Visitor Information

Apgar Visitor Center. This is a great first stop if you're entering the park from the west. Here you can get all kinds of information, including maps, permits, books, and the Junior Ranger newspaper, and you can check out displays that will help you plan your tour of the park. There is a variety of ranger-led programs including free snowshoe walks in winter. Snowshoes can be rented for $2 at the visitor center. 2 miles north of West Glacier in Apgar Village, Glacier National Park, Montana. 406/888–7800. Mid-May–mid-June, daily 9–4:30; mid-June–Aug., daily 8–5:30; Sept.–mid-Oct., daily 8:30–5; mid-Oct.–mid-May, weekends 9–4:30.

Glacier National Park. The National Park Service operates three visitor centers in Glacier: Apgar on the west side of the park, Logan Pass on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, and St. Mary on the east side. All the centers are closed from mid-October to mid-May. Montana. 406/888–7800; www.nps.gov/glac.

Logan Pass Visitor Center. Built of stone, this center stands sturdy against the severe weather that forces it to close in winter. When it's open, rangers give 10-minute talks on the alpine environment and offer a variety of activities including guided hikes. You can get advice from them and buy books and maps. Going-to-the-Sun Rd., Glacier National Park, Montana. 406/888–7800. Mid-June–Aug., daily 9–7; Sept., daily 9:30–4.

St. Mary Visitor Center. Glacier's largest visitor complex has a huge relief map of the park's peaks and valleys and screens a 15-minute orientation video. Exhibits help visitors understand the park from the perspective of its original inhabitants—the Blackfeet, Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Orielle peoples. Rangers conduct evening presentations in summer, and the auditorium hosts Native America Speaks programs. The center also has books and maps for sale, backcountry camping permits, and large viewing windows facing the 10-mile-long St. Mary Lake. Going-to-the-Sun Rd., off U.S. 89, Glacier National Park, Montana. 406/732–7750. Mid-May–mid-Sept., daily 8–5, with extended hrs during summer.