Reservation8/10
Glacier National Park Wilderness cancellations
The single advance reservation that covers backcountry camping across all of Gla...
Many Glacier Backcountry Permit
Glacier National Park · Montana
Booked one camp per night, in order
Permits for Many Glacier area.
70% of the openings our scanner caught on Many Glacier were gone within 10 minutes.
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Many Glacier Quick Facts
Permit RequiredYes
Booking MethodReservation
Demand LevelHigh8/10
SeasonAdvance reservations cover trips from June 15 - September 30; October permits are in-person walk-up only
Cost$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.
Max Group Size12 people
Many Glacier Permit Facts
- As of September 2026, Many Glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana requires a permit issued via reservation.
- Many Glacier is a high-demand permit, rating 8/10 on PermitSnag's demand index.
- The Many Glacier lottery typically opens March 15, 2026 for standard groups of 1-8; March 1, 2026 for large groups of 9-12 and closes 11:59 pm MT on the same day - each Glacier lottery is a single-day window, with results announced March 17, 2026 for standard groups; winners book March 21 to April 30.
- Cancelled Many Glacier permits are re-released on the booking system; PermitSnag monitors availability and alerts watchers when dates open.
Key Information
Key Dates
Lottery OpensMarch 15, 2026 for standard groups of 1-8; March 1, 2026 for large groups of 9-12
Lottery Closes11:59 pm MT on the same day - each Glacier lottery is a single-day window
ResultsMarch 17, 2026 for standard groups; winners book March 21 to April 30
SeasonAdvance reservations cover trips from June 15 - September 30; October permits are in-person walk-up only
Permit Details
TypeOvernight
Booking MethodReservation
Demand Level8/10
LocationNorthern Rockies, MT
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.
What to Expect
Highlights
- •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
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.
Hazards & Considerations
- !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
Weather Forecast
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
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Backcountry Tips
- Day 4: 61% chance of precipitation. Pack rain gear.
- Day 5: 73% chance of precipitation. Pack rain gear.
- Day 6: 75% chance of precipitation. Pack rain gear.
Today
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View full NWS forecast →Mountain weather changes rapidly. This forecast is a guide—always be prepared for worse conditions.
How to Get This Permit
1
Create a National Park Service account
Sign up at National Park Service if you don't have an account. Have your payment info ready.
2
Know the release schedule
Permits typically release on a rolling basis. Check the specific release time for your desired dates.
3
Be ready when permits drop
Log in a few minutes early. Have your dates, group size, and payment ready to go.
4
Monitor for cancellations
If your dates are sold out, people cancel all the time. Set up PermitSnag alerts to catch openings instantly.
Learn More
Difficulty Assessment
Physical Demand4/5
Fitness and endurance required
Technical Skill2/5
Climbing, scrambling, or specialized skills
Exposure Risk3/5
Steep dropoffs and fall potential
Navigation2/5
Route finding and trail clarity
Commitment4/5
Difficulty of bailing out mid-route
Best For
Backpackers ready for grizzly country and 2,000-foot climbs out of a valley floor, on well-built but exposed trail.
Recommended Experience
Multi-day backpacking plus bear-country discipline. The exposure rating comes from the ledge sections on the Ptarmigan and Grinnell trails and the long above-treeline stretches, not from technical ground.
Not Recommended For
First-time backpackers, and anyone who will not carry and practise with bear spray.
About This Permit
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.
The Experience
Why It Matters
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 Route
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.
The Feeling
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.
Trailhead Information
Many Glacier Hotel
Recreation.gov entry point MGE. NPS puts the Cracker Lake trailhead at the south end of the Many Glacier Hotel parking lot, 6.4 miles one way with 1,400 feet of gain.
Restrooms
No water
No Service
Nearest Services
Many Glacier Hotel in season. There are no fueling stations inside the park.
Swiftcurrent Trail
Recreation.gov entry point SCE, by the motor inn parking lot. NPS gives Swiftcurrent Pass as 6.8 miles one way with 2,300 feet of gain.
Restrooms
No water
No Service
Parking
NPS says the Swiftcurrent area now has 339 parking spaces, an increase of 171 spaces.
Nearest Services
Swiftcurrent Motor Inn in season.
Iceberg/Ptarmigan
Recreation.gov entry point IPE. NPS gives Ptarmigan Tunnel as 5.3 miles with 2,300 feet of gain and Iceberg Lake as 4.8 miles with 1,200 feet, both one way.
Restrooms
No water
No Service
Nearest Services
Many Glacier developed area.
Apikuni Falls
Recreation.gov entry point AFE. NPS puts the Apikuni parking area 1.1 miles east of Many Glacier Hotel and gives Poia Lake as 6.4 miles one way with 2,400 feet of gain; Recreation.gov gives 6.5 miles and 1,700 feet from the same trailhead, which it spells Appekuny.
Restrooms
No water
No Service
Nearest Services
Many Glacier developed area.
Belly River
Recreation.gov entry point BRE, off Chief Mountain Highway. The flat way into the same lakes: Elizabeth Lake Foot is 9.5 miles with 720 feet of gain from here, against 2,600 feet by way of Ptarmigan Tunnel.
