A Family Guide to Glacier National Park with Kids

For Glacier National Park with kids, spend the first day on the west side. The Trail of the Cedars boardwalk, the Apgar Nature Center, a Junior Ranger booklet and the Lake McDonald boat tour fill that day without a long hike. On a second day, cross to the east side for the Sun Point Nature Trail and St. Mary Falls.

The Best First Day in Glacier National Park with Kids

The best first day with kids in Glacier stays on the west side and mixes one short walk, one indoor stop, a Junior Ranger booklet and one boat ride.

1. Walk the Trail of the Cedars in the morning. The boardwalk loops through old cedar-hemlock forest along Avalanche Creek, past water carving Avalanche Gorge.
2. Stop at the Apgar Nature Center. Inside a 1929 log cabin in Apgar Village, kids can feel grizzly bear fur, stage a puppet show and build mountains out of kinetic sand.
3. Pick up a Junior Ranger booklet. Visitor centers and ranger stations carry reader and pre-reader versions, so children who cannot read yet can still earn a badge.
4. Ride the Lake McDonald boat tour in the afternoon. The narrated cruise leaves from the dock behind Lake McDonald Lodge and lasts about an hour.

A second day belongs on the east side, where Glacier's family fun page lists more easy walks. The Sun Point Nature Trail follows the north shore of St. Mary Lake through trees with wide views of the water, and St. Mary Falls adds waterfalls, wildflowers and cascading streams. For a night-sky stop, the Dusty Star Observatory outside the St. Mary Visitor Center uses a 20-inch telescope and shows the views on outdoor TV monitors.

Easy Family Walks on the West Side

Trail of the Cedars is the first walk to try with young kids: a 0.9-mile boardwalk loop with 83 feet of elevation gain, listed as wheelchair accessible. It starts at the Avalanche Picnic Area, which has a vault toilet. Kids can listen for American dippers along the creek while the boardwalk winds through old-growth cedars.

The Apgar Bike Path is a paved 1.5-mile route through lodgepole forest from West Glacier to Apgar Village. A short side trail leads to the Oxbow Overlook, a good spot for birds and other wildlife. The path ends in Apgar Village, where the nature center stands, so families can walk or bike straight to the furs and puppets.

The Oxbow Trail runs through woods and wetlands along Lower McDonald Creek, a good place to spot beavers, so pack binoculars. Rocky Point Trail follows the Lake McDonald shore and ends with a gentle climb to a lake view. At about 1 mile one way, the round trip is about 2 miles. Johns Lake Loop passes a small lake inside a quiet, dark cedar-hemlock forest.

Easy Family Walks on the East Side

The east side's shortest family walk is the 0.9-mile Sun Point Nature Trail along the north shore of St. Mary Lake. Kids with energy left can continue to Barring Falls, just past the turnoff to Sunrift Gorge.

St. Mary Falls is 1.1 miles from the St. Mary Falls Trailhead and 2.4 miles from the Sun Point Picnic Area, so start at the trailhead with small children. The trail passes wildflowers and cascading streams on the way to the falls.

For a longer outing, the Beaver Pond Loop covers 3.3 miles of wildflower meadows, mountain views and dark forest, and beavers, moose and many birds use the area. Red Rock Falls is 1.9 miles one way, or 3.8 miles round trip, and passes two lakes before the waterfall.

In Many Glacier, the Swiftcurrent Lake Trail loops 2.6 miles around the lake from either the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead or Many Glacier Hotel. The stretch from the hotel is a gently graded, hardened surface that is wheelchair accessible. Families can walk that section as a short out-and-back from the hotel and skip the full loop.

Junior Rangers and the Apgar Nature Center

Kids earn a Glacier Junior Ranger badge by finishing the self-guided activity booklet during the visit and showing it to a park ranger. Reader and pre-reader versions are available at visitor centers and ranger stations, and any visitor center or ranger station can check the finished booklet during operating hours. The booklet has place-based activities, so plan to fill it in during the trip.

The Apgar Nature Center is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm, mid-June to late August, and park volunteers staff it. Inside, kids can guess which bird is singing, touch pelts from coyotes, beavers and mountain lions, and match animals to their homes on a habitat board. Through the summer, rangers give talks and children's programs most days in the outside seating area.

