Glacier National Park is one of the most gorgeous parks in the national park system. The sprawling park is in northern Montana and is home to some of the oldest glaciers in the US — not to mention wildlife like grizzly and brown bears, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pumas, wolves, elk, moose, and more. The park has gorgeous day hikes running between half a mile or 20 miles, and some of the best backcountry backpacking in the US. You can even hike from the US into Waterton Lakes National Park, the attached national park just on the other side of the US-Canada border.
Photo: Hotels.com
10 of the Best Hotels Near Glacier National Park
However, Glacier National Park isn’t near any major cities. So you’ll need to book one of the hotels near Glacier National Park below if you’re hoping to spend much time there. Here’s the scoop on where to stay, plus what towns are best and how much you can expect to spend per night.
Where is Glacier National Park?
Glacier is in northern Montana on the border with Canada. The closest airport is Glacier International Airport, but it’s a very, very small airport, with just a few flights a day to cities like Chicago, Denver, LA, and SF. So if you happen to live near one of those cities, it’s convenient. It’s about 30 miles from the park.
If you need a larger airport to fly into, Missoula is about three hours south of the West Glacier entrance, while Great Falls International Airport is 2.5 hours from the eastern entrances. If you’re hoping to fly into Bozeman, the state’s largest airport, it’s about a five-hour drive.
Towns near Glacier National Park
Photo: melissamn/Shutterstock
There are several major towns near Glacier National Park, including Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls, and West Glacier. Kalispell is the largest town in the area and serves as a major transportation hub, since it’s where you’ll find Glacier National Airport.
Whitefish is a popular tourist destination with a charming downtown area and access to Whitefish Lake, plus easy access to skiing in the winter. Columbia Falls is even closer to the park and still has fantastic recreation access, and West Glacier is the closest town to the park on the west side (and home to most of the park gift shops, plus a big visitor center).
On the east side of the park, the closest towns are East Glacier, Browning, and Babb. Glacier’s west side is the more popular place for people to stay, but there are still a few options on the eastern side.
Glacier National Park entrances
Photo: Kit Leong/Shutterstock
Glacier National Park has four main entrances. Here’s a link to a useful map of the entire park, plus close-ups of each popular area within the park.
The West Entrance is near West Glacier and is one of the places to enter Going-to-the-Sun Road. It’s one of the very few roads in the park and driving along it is so popular that you need a vehicle access pass (which you need in a few areas of the park, actually). Many of the park’s most popular trailheads are along this road, and fortunately, you can use the free park shuttle bus to reach them. Many people will do a point-to-point hike using the park shuttle, starting high in the park and ending closer to West Glacier.
The West Entrance is open year-round.
The park’s East Entrance is near St. Mary and has stunning views of mountains and valleys. It’s also open year-round and is closer to some of the eastern campgrounds. It’s also the best entrance for some of the park’s waterfall hikes, including St. Mary and Virginia Falls trail (a three-mile hike). You can also access the other end of Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Also on the east side is the Many Glacier Entrance, near Many Glacier Hotel. Head there if you’re planning to paddle on Swiftcurrent Lake or hike well-known trails like the Grinnell Glacier Trail or Iceberg Lake. This entrance is only open between late May (or maybe June, depending on snow) and late September.
The fourth primary entrance is the North Entrance, which is more remote. It’s near the town of Polebridge and has a roughly nine-mile stretch of dirt road before reaching the entrance. It’s near popular day-use lakes like Bowman, Kintla, and Quartz (which also have beautiful lakeside campgrounds). It’s on the western side of the park, and the road to get there is open only in summer.
The best hotels near Glacier National Park
These are the top picks around the park. Some are open year-round (including those near ski resorts in Whitefish) while others are summer-only, like the glamping resorts. Book as far in advance as possible. Glacier is pretty darn popular as far as national parks go.
We hope you love the spaces and stays we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.
Under Canvas Glacier
Under Canvas is one of the brands that made glamping very much a thing, and the West Glacier location was one of the first. The trendy resort offers safari tents and deluxe tents, both of which have comfortable furnishings and lots of space, but the deluxe tents have private bathrooms. (The other tents share a large bathhouse). Deluxe rooms also have private decks looking out onto the landscape.
