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Glacier Park Lodge
From the moment you walk through the front doors of Glacier Park Lodge, you feel like you have stepped into a living forest.
That sensation is not by accident. The massive lobby is lined with 60 Douglas fir columns, each one standing 40 feet tall, measuring between 36 and 42 inches in diameter, and still wearing its original bark just as it did when the lodge first opened in 1913.
The Blackfeet people who call this land home had the perfect name for it: Omahkoyis, meaning "Big Tree Lodge." That nickname has stuck for over a century, and once you see the lobby, you will understand exactly why.
Glacier Park Lodge is a designated National Historic Landmark and one of the finest examples of early 20th-century National Park Rustic Architecture, more commonly known as Parkitecture.
As with most historic National Park lodges, the builders focused their finest details on the shared spaces, the lobby, the dining room, and the grounds, where guests were always meant to gather and take in their surroundings.
The rooms are comfortable and well maintained, but the real magic of this lodge happens the moment you walk through that front door.
Glacier Park Lodge one of my favorite National Park Lodges and one visit makes it easy to see why that reputation has never faded.
The lodge sits at the foot of Dancing Lady Mountain, surrounded by some of the most dramatic scenery in the American West.
Understanding the remarkable story behind how this lodge came to be makes the experience of staying here even more meaningful, and you can read the full history of Glacier Park Lodge below.
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Room Types at Glacier Park Lodge
Glacier Park Lodge sits just outside the southeast corner of Glacier National Park in East Glacier Park, Montana, within easy walking distance of the East Glacier train station, which still welcomes Amtrak passengers today just as it did in 1913. With 161 rooms spread across 28 different room types, options range from value rooms to suites with king beds, private baths, and balconies with sweeping mountain views.
Lodge Amenities
- Free WiFi
- Free Parking
- Outdoor swimming pool is located behind the main building & is normally open from July to August (weather dependant). There are towels available poolside. Pool hours are normally from 10 am to 9 pm.
- Free Train Station pick-up shuttle
- Private full bathrooms in every room and cabin
- Free toiletries
- Espresso Bar in the Lobby
- Interpretive Hotel Tour
- Bell Service
- Concierge
- Porter/bellhop
- Luggage storage is available.
- Confrence Space
- Garden
- Terrace
- Fireplace in Lobby
- Golf CourseDriving Range
- Horseback Riding/rentals
- In-room fans
- On-Site Dining
- Gift Shop
- ATM located in the lobby.
Book Your Stay at the Glacier Park Lodge
My Stay in Room 229, The Great Northern Mini-Suite
During our stay at the Glacier Lodge, we booked a Great Northern Mini-Suite with a king-size bed. The room was located on the 2nd floor with a view of the front of the main lodge grounds. There was a ton of room in the main portion of the room.
One thing I have to tell you is the bed was quite firm. As most of you know I like being pampered and love a nice flush pillowtop bed.
The room was quiet during the night but we were at the lodge before the height of the busy season. The room had a shared balcony with two rocking chairs and a lovely couch.
There was a desk with a wooden chair, two side chairs next to the fireplace. The fireplace did not appear to be functional as there were fake flowers placed inside the fireplace.
The bathroom includes a shower, sink, and toilet. There are two body towels, a couple of hand towels and washcloths. Shampoo, body wash, a bar of soap and a vanity kit with a couple of q-tips, make up remover pad and nail file were in a basket in the bathroom.
In the summer a box fan can be requested to help cool off the room. Being a historic hotel there is no air conditioning. The front desk did tell us that later in the summer the lower floor rooms are cooler than the 3rd and 4th-floor rooms. While the top rooms have the best views they may also be really warm in the heat of the summer.
You can request a small refrigerator if you have medications that need to be kept cool. Rollaway beds are available for a fee. The front desk also has infant cribs, three-prong outlet converters and irons/ironing boards.
Free wi-fi is available and was quite strong. The password is written on a board at the front desk. You can also ask them for a piece of paper with the wi-fi code written on it. We had great wi-fi coverage throughout the entire lodge
Overall, We really loved this hotel and definately look forward to staying here again.
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Great Northern Dining Room
The Great Northern Dining Room sits right off the main lobby and carries the same grand spirit as the rest of the lodge, with views of Dancing Lady Mountain to the west and the lodge's spectacular flower gardens to the east. Named for the railway that built this place, it serves up farm-to-table meals that are genuinely impressive, with a menu that leans hard into Montana and delivers on every front. You will find everything from huckleberry meatballs to bison ribs, and if you are anything like us, you will have a hard time deciding what to order because everything looks that good. The cocktail list is equally worth your attention. My wife ordered the frozen huckleberry margarita and declared it the perfect blend of tart huckleberries in a sweet margarita. My old fashioned was well-balanced and tasted exactly as a good old fashioned should.
