Hi Clarissa,

Thanks for the question and for reading my blog, I’m very glad it’s so helpful to you.

I helped several people plan trips in Glacier for this year and several succeeded in the lottery but a few did not—and that’s entirely random, of course, I don’t have any secret sauce when it comes to the lottery. But I’m very familiar with Glacier and its permit system and got a permit last year (the permit system has been modified and improved since then) for a great backpacking trip I took in Glacier in September.

Having gotten several Glacier permits over the past 30+ years, I honestly agree their permit system was a nightmare for years and still had major flaws when they transitioned to rec.gov just last year, but the lottery represents a great improvement on it that removes the chaos that had previously plagued it. Still, it’s a lottery with far more entrants than “prizes,” so some people will lose out. My advice would be to enter it every year until you get a good timeslot and a permit for a trip; have everyone who’ll go on the trip enter the lottery.

As for getting a walk-in permit at Glacier, you probably have a good chance of getting a permit for some trip but a slim chance of getting a permit for a trip of more than a couple of nights or a trip in any of the popular and most scenic areas, especially for a group of more than four people. Glacier makes 70 percent of backcountry campsites available for reservations and 30 percent of campsites available for walk-in permits no more than one day in advance during the backpacking season.

You mentioned being able to modify your Tetons permit at the last minute when you picked it up last year, but that’s partly because Grand Teton N.P. only makes one-third of permits available for reservations, so two-thirds are available first-come, for walk-in backpackers. That’s also why it’s extremely difficult to reserve a GTNP permit.

If you want to attempt to get a walk-in permit, arrive at one of Glacier’s permitting locations at least two hours before it opens to get a spot near the front of what will likely be a long line forming. Bring warm clothes, a headlamp, a hot drink, and something to read (or a park trail map to study). The permit stations are at Apgar, St. Mary, Many Glacier, Two Medicine, and Polebridge.

I had the not-uncommon experience last September of arriving at the Apgar permit office more than an hour before it opened (because we were hoping to slightly modify our permit) to find just one person in line so far. A backcountry ranger I’d spoken with on the phone just the day before had said there’s usually at least 20 people in line when the office opens; by the time it opened on that Saturday morning, five of us stood in line. We were fortunate because I discovered upon speaking with a ranger that two of the six camps on my permit were closed due to bear activity (it’s not terribly unusual) and I ultimately had to change five of the seven days on my route; it was the only way we could still salvage a weeklong hike out of the situation. But we were quite lucky and having a spot almost at the front of the line was critical.

I hope that helps. Good luck and keep entering the Glacier lottery every year.

Thank you for what you do:). Your stories helped me plan a Teton Crest trail trip for my family in 2019–it was a great trip!

We were hoping to backpack in Glacier this year, but both my husband and I failed to get an early access Lottery spot :(. I will try on May 1, but am so disappointed!

This lottery thing is new to me, and seems so hard, especially for those who live far, and can’t really plan on the fly. Do you think walk-up permits are easy to get at Glacier??

I did book a trip on the TCT, just to have something, but again could not get Paintbrush Canyon. Will try to get that when we pick up permit. We did lucky and get a Death Canyon Shelf spot that way last time.

From what I have read, the permit situation has been somewhat of a nightmare for everyone the last few years, and I am hoping things will smooth out soon! What is your take or opinion?

Thanks again and happy trekking!

Clarissa

Hi Austin,

Thanks for that question, I hope some other readers share their experiences with walk-up permits. My observation is that there’s significant demand, especially from around late July to Labor Day, and I’d recommend having flexibility with your itinerary and arriving at a backcountry office long before it opens.

Thanks, Andy. A wilderness permit does cover the park entrance fee; you’ll have to buy that. See more about that at nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/fees.htm. Good luck!

Hi Chris,

My last Glacier backpacking trip was in September and while I can’t remember the months that I took every backpacking trip I’ve done in Glacier going back almost 30 years, I’m pretty sure they were all in either August or September.