No matter which tent you pick, you get access to complimentary activities like campfires with s’mores, yoga classes, live music, and more. There’s also an on-site cafe serving hot coffee and breakfast items, and lots of pre-made lunch items, plus an evening menu of soups, salads, sandwiches, and local beer and wines. It’s one of the best hotels near Glacier National Park if you’re staying with kids — not just because the “fancy campground” concept is fun for kids, but because you can book a separate teepee with twin beds for kids directly next to your safari tent.
- Rates from: $219/night
- Distance to Glacier: 7 miles
- Closest entrance: West Glacier
Great Northern Resort
Great Northern Resort is extremely close to the Glacier National Park, though it’s known in the area primarily for being the top place to stay if you’re planning on doing any whitewater rafting in the area. It offers all-day, half-day, and multi-day rafting trips on the Flathead River (complete with gourmet meals, if that’s your thing). It also offers whitewater classes, paddling lessons, and stand-up paddleboard tours as well.
But even if you aren’t rafting, you’ll appreciate the lodge’s cozy rooms. It has 14 lodge rooms, plus one-, two-, and three-bedroom cabin rentals. You can book just the room, or book an adventure package that includes lodging plus various whitewater activities. This is a great place to stay in the fall given how close it is to the park, especially when prices are lower and crowds are thinning out on Glacier’s trails.
- Rates from: $169/night
- Distance to Glacier: 1.8 miles
- Closest entrance: West Glacier
Many Glacier Hotel
It’s hard to get much closer to the park than the Many Glacier Hotel, considering it’s in Glacier National Park. The historic and iconic hotel dates to 1915 and sits on Swiftcurrent Lake, where you can rent kayaks and canoes or take a more luxurious boat tour. It’s a National Historic Landmark and has the fee of a Swiss chalet.
Since it’s near Swiftcurrent Lake, nearby hiking options include Iceberg Lake, the Grinnell Glacier Trail, and Cracker Lake — three of the most beautiful day hikes in the park. Note that the lodge doesn’t have an elevator, so if you’re bringing a heavy suitcase, know that you’ll be carrying it up a few levels of stairs if you get a room on the top floor (or guest services staff can do it for you too, of course).
- Rates from: $237/night
- Distance to Glacier: 0 miles
- Closest entrance: Many Glacier
Cedar Creek Lodge, Columbia Falls
Cedar Creek Lodge is in the town of Columbia Falls, putting it about a 20-minute drive from the park entrance. It’s one of the best hotels near Glacier National Park if you want to see the park and explore the nearby town of Whitefish. While Whitefish is known for being a park gateway town, its prime location in the northern Rocky Mountains means it has excellent access to hiking, fly fishing, backpacking and camping, mountain biking, rock climbing, and more. It also has more restaurants and such than West Glacier, but a shorter drive to the park than hotels in Kalispell.
Cedar Creek Lodge is a ski hotel in the winter and has an indoor pool and hot tub (perfect for soaking sore hiking muscles), free daily breakfast, and outdoor fire pits with Adirondack chairs so you can hang out by the fire in the evenings without actually having to camp. Rooms are comfortable and have fast Wi-Fi, plus in-room fridges and microwaves.
Note that rates are lowest in November, but tent to be in the $200s in summer. But it’s still one of the more affordable hotels near Glacier National Park.
- Rates from: $99/night
- Distance to Glacier: 17 miles
- Closest entrance: West Glacier
Glacier International Lodge
Glacier International Lodge is one of the more comfortable places to stay near the park — and it serves guests complimentary chocolate chip cookies every afternoon. There’s an on-site store with beer and wine and gifts, an indoor pool (with a waterslide, no less), and a two-story lobby with a huge stone fireplace. Rooms are akin to fancy Holiday Inns, with plush beds and mini-fridges to store any snacks from the hotel gift shop.
The hotel is in Kalispell, a “larger” town that offers plenty to do on its own even if you don’t ever go into the park. Hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and whitewater rafting are available all summer long, though the hotel can also help you book activities in the park like park tours in the famous open-air cars.