We started with the fried ravioli, which arrived crisp on the outside with perfectly melted cheese inside. Somehow the plate was empty before we even realized what had happened. For dinner I went with the bison ribs served with summer vegetables and mashed potatoes. The vegetables were fantastic, and the ribs fell clean off the bone the way only low-and-slow cooking can achieve. My wife ordered the classic mac and cheese, which arrived as a massive portion. Even with both of us working on it, more than half the dish remained when we finally surrendered. The dessert menu included huckleberry bread pudding, berry crisp, and ice cream, all of which looked incredible. We passed only because dinner had done its job that well.
The Great Northern Dining Room does not take reservations and seats guests on a first-come, first-served basis. Breakfast is served from 6:30 am to 10:00 am. There is no lunch service in the dining room, but the Empire Lounge next door handles that. Dinner runs from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm.
Empire Lounge: Lunch, Dinner, and Montana Microbrews
The Empire Lounge is located right in the main lobby of Glacier Park Lodge and is the kind of place that is easy to settle into after a long day in the park. The bar is well-stocked with Montana microbrews and classic Jammer soda, and the back porch offers a view that makes whatever you are drinking taste even better. The menu covers lunch and dinner with a focus on appetizers, sandwiches, and burgers, making it a solid and relaxed option when you want something satisfying without the full dining room experience. Food is served from 11:30 am to 10:00 pm, with cocktails available until 11:00 pm.
Empire Café: Coffee & Espresso starting at 6 AM
The Empire Cafe is an espresso bar tucked into the lobby of Glacier Park Lodge, and it was my first stop every single morning before heading out into the park. Starting at 6:00 am, it serves a full selection of Montana Coffee Traders brewed coffee, espresso drinks, steamers, teas, and hot chocolate, along with iced coffees and Italian sodas. If you are an early riser who needs caffeine before anything else makes sense, the Empire Cafe has you covered before the rest of the lodge has even woken up.
Planning Your Stay: Essential Information
Season - End of May - mid to end of September
Check-in Time - 3:00 pm
Check out time - 11:00 am
Glacier Park Lodge Address
499 MT-49
East Glacier Park, MT 59434
Smoking - Smoking Not Allowed;p
WiFi - Yes
Cell Phone Service : On the east side of the park, there is a good cell signal from St. Mary to about 4 miles up the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Cell service on the west side of the park is accessible from West Glacier to Apgar.
GPS Coordinates
Latitude 48°26'34.3"N
Longitude 113°13'21.1"W.
Deposit - An advance deposit equal to one night stay and tax less surcharges is due when you make your reservation. If you book excursions/activities through the Glacier Park Lodge you will need to pre-pay for these activities when you book them.
Pet Friendly? - No pets are allowed
There is a bellman available for assistance with luggage at check-in and check out. This can be extremely helpful if you are on the 3rd or 4th floors. There are no elevators on the property.
Safe deposit boxes are available for complimentary use at the front desk.
Make sure and hold onto your keys! The hotel uses metal keys and there is a $10 replacement fee if one is lost.
There is a concierge located in the main lobby that can help with hiking recommendations, travel tips, maps, and directions. They can also assist in booking Red Bus Tours.
Glacier NP is open year-round but only certain parts of the park are accessible in the winter.
Box lunches are available to take on your daily adventures. Make sure and order them at the front desk by 8 pm the night before. Lunches are available for pick up after 7 am. The menu is available at the front desk.
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Things to Do Around Glacier Park Lodge
Activities At Glacier Park Lodge
⛳ Play a round at the Glacier Park Lodge Golf Course, a historic nine-hole course built by the Great Northern Railway in 1928 and named "Oom-c00-ska-pes-che" (Big Green Blanket) by Blackfeet Chief Earl Old Person. Club and cart rentals are available at the clubhouse. Open late May through September. Call (406) 226-5642 for information.
🏌️ Try the pitch-and-putt par 27 course on the front lawn of the lodge, a fun option for the whole family. Rent equipment at the Concierge desk.
🛍️ Browse the Native American Trading Post in the lodge lobby for huckleberry items, Pendleton blankets, and local Blackfeet crafts and gifts.
☕ Stop into the Country Corner Mercantile for snacks, coffee, books, magazines, camera supplies, and health and beauty items.
