Glacier Park Charges Entry Even When No One’s There to Check
KEY POINTS
- •Amy Grisak has lived near Glacier National Park in Montana for 35 years, witnessing its intense summer crowds.
- •Despite many services shutting down from October to May, visitors must still buy entrance passes, even when no ranger is present.
- •Visitors are advised to prepare with proper cold-weather gear, avalanche knowledge, and to fill their gas tanks before entering due to limited services.
For 35 years, Amy Grisak’s Montana backyard has been Glacier National Park, a paradise for 2 million summer stampedes that morphs into a snow-covered ghost town from October to May. The twist? You still need a $ entry pass even when the rangers clock out, with cheaper winter fees presumably to coax visitors into embracing frosty solitude and invisible checkpoints. Amy’s family skis through old-growth western hemlock forests on uncleared roads, trusting avalanche warnings and chilly temps swapped out for layers of wool and alpaca. Rent snowshoes at $2 a pop, dodge limited cell service, and gas up your ride so you don’t freeze stranded while Instagramming #WinterCampingFails. Warning: parts of the park shut down but your credit card won’t.
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Welcome to Glacier Park winter edition: pay to enter a ghost town, dress like a yeti, and hope your phone has signal. Pure Montana magic.
Only in Glacier Park can you pay for a ticket to a place where rangers don’t work and roads don’t ask directions.
Winter in Glacier: like a membership club where you can’t find anyone to punch your card, but the fee still applies.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 1/20/2026 | Author: Amy Grisak
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