The main changes occurring in 2026 include no vehicle reservations, a ticketed only shuttle system providing express delivery for day users to Logan Pass, and timed parking at Logan Pass.
Between 2021 to 2025, Glacier National Park piloted vehicle reservation systems for day users in the peak season. While vehicle reservations helped manage congestion along Going-to-the-Sun Road and outlying valleys, congestion at Logan Pass remained an ongoing challenge. Due to popularity of Logan Pass and the hikes that begin there, the parking lot often fills before dawn and remains mostly full all day, leaving few opportunities to park and visit. To help address this, the park will introduce a three-hour, timed parking lot in 2026. This approach is designed to increase parking turnover, allowing more visitors the opportunity to access and enjoy Logan Pass throughout the summer season.
In response to ongoing feedback about the park’s shuttle service, Glacier National Park will implement a ticketed shuttle system. The 2026 ticketed Logan Pass Shuttle replaces Glacier National Park’s previous first-come, first-served shuttle system.
The redesigned system is intended to serve day hikers for the Highline Trail and other day-long itineraries by bringing visitors directly to Logan Pass. To accomplish this, we simplified shuttle routes, with fewer stops than previous years. Visitors who wish to use the Logan Pass Shuttle need to reserve a ticket in advance through Recreation.gov. Unlike previous years, the shuttle no longer operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Each ticket costs $1 (to cover processing fee).
These changes reflect the park’s continued efforts to adapt and improve operations based on visitor needs.
The pilot system designed for 2026 directly addresses visitor feedback on two key visitor touchpoints– limited access to Logan Pass and the uncertainty of first-come, first-served shuttles. While vehicle reservations helped limit congestion on Going-to-the-Sun Road, they are not helpful in alleviating congestion at Logan Pass or using the shuttles in an efficient and reliable manner. The 2026 pilot focuses on different tools to improve visitor access to Logan Pass and to use the shuttles efficiently for a more specific purpose.
Over the past two decades, annual visitation increased from approximately 1.5 million to more than 3 million. The park’s most popular area, Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR), is typically open to thru traffic from late June to early October. Other popular areas of the park, including Many Glacier Valley, Two Medicine Valley, and the North Fork, are open to vehicles from late spring to late fall, depending on weather. The highly seasonal nature of the park’s roadway access concentrates most visitation between June and September.
The need to manage visitation while upholding the park’s mission to preserve and protect resources led Glacier to initiate pilot visitor access and transportation strategies beginning in 2021. Glacier tested a range of managed access strategies each year since then to determine the effectiveness in addressing long-standing issues, such as traffic congestion, infrastructure constraints, and backing up traffic onto US Highway 2 at the West Glacier Entrance Station.
Each year, the park uses lessons learned from data collection, staff, and visitor experiences to refine and adjust pilots. Input from gateway communities, stakeholders, and public comment periods allowed park managers to gain information about what worked well and what didn’t. With this feedback, the park continues to make adjustments.