Things to Do Around East Glacier
🥾 Hike to Scenic Point for sweeping views over the plains and Two Medicine Valley
🚣 Take a boat tour on Two Medicine Lake
🏔️ Backpack the Dawson-Pitamakan Pass loop, one of the park's classic multi-day routes
🦌 Wildlife watch for bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and elk
🌲 Tour the historic Glacier Park Lodge and its massive timber lobby
🚂 Arrive or depart on Amtrak's Empire Builder for a scenic rail experience
📸 Photograph the plains-to-mountains transition at sunrise or sunset
🌊 Visit Running Eagle Falls (Trick Falls), a short walk from the Two Medicine trailhead
🎣 Fish in Two Medicine Lake and the surrounding streams
🛶 Rent a canoe or kayak on Two Medicine Lake
🌄 Drive the Chief Mountain International Highway for dramatic eastern front scenery
Best Glacier National Park Tours & Activities
Glacier National Park Self-Guided Audio Tour
⭐️ Rating: 4.2 out of 5 Stars | ⏳ Tour Length: 2-3 hours | 🔊Check Rates and Availability
Experience the Crown Jewl of the National Parks with this self-guided tour. Cruise past crystal-clear glacial lakes, hike across breathtaking alpine tundras, and discover the secrets hidden in this sprawling wilderness. Plus learn about the Blackfoot Confederacy, an ill-fated gold rush, and lots more along the route.
Half Day Scenic Float on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River
⭐️ Rating: 4.9 out of 5 Stars | ⏳ Tour Length: 2-3 hours | 🛶 Check Rates and Availability
Relax and unwind as you float the Flathead River as you take in the scenery and learn about the area as you float by. There are opportunities to spot wildlifeas this relaxing and rejuvenating tour takes place on the boundary of Glacier National Park. This tour requires little effort and is great for familieswith small children.
Nature Walk in Glacier National Park
⭐️ Rating: 4.9 out of 5 Stars (730+ reviews) | ⏳ Tour Length: 4 hours | Check Rates and Availability
Meet for a brief orientation then head out to Glacier where you'll explore Glacier's natural wonders on a guided adventure. Start with a 1-mile round trip walk through Lake McDonald Valley, admiring its glaciated beauty and resident wildlife. Then venture to the North Fork Valley with scenic stops along the way. Take another 1-mile roundtrip walk along the wild and scenic North Fork of the Flathead River, learning about the environment and its history.
Glacier Park Lodge History
In those early years, the arrival experience was unlike anything travelers had seen before. When guests stepped off the train at the East Glacier station, they were greeted by members of the Blackfeet tribe. Each evening, Blackfeet members performed ceremonial dances on the grounds, and a tipi village was set up for guests to tour. It was a theatrical and immersive welcome to the American West that made Glacier Park Lodge famous well before the age of social media.
The lodge has had its share of dramatic history as well. A boiler explosion rocked the property in 1962, and a historic flood closed it for several days in 1964. In 1967, an attempted robbery by two masked men was foiled by a quick-thinking night watchman, and that same year, two lodge employees were among the victims of the now-infamous "Night of the Grizzlies," one of the most tragic events in Glacier National Park history. Through all of it, the lodge has endured, and today it stands as a testament to the vision of the Hills and the craftsmanship of the men who built it.
The story behind Glacier Park Lodge begins with one of the most ambitious businessmen in American railroad history. Canadian-American James J. Hill built the Great Northern Railway into a dominant force stretching from St. Paul, Minnesota all the way to Seattle, Washington, earning him the nickname "The Empire Builder." His son, Louis W. Hill, inherited that ambition and turned his attention to something even grander. When Glacier National Park was established in 1910, Louis Hill saw an opportunity. He wanted to draw wealthy American travelers away from European vacations and toward the spectacular mountain scenery of the American West, launching a now-famous marketing campaign around the slogan "See America First." His pitch was simple and brilliant: the peaks of Glacier looked more like the Alps than anything else in North America, so why cross an ocean?
To make that vision a reality, Louis Hill stepped down from the presidency of the Great Northern Railway specifically to oversee the design and construction of the Glacier hotels himself. He hired St. Paul architect Samuel L. Bartlett to draw the plans, but Hill controlled every major decision. The design was inspired in part by the Forestry Building at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, Oregon, and the floor plan of the grand lobby was modeled on a Christian basilica, creating a soaring three-story hall stretching 200 feet long and 100 feet wide. Hill purchased 160 acres of land on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation through a special act of Congress in 1912, and a crew of 100 men completed the main building in roughly a year. The lodge opened with 61 rooms in 1913 and was designed to be the showpiece of the entire Glacier region, the first impression every visitor would carry home. The annex, employee quarters, powerhouse, and expanded dining room followed during the winter of 1913 to 1914, with 75 men spending over a year and a half completing those additions.