- Rates from: $142/night
- Distance to Glacier: 24.3 miles
- Closest entrance: West Glacier
Firebrand Hotel
Whitefish may not have many hotels has hip as those in San Francisco or New York, but the Firebrand Hotel comes pretty close. It’s in downtown Whitefish so it’s within walking distance to shopping and restaurants, though it also has its own on-site coffee shop so you don’t have to leave the hotel when you need a caffeine fix. There’s even a rooftop lounge complete with see-through igloo bubbles in the winter.
There’s also a rooftop hot tub, free bicycle rentals to get around town, a game library, and free snowshoe rentals in the winter. There’s even a day spa in case you need a little extra R&R after your long hikes in the park.
- Rates from: $149/night
- Distance to Glacier: 26.3 miles
- Closest entrance: West Glacier
My Place Hotel
My Place Hotel isn’t anything fancy, but it’s one of the best hotels near Glacier National Park if you need something comfortable, close, and just a few minutes from the park. It’s more or less akin to a Days Inn room-wise, but it’s in a prime location in Kalispell where you’re only a few minutes from shopping and dining. Every room at the hotel also has a two-burner stove, coffee maker, refrigerator, and toaster, so you can save a few bucks on your trip by cooking basic meals in your room.
- Rates from: $89/night
- Distance to Glacier: 34.6 miles
- Closest entrance: West Glacier
West Glacier Village
Photo: West Glacier Village
Photo: West Glacier Village
Photo: West Glacier Village
Photo: West Glacier Village
West Glacier Village is one of, if not the, closest hotels near Glacier National Park without actually being in the park. You can even walk into the park in about 10 minutes.
It’s a cute little lodge, with room for RVs, plus a cabins village. The cabins are particularly nice if you want a traditional park stay, but also want to take advantage of being able to walk to a deli, cafe, restaurant, and even a mini-golf course complete with a homemade ice cream shop on site. There’s also a camp store and gift shop where you can pick up everything from backcountry cooking supplies to extra hiking socks to novelty coffee mugs and park souvenirs.
The cabins are pretty nice and look more like tiny houses than traditional cabins, with TVs, kitchens, private bathrooms, semi-private sleeping areas, plus Wi-Fi and patios with Adirondack chairs.
- Rates from: $240/night
- Distance to Glacier: .5 miles
- Closest entrance: West Glacier
The Pine Lodge on Whitefish River
The Pine Lodge is an upscale hotel near Columbia Falls, a bit north of Kalispell and only a short drive from Glacier National Park. It’s pet-friendly and has fun amenities like a pool table, an outdoor pool, fire pits, kayak and paddleboard rentals, and a hot tub (and transportation to Whitefish Mountain). There are lots of room types, including rooms with private fireplaces, extra lounge areas, or balconies and patios.
Think of the Pine Lodge as a higher-end chain hotel, offering a good balance between the restaurants and activities of Kalispell and the outdoor adventure and hiking near Columbia Falls. It’s also very close to Whitefish Lake, if you’re hoping to split your time between exploring and park and paddling and fishing.
- Rates from: $139/night
- Distance to Glacier: 25.8 miles
- Closest entrance: West Glacier
Wander Camp Glacier
If the price tag on Under Canvas Glacier is a little too steep, consider instead the canvas tents at Wander Camp Glacier. It also offers glamping, but it’s not quite as expensive. It’s also one of the most fun hotels near Glacier National Park if you want a semi-rustic stay but aren’t keen to spend $200-plus a night. It’s in Coram, very close to the entrance, but a bit cheaper than other similar options.
Tents at Wander Camp are available from early May to late September and are near the 40-acre resort’s private pond. The teepee-style tents have shared bathrooms and comfortable furnishings, including beds with cozy linens. But probably the coolest thing about Wander Camp is its group offerings, making it one of the best places to stay near Glacier National Park for solo travelers. The camp offers daily activities anyone can sign up for, from intro hikes to get the lay of the land to all-day remote hikes or historical half-day walks. 
- Rates from: $154/night
- Distance to Glacier: 7.3 miles
- Closest entrance: West Glacier