How to Get a Many Glacier Permit
Thirteen wilderness campgrounds behind the Many Glacier valley - Cracker, Elizabeth, Glenns, Poia, Helen - four people to a site, no campfires at almost any of them, and grizzlies in every direction.
Check Many Glacier permit availability$10 permit fee plus $7 per person per night, May 1 to October 31. Winter permits (November 1 to April 30) are free. The lottery application fee is $10 and is non-refundable.
Permit Cost
About Many Glacier
Many Glacier's backcountry is sold through Glacier National Park's single wilderness permit on Recreation.gov, which covers 65 designated campgrounds parkwide. The district holds thirteen of them: Cosley Lake, Cracker Lake, Elizabeth Lake Foot, Elizabeth Lake Head, Gable Creek, Glenns Lake Foot, Glenns Lake Head, Helen Lake, Many Glacier, Mokowanis Junction, Mokowanis Lake, Poia Lake and Slide Lake. The capacity rules are unusual and worth reading twice. The park says the maximum party size allowed is 12, each wilderness campground has 2 to 7 campsites, and each campsite is limited to four people. Glacier has no group campsites - what it has instead is five large-group advance reservations issued per year for parties of 9 to 12, awarded by their own single-day lottery, after which large groups can only get permits on a walk-up basis the day before or the day of. At-large camping in the Nyack/Coal Creek zone is capped at six campers from May 1 to October 31. Costs are $10 for the permit plus $7 per person per night from May 1 to October 31; winter permits from November 1 to April 30 are free. The lottery application fee is a separate, non-refundable $10. The 2026 calendar ran in two single-day windows: the large group lottery on March 1 (winners notified March 3, application due March 10) and the standard group lottery for parties of 1 to 8 on March 15, for one of 3,000 advance reservations, with notification March 17 and a booking window from March 21 to April 30. Everything unclaimed went on general sale May 1 at 8:00 am MT and stayed available through September 30. From October 1 to October 31 permits are in-person, first-come, first-served only. Advance reservations are capped at 16 miles per day. Walk-ups are a real strategy here, not a fallback: the park says approximately 30% of all sites parkwide are set aside for walk-up campers, with about 70% of wilderness campsites parkwide available for advance reservations. Note the unit - that is a share of SITES, not of permits. One piece of 2026 context worth checking before you go. The Swiftcurrent water-system construction that closed the area was a 2025 project and the park states construction is completed and not anticipated in the Many Glacier area in 2026 - but a June 2026 flood closed all trails in the Many Glacier Valley until further notice, and the park has not published a readable update since. Its live per-trail closure list is not available as text, so call the Many Glacier Ranger Station before you rely on any specific trail.
Many Glacier is the densest concentration of good backcountry camping in Glacier National Park, and the reason the park's wilderness lottery exists. From one trailhead you can reach Cracker Lake under Mount Siyeh, walk Ptarmigan Tunnel into the Belly River, or link Elizabeth and Glenns Lakes on the way to the Canadian border.
The Experience
Turquoise water under vertical red-and-grey argillite, moose in the willows, and the sound of rockfall off the cirques. Camps are small - two to seven sites - with a cooking area, a pit toilet and a food hang, and the sites hold four people each.
The park publishes one-way distances and gains from the Many Glacier trailheads: Cracker Lake 6.4 miles and 1,400 feet; Poia Lake 6.4 miles and 2,400 feet; Iceberg Lake 4.8 and 1,200; Ptarmigan Lake 4.3 and 1,700; Ptarmigan Tunnel 5.3 and 2,300, with the tunnel doors generally open mid-July to late September; Grinnell Glacier Viewpoint 5.3 and 1,600; Swiftcurrent Pass 6.8 and 2,300. Note that the park's Many Glacier hiking page carries a 2016 update stamp, so treat those figures as long-standing rather than freshly reviewed.
The thirteen wilderness campgrounds in the district are Cosley Lake, Cracker Lake, Elizabeth Lake Foot, Elizabeth Lake Head, Gable Creek, Glenns Lake Foot, Glenns Lake Head, Helen Lake, Many Glacier, Mokowanis Junction, Mokowanis Lake, Poia Lake and Slide Lake. All but Many Glacier itself are flagged no campfires.