National Park Passport Stamps
National Park Passport stamps can be found in the visitor center.
Glacier NP is featured in the 1995 Passport Stamp Set
We like to use these circle stickers for park stamps so we don't have to bring our passport book with us on every trip.
The National Park Passport Book program is a great way to document all of the parks you have visitied.
You can get Passport Stickers and Annual Stamp Sets to help enhance your Passport Book.
Where to Stay in Glacier if Glacier Park Lodge Is Already Booked
Glacier Lodging oftentimes fills up months in advance, especially in July and August. Below is a couple lodges near Glacier Park Lodge as a backup option.
⭐️ 4.6 of 5 Stars - Many Glacier Hotel - Click here for Rates and Availability.
Many Glacier Hotel is one of the classic National Park Lodges! It's Swiss Chalet design with sweeping views of Swiftcurrent Lake and the mountains in the background simply cant be beat! It's pricey but it's a lodge you will never forget.
⭐️ 4.6 of 5 Stars - Swiftcurrent Motor Inn - Click here for Rates and Availability.
Located right across Swiftcurrent Lake from the Many Glacier Hotel and close to several iconic Glacier hiking trails. They have both motel style rooms and cabins and Nell's Restaurant on site with good food!
⭐️ 4.3 of 5 Stars - Rising Sun Motor Inn - Click here for Rates and Availability.
The Rising Sun Motor Inn has both motel style rooms and cabins with beautiful mountain views. It is also the perfect location for those wanting to explore the Going-to-the-Sun Road! We thouroughly enjoyed our stay here and the Two Dog Flats restaurant had really good food too!
If you were unable to get into one of these lodges, make sure to check out my Glacier National Park Lodging Guide for a complete breakdown of lodges in Glacier.
Click on this link ot the map below to see additional hotels and vacation rentals near Glacier.
Glacier National Park Entrance Fee
New in 2026: Each Non-US Resident aged 16 and older visiting Glacier National Park must pay a $100 nonresident fee (in addition to the standard entrance fee), unless admitted with an annual or America the Beautiful Pass. This includes nonresidents entering as part of a commercial tour group, commercial use authorization (CUA) group, or concessioner tour group.
Park entrance fees are separate from camping and lodging fees.
Park Entrance Pass - $35.00 Per private vehicle (valid for 1-7 days from the date of purchase)
Park Entrance Pass - Motorcycle - $30.00 Per motorcycle (valid for 1-7 days from the date of purchase)
Per-Person Entrance Pass - $20.00 Visitors 16 years or older who enter on foot, bicycle, or as part of an organized group not involved in a commercial tour.
Annual Park Entrance Pass - $70.00, Admits pass holder and all passengers in a non-commercial vehicle. Valid for one year from the month of purchase.
$45.00-$145.00 for commercial sedan with 1-6 seats and non-commercial groups (16+ persons), $25.oo for vehicle plus $20.00 per person 16+.
$75.00 for a commercial van with 7-15 seats
$100 for a commercial mini-bus with 16-25 seats
$200.00 for a commercial motor coach with 26+ seats
Learn more about National Park Passes for parks that have an entrance fee.
$80.00 - For the America the Beautiful/National Park Pass. The pass covers entrance fees to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites for an entire year and covers everyone in the car for per-vehicle sites and up to 4 adults for per-person sites.
Buy your pass at this link, and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.
National Park Free Entrance Days -Mark your calendars with the free entrance days the National Park Service offers for US citizens and residents.
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Glacier National Park Resources
- Top things to do in Glacier National Park - All of the epic things you do not want to miss during your trip to the park.
- Glacier National Park Lodging - Find out about all of the amazing lodges and places to stay within the park.
- Going to the Sun Road - You do not want to miss the scenic drives in the park!
- Glacier National Park Camping Guide - Find out about all of the campgrounds within the park, which ones you need reservations for, site photos and more.
Parks near Glacier National Park
- Grant Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
- Big Hole National Battlefield
- Nez Perce National Historical Park
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
- Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Check out all of the Montana National Parks and neighboring National parks in North Dakota, South Dakota National Parks, Wyoming National Parks, and Idaho National Parks.
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