Take a shuttle and figure on waiting for 3-4 shuttles before you find space even on those, depending on where you are waiting. The other really busy place is Avalanche Lake.
Most campgrounds fill quickly and are booked through recreation.com starting in March sometime. Most of the campsites in the popular campgrounds are gone within the first hour. There are private, tribal campgrounds on the east side. Last year visitation to the Many Glacier area was limited due to infrastructure, so that campground was closed. This year, access to Two Medicine will see construction and that campground will be closed.
Late Aug/early Sept can be hot and smoky from forest fires, especially if it is a dry year. NW Montana is uniquely positioned to get smoke from fires in CA, OR, WA, ID, BC and Alberta, in addition to MT. Stream flows for the waterfalls will be quite a bit lower than in July.
I know I am not painting a very rosy picture and maybe Trump raising entrance fees for foreigners will have an impact on crowding, but I am not sure what percentage of visitors are from outside the US - I guess we'll see
Feel free to PM me if you you want any other iinformation
We did a few day trip a year ago, and were mostly on the west side. We have two little kids, so that limited us quite a bit on distance. But, just wanted to reinforce what @graytrekker said: the shuttles are packed, and often require riding to Avalanche and then switching to a smaller van to make it up the pass, so there's a lot of waiting. And about Logan pass: finding a spot is hard, even if you start heading up the pass at 5am. There's a lot on the right just before the visitor center, and if you see a spot, take it. It's right here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/AwcjVhRhYjHigLRx6
If you have a 3 and 6 year old like us, skipping rocks on Lake McDonald gets a big thumbs up.
Going a little later, early October, would be better for fall foliage, but carries the risk of a government shutdown if the children in Washington can't get along (guess how I know about that).
More politics: if crossing the Canadian border isn't upset by politics, consider crossing when you are on the east side of Glacier to get to Waterton Lakes. Country as beautiful as Glacier with IMHO more wildlife in readily accessible areas. Staying at the Prince of Wales is a bit of a kick on its own.
A long time ago I made my living as a weather forecaster and I'll make you the same offer I did back then. September is early enough to not have to worry about the Going to the Sun Road being closed by snowfall. If that forecast doesn't work out, just let me know and I'll give you a different forecast at no extra charge.
In 2013 I flew up to Glacier and on my first day, Sep 30, the Going to the Sun Road was closed by snow. The next day the park was closed and stayed closed for the rest of my stay (one week). I spent that week nibbling around the edges of the park, and came home with some of my favorite shots of all time. It's hard to go wrong at Glacier.
My favorite time to be there is anytime after Labor Day. From a photography standpoint, the vehicle reservation system (or its lack) never really had an impact for me as I always wanted to be there either before or after the reservations are needed. As Graytrekker noted, the Logan Pass parking lot fills up early regardless. I recommend that (and Hidden Lake) late afternoon/early evening for being able to find parking and better light anyway. Expect things to be busy Labor Day weekend and maybe even plan those days to explore other parts of the area including Kootenai Falls, Flathead Lake, etc.
Weather will be variable and you may run into some temporary Sun Road closures if any snow accumulates. It won't last that time of year so it shouldn't really impact your plans beyond creating some cool looking scenes. You will be early for the larches but there are some (mediocre?) aspens around if you look, particularly as you get later into September.