What to Expect
Thirteen wilderness campgrounds in the district, each with 2 to 7 campsites
Four people per campsite, and a maximum party size of 12 across the permit
No group campsites - large parties of 9 to 12 go through a separate five-reservation lottery or walk up
No campfires at any Many Glacier wilderness campground except Many Glacier itself
Permit office at the Many Glacier Ranger Station, open May 25 to September 27, 7:30 am to 5:00 pm
Advance reservations limited to 16 miles per day
Vehicle reservations are not required in Many Glacier in 2026
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Permit Requirements
A wilderness permit is required for all backcountry camping and must name your campgrounds and dates
Maximum party size is 12; each campsite is limited to four people
Maximum length of stay in the backcountry is 14 nights total during July and August
Never leave food, garbage, or anything used to prepare, consume, store or transport food unattended - including your backpack
All edible items, food containers empty or not, cookware clean or not, and trash must be stored in a vehicle or designated food locker, or hung, both day and night
Approaching, viewing or engaging in any activity within 100 yards of bears or wolves is prohibited; keep 25 yards from other wildlife
At-large camping requires an IGBC-approved bear-resistant container secured at least 100 feet from your campsite
Campfires are prohibited at every Many Glacier wilderness campground except Many Glacier itself
Gear & Preparation
Required Gear
- •Bear spray, and the habit of having it on your hip rather than in your pack
- •A stove - almost every camp in this district is no-campfire
- •Water treatment
- •Layers for a valley that snows in September
- •An IGBC-approved bear-resistant container if you are camping at-large rather than in a designated campground
Recommended Gear
- •Trekking poles for the 2,000-plus-foot climbs out of the valley
- •A bear-resistant container even at designated camps, for peace of mind
- •Gaiters for wet brush on the Belly River side
- •A packable rain shell - weather arrives over the Divide with no warning
Hazards & Safety
Grizzly bears. This is among the highest-density grizzly country in the lower 48, and the park's rules on food and distance are not advisory
Trail closures. All Many Glacier Valley trails were closed after a June 2026 flood and the park's live per-trail list is not published as readable text
Ptarmigan Tunnel doors are generally open only from mid-July to late September - outside that window the route through is not available
Snow on the passes into July, and again from September
Fast-moving mountain weather with long exposed sections above treeline
Best Time to Visit
Mid-July through mid-September. Ptarmigan Tunnel's doors are generally open mid-July to late September, high passes hold snow before that, and the wilderness campgrounds start opening on staggered dates through June and July. Advance reservations cover June 15 to September 30; October is walk-up only and the ranger station has already closed by then.
Pro Tips
Glacier's lotteries are single-day windows, not multi-week ones. March 1 for parties of 9 to 12, March 15 for parties of 1 to 8 in 2026 - miss the day and you are waiting for May 1.
Plan four people per site. A party of eight needs two campsites at every camp, which changes what is actually bookable.
The 16-mile-per-day cap on advance reservations quietly rules out some itineraries. Build the plan around it rather than discovering it at checkout.
Walk-ups genuinely work here - roughly 30% of sites parkwide are held back - but the permit desk closes at 4:30 pm everywhere.
Carry bear spray where you can reach it. The park's own rule is to stay 100 yards from bears and wolves, and in these valleys that takes attention rather than luck.
100+ wilderness permits, extensive backcountry experience
This guide is based on personal experience obtaining wilderness permits and is regularly updated to reflect current policies and strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a Many Glacier permit?
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Many Glacier permits require advance reservations. Book online as soon as reservations open for your desired dates.
When is the best time to visit Many Glacier?
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Mid-July through mid-September. Ptarmigan Tunnel's doors are generally open mid-July to late September, high passes hold snow before that, and the wilderness campgrounds start opening on staggered dates through June and July. Advance reservations cover June 15 to September 30; October is walk-up only and the ranger station has already closed by then.
How difficult is Many Glacier?
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Backpackers ready for grizzly country and 2,000-foot climbs out of a valley floor, on well-built but exposed trail.
What gear do I need for Many Glacier?
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Essential gear includes: Bear spray, and the habit of having it on your hip rather than in your pack, A stove - almost every camp in this district is no-campfire, Water treatment, Layers for a valley that snows in September, An IGBC-approved bear-resistant container if you are camping at-large rather than in a designated campground.
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