By Michael Lanza
There are two immutable truths about backpacking in Glacier National Park. First, from its stirring landscape, where glaciers hang off muscular mountains and sheer cliffs soar above deeply green valleys dappled with lakes and waterfalls, to almost certain sightings of wildlife like mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, elk, and grizzly and black bears, there’s really no place in the continental United States quite like Glacier.
Second, it’s one of the hardest backcountry permits to get in the National Park System. But the new wilderness permit reservation system that Glacier adopted in 2023 and greatly improved on in 2024 continues in 2025, bringing equity to the process and eliminating the frantic scramble for a permit that the 2023 changes had spawned
In this story, I will offer tips on how to maximize your chances of getting a permit to backpack in Glacier, sharing expertise I’ve acquired from several trips there over the past three decades, including the 10 years I spent as Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog.
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And remember this: The permit system preserves a wilderness experience for backpackers in Glacier (as well as protecting the park from overuse). That’s a major reason why Glacier ranks among “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips” and “The 10 Best National Park Backpacking Trips.”
Again in 2025, Glacier National Park will conduct two lotteries at recreation.gov/permits/4675321, for early-access times to reserve a backcountry permit: on March 1 for large groups of nine to 12 people and on March 15 for standard groups of one to eight people (details below). For trips between June 15 and Sept. 30, Glacier makes 70 percent of backcountry campsites available for permit reservations and 30 percent of campsites available for walk-in permits no more than one day in advance during the backpacking season.
See my expert e-books “The Best Backpacking Trip in Glacier National Park” and “Backpacking the Continental Divide Trail Through Glacier National Park,” both of which provide all you need to know to plan those trips, including very detailed tips on getting a high-demand backcountry permit, multiple itinerary options of varied lengths, the best campsites, plus expert advice on the ideal time of year, gear, and safety in bear country.
I’ve also helped many readers plan a very enjoyable backpacking trip in Glacier—including tips on maximizing their chances of getting a very hard-to-get permit and an itinerary customized for them. See my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can do that for you.
Like many stories at my blog, part of this story is free for anyone to read. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of this story—including tips it offers on strategies for maximizing your chances of getting a Glacier permit—and all stories about Glacier, as well as all stories at this blog, plus get a free or deeply discounted e-book.
Please share any thoughts or questions about this story, or your own tips, in the comments section at the bottom. I try to respond to all comments.
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Apply on Specific Dates in March
For backpacking permit reservations during the peak season of early summer into early autumn, Glacier National Park conducts two early-access lotteries at recreation.gov/permits/4675321, on March 1 for large groups of nine to 12 people and on March 15 for standard groups of one to eight people. The lotteries offer the best chance of reserving a backcountry permit for backpacking in most of the park, especially the most popular trails or an itinerary of more than one or two nights. You can enter a lottery anytime during its 24-hour period and all applicants have an equal chance of being selected.
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Standard group lottery winners will get an email on March 17 with a date and time between March 21 and April 30, 2025, when they can attempt to make a permit reservation. The recreation.gov system shows availability in real time; you will either find availability for your dates and campsites and complete the process with a permit reservation or fail to get one.
Successful large-group lottery entrants will receive an email from park wilderness permit staff on March 3 with instructions for making their permit reservation. The park issues just five reservations for large-group permits every year; other large-group permits must be obtained on a walk-in basis.
After the early-access reservation period closes, general reservations open for all remaining backcountry campsites on May 1, running through Sept. 30, although most backcountry camps will book very quickly. Glacier imposes a daily hiking limit of 16 miles for reserved permits.
There is a non-refundable $10 fee for a lottery application or any permit issued plus $7 per person per night, which can be refunded if canceled more than seven days prior to the trip start date at recreation.gov/permits/4675321.
See nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/backcountry-reservations.htm for more information and instructions on using Glacier’s permit page at recreation.gov/permits/4675321.
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Be Flexible With Your Dates and Itinerary
I’ve backpacked several times in Glacier over the years and I’ve failed to get a wilderness permit just once, for a reason I understood when I submitted that application (under the park’s previous permit system, which did not process applications in real time like recreation.gov): I sought only one specific itinerary and our dates were fixed, not flexible. I decided to just throw a hail Mary pass for a trip I wanted and see if I’d get really lucky. I didn’t. In a park like Glacier, that will almost guarantee you don’t get a permit—unless you have one of the earliest lottery time slots to make a reservation.
As I write in my “10 Tips for Getting a Hard-to-Get National Park Backcountry Permit,” the single most-effective strategy for maximizing your chances of getting a permit for a popular trip during its peak season is to have flexibility with your dates and itinerary.
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and backpacking the Continental Divide Trail through Glacier.
See all stories about backpacking in Glacier at The Big Outside, including “10 Backpacking Trips for Solitude in Glacier National Park,” “Déjà vu All Over Again: Backpacking in Glacier National Park,” “Descending the Food Chain: Backpacking Glacier National Park’s Northern Loop,” “Wildness All Around You: Backpacking the CDT Through Glacier,” and “Jagged Peaks and Wild Goats: Backpacking Glacier’s Gunsight Pass Trail.” Like many stories at this blog, reading those in full requires a paid subscription to The Big Outside.
See also my expert e-books “The Best Backpacking Trip in Glacier National Park” and “Backpacking the Continental Divide Trail Through Glacier National Park,” and my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can plan your backpacking trip in Glacier.
Hi Michael,
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 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.
This article highlights the importance of being flexible with your plans when it comes to backpacking in Glacier National Park. The fact that the walk-up permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis adds an element of adventure and spontaneity to the trip. I’d love to hear some personal experiences from other backpackers who have obtained walk-up permits. Any stories or tips to share?
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 for the great article. So informative. Does a wilderness (backpack) permit also cover the Glacier park entrance fees? Or should I buy a separate park pass? Thanks again! -Andy
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!
This is super helpful! What months did you successfully get a permit for?
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.