Kids are welcome on any ranger program as long as an adult comes along. The National Park Service lists the Junior Ranger Discovery Talk and Explorers Walk, the Amazing Animals Talk and Native American Games as family programs. Most ranger programs run June to early September. Short talks last 15 to 30 minutes and evening programs about 45 minutes, so a talk fits between other stops.

Nightly astronomy programs run most of July and August at the Apgar Visitor Center parking lot or the Dusty Star Observatory, with telescopes pointed at constellations. Programs depend on weather and sky conditions. Both sites are wheelchair accessible and have restrooms and drinking water.

The Lake McDonald Boat Tour with Children

The Lake McDonald boat tour is a one-hour narrated round trip from the dock behind Lake McDonald Lodge, aboard the 1930 DeSmet or the Glacier Lily. There are no one-way tickets and no restrooms on board, so take kids to a restroom before boarding.

Glacier Park Boats lists 2027 fares of $28.75 per adult and $14.35 per child aged 4 to 12. Children under 4 ride free but still need a ticket. At those fares, two adults and two children aged 4 to 12 pay $86.20 for one tour.

Reservations are recommended but not required, and they close at 5 pm the day before. Same-day tickets are sold at the dock, and in peak season you may land on a waitlist. Tours run in rain, snow, wind and smoke, so bring a jacket for every child, and see the Lake McDonald boat tour guide for more on the cruise.

Safety with Kids in Glacier

Keep children well back from streams, rivers and waterfalls in Glacier, because they are slippery and dangerous. On Trail of the Cedars and other creekside walks, hold small hands near the edge. Watch for steep drop-offs and wildlife as well, because each visitor is responsible for their own safety.

Glacier's weather changes fast, so pack layers, sun protection and water for every child, even on a short walk. Snow can fall at lower elevations as early as mid-September, so bring hats and gloves on a late-season trip.

Glacier is home to bears, so keep kids close on every trail. Teach children not to feed small animals and birds, because feeding them is unsafe and harms their natural behavior. Ask kids to leave flowers, rocks and other finds where they are, so the next family can see them too.

Timing and Road Access for Glacier National Park with Kids

In summer the nature center is open daily from mid-June to late August, and most ranger programs run June to early September. Going-to-the-Sun Road has no set date for full opening and is typically fully open by early July. Astronomy programs run most of July and August, so a trip in those weeks adds a telescope night to the boardwalk and the boat.

In 2026, Glacier required no vehicle reservations anywhere in the park. The Logan Pass Shuttle ran ticketed-only from July 1 to September 7 that year, with a $1 processing fee. The park shuttle did not serve Trail of the Cedars or Avalanche Lake that season.

Next season's rules have not been announced yet. Check the official Glacier National Park site before you book, and see the vehicle reservations guide for how the 2026 system worked. If next season brings back vehicle reservations or changes the shuttle stops, plan the west-side day around those rules first.

A private vehicle pays $35 in summer and $25 in winter (November 1 to April 30), and the pass is valid for 7 days. Families who can only travel from November to April miss the nature center season and most ranger programs, so the Glacier winter guide is the better starting point for those dates.

Places to Stay in Glacier National Park with Kids

Lake McDonald Lodge puts a family at the boat dock, because the tours leave from behind the lodge. The historic lodge was built to look like a rustic hunting chalet with Swiss influence, and several popular trails begin at the Sperry Trailhead. Its 2027 season runs May 14 to September 30.

Camping keeps kids close to evening ranger programs, which typically run at the amphitheaters in Apgar, Fish Creek, Rising Sun, St. Mary, Many Glacier and Two Medicine campgrounds and last about 45 minutes. Restrooms and drinking water are available at every evening program site. The Glacier camping guide covers the campgrounds in more detail.

Under Canvas Glacier is a glamping camp about seven miles from the park's west entrance, open next summer from May 28 to September 13. Its Kids Tent options add an adjacent tent with two twin beds next to yours, and camp programming includes kids activities and a nightly fire pit with s'mores. Under Canvas posts current rates on its Glacier page.

Dark Light Collection is building glass pyramids within 15 minutes of Glacier's West Entrance, opening next year, each with a king bed placed for sky-gazing and a personal deck telescope. Founding deposits are open now through the Glacier pyramids page.

To plan Glacier National Park with kids, pick dates between mid-June and late August, then book the boat tour by 5 pm the day before your lake day.