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Every number below comes from the live Many Glacier and Apgar pages on this site, which track these recreation.gov campgrounds for cancellations.
Apgar is the easier Glacier booking and the better-supplied one: 187 sites at the west entrance with Apgar Village groceries, gift shops, and food right next door. Many Glacier is the scenery trade: 104 sites in the park’s most dramatic valley near Swiftcurrent Lake, which its own page calls one of the hardest reservations in the park. Both are dry camping on the same rolling window, with a new date opening daily at 10 a.m. Eastern six months out.
These are the two different Glaciers