Restrooms
No water
No Service
Nearest Services
Babb and St. Mary.
Rules & Regulations
- •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 Checklist
Required
- 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
- 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
Plan Your Trip
🎒
Gear Checklist
Required and recommended gear for Many Glacier
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Shuttle Services
Trailhead transportation options
Browse all shuttles🧭
Guide Services
Experienced wilderness guides
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Key Landmarks
Cracker Lake
Rec.gov lists 3 sites at 5,950 feet, 6.1 miles from the Many Glacier trailhead. No campfires.
Poia Lake
4 sites at 5,600 feet. NPS gives 6.4 miles and 2,400 feet of gain from the Apikuni parking area.
Ptarmigan Tunnel
The gate between Many Glacier and the Belly River. Doors generally open mid-July and close by late September.
Elizabeth Lake Foot
5 sites at 4,900 feet: 10 miles via Ptarmigan Tunnel or 9.5 miles from Belly River. One-night limit.
Cosley Lake
4 sites at 4,850 feet, 9 miles from the Belly River trailhead.
Glenns Lake Head
3 sites at 4,870 feet, 12.6 miles from Belly River or 13.6 from Goat Haunt.
Slide Lake
3 sites at 6,050 feet. Reaching it from Highway 17 needs a separate Blackfeet Conservation/Recreation Use Permit.
Many Glacier FAQ
Do I need a permit to camp in the Many Glacier backcountry?
Yes. Every backcountry camping night in Glacier National Park needs a wilderness permit naming your campgrounds and dates. It costs $10 plus $7 per person per night from May 1 to October 31; winter permits from November 1 to April 30 are free.
How many people can camp at one Many Glacier wilderness campsite?
Four. The park's wording is that the maximum party size allowed is 12, each wilderness campground has 2 to 7 campsites, and each campsite is limited to four people. So a party of eight occupies two sites.
Can a group of ten get a Many Glacier backcountry permit?
Only through the large group lottery or on a walk-up. Glacier issues five large group advance reservations per year for parties of 9 to 12, drawn in a single-day lottery on March 1 in 2026. After that lottery, wilderness permits are available to large groups only on a walk-up basis, the day before or the day of the trip start.
When does the lottery open for a Glacier wilderness permit?
Glacier runs two single-day lotteries. In 2026 the large group lottery for parties of 9 to 12 was March 1, and the standard group lottery for parties of 1 to 8 was March 15, both from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm MT. Standard winners were notified March 17 and could book from March 21 to April 30. Anything left went on general sale May 1 at 8:00 am MT.
Can I get a walk-up permit for Many Glacier?
Yes, and it is a real option rather than a long shot. The park sets aside approximately 30% of all sites parkwide for walk-up campers. Permits are issued at the Many Glacier Ranger Station, which is open May 25 to September 27 from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, and none are issued after 4:30 pm at any location.
Which campgrounds are in the Many Glacier backcountry district?
Thirteen: 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. Every one except Many Glacier itself is a no-campfire camp.
Are the Many Glacier trails open in 2026?
Check before you go. The Swiftcurrent construction that closed the area was a 2025 project and the park says construction is completed and not anticipated in Many Glacier in 2026 - but a June 2026 flood closed all trails in the Many Glacier Valley until further notice, and the park's live per-trail closure list is not published in readable form. Call the Many Glacier Ranger Station.
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Photography Guide
Golden Hour
First light on Mount Gould and the Garden Wall from the valley floor; late light on Mount Siyeh above Cracker Lake.
Best Light
Mid-morning at Cracker Lake, when the sun reaches the water and the glacial flour turns it that improbable blue.
Beat the Crowds
Day traffic goes to Grinnell Glacier and Iceberg Lake and is gone by evening. The Belly River side beyond Ptarmigan Tunnel sees a fraction of it.
Classic Shots
- 📍Cracker Lake's turquoise water under Mount Siyeh
- 📍The Ptarmigan Tunnel doorway framing the Belly River country
- 📍Grinnell Glacier and the Salamander from the viewpoint trail
- 📍Moose in the willows around Fishercap and Redrock
- 📍Elizabeth Lake with the Ptarmigan Wall behind it
Can't Get a Many Glacier Permit?
Consider these alternatives if your preferred dates aren't available.
Two Medicine
Same AreaGlacier's quieter southeast corner, with five wilderness campgrounds under Dawson and Pitamakan Passes.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
Far less contested, but 2026 is a bad year there - the campground is closed, the North Shore Trailhead is unreachable, and the road closes at Running Eagle Falls from September 8.
Glacier Wilderness Permit
Same AreaThe park-wide backcountry permit covering all 65 designated wilderness campgrounds.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
Same lottery, same fees, same four-people-per-site rule - just a wider choice of country if Many Glacier will not come up.
Highline Trail
Similar ExperienceThe Garden Wall traverse from Logan Pass, with camps at Granite Park and Fifty Mountain.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
The most famous walking in the park and correspondingly hard to book, with the same per-site cap of four.
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Where to Stay
Nearby campgrounds to complete your Many Glacier trip
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