Time Zone Change
Clocks spring ahead 1 hr at Lookout Pass on I-90 (Idaho/Montana line).
Weather forecast
Fri, Jul 3Start
Spokane Valley, WA
79°
58°
💧 3%
En route
Apgar, West Glacier
75°
54°
💧 15%
Overnight
Great Falls, MT
96°
65°
💧 13%
Forecast via Open-Meteo
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Glacier National Park
Jr. Ranger Badge
Junior Ranger badge — Apgar VC closes 5:30 PM
Game Plan
Depart 8:00 AM PT, lose an hour crossing into MT, arrive Apgar ~1:00 PM MT — 4.5 hrs before close. If books aren't done before you leave Apgar, the St. Mary VC at the road's east end can take them too.
- Trail of the Cedars + Avalanche Gorge (0.9 mi loop · boardwalk) — Your noted must-do — rainforest cedars and a slot gorge of glacial-blue water; the best easy walk in Glacier.
- Lake McDonald shoreline (Apgar) (any length · flat) — Skipping-stone beach with the classic colored-pebble water.
- Hidden Lake Overlook (only if Logan Pass parking smiles on you) (2.7 mi RT boardwalk/snow) — Mountain goats nearly guaranteed — but late-June snowfields are common; judge on arrival.
- Jackson Glacier Overlook — your starred stop; the only glacier visible from the road
- Wild Goose Island overlook on St. Mary Lake — the famous one
- Bird Woman Falls + the Weeping Wall along the west climb
Sunrise, Sunset & Golden Hour ★
Sunrise
5:39 AM MDT
Sunset
9:41 PM MDT
Be set up by (sunrise)
5:09 AM
Be set up by (sunset)
9:21 PM
Sunrise spot — Lake McDonald boat launch, Apgar — glassy morning water reflecting the Garden Wall. You arrive 11:30 AM so you miss it; but the Apgar shoreline at any hour is gorgeous.
You lose an hour at Lookout Pass this morning — the drive through the Idaho Panhandle has beautiful morning light in the forested mountains.
Sunset spot — St. Mary Lake — Wild Goose Island overlook or the St. Mary VC parking area. Sunset at 9:41 PM MDT is Glacier's latest of the trip. The Going-to-the-Sun peaks turn deep orange-red. You depart St. Mary ~5:45 PM and would arrive Great Falls close to midnight if you stay for sunset.
⭐ St. Mary Lake at 9:41 PM sunset is potentially the most spectacular of the trip — alpenglow on Glacier peaks, Wild Goose Island, glassy lake. Tradeoff: Great Falls arrival near midnight. If the kids can handle it, this is once-in-a-trip.
Heads Up
Good news for 2026: Glacier will not require timed-entry vehicle reservations on Going-to-the-Sun Road this year — no reservation needed, just drive in.
July 4th weekend = Glacier's busiest days. The schedule works because you enter at 11:30 and drive the road mid-afternoon, against the main flow.
Logan Pass lot is typically full 9 AM–4 PM; treat it as a bonus, not a plan.
Trip Journal — Day 14
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