Glacier National Park Will Require Timed Tickets to Drive Its Most Famous Road

Meena Thiruvengadam
·2 min read

America's top national parks are expecting another busy summer in 2022, and visitors wanting to head outdoors will need to plan accordingly.

Glacier National Park in Montana plans to require timed tickets again this summer to experience its famous Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile stretch of road that crosses the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. Tickets will be required from May 27 through Sept.11 and are expected to go on sale beginning in March.

This year's tickets will be valid for three days instead of seven, a move officials hope will give more people the chance to experience Going-to-the-Sun Road's hairpin turns and picturesque views. Without stopping, the National Parks Service says it's possible to drive its entire length in about two hours without stopping.

Tickets will be required between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day, the hours when the park is typically busiest. Entry will be available without tickets outside of peak hours though details have not yet been released.

Tickets to access Going-to-the-Sun Road cost $2 per vehicle in addition to park entrance pass fees and will be available for purchase on Recreation.gov.

Last year was the first year Glacier National Park required timed tickets to access the road. The first batch of tickets sold out in mere minutes, but officials estimate the system prevented them from having to cut off access to the iconic stretch of road at least 35 times.

"This was a major accomplishment despite 2021 visitation numbers currently boasting the second-highest on record for the park," the National Parks Service said.

Tickets also are being required to access the off-the-grid North Fork portion of the Glacier National Park at the Polebridge Ranger Station. This section of the park lacks cell phone service and officials recommend visitors come with four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicles and the ability to change a tire.

Meena Thiruvengadam is a Travel + Leisure writer who loves discovering historic sights, wandering new streets, and walking on beaches. Find her on Facebook, Instagram, or at the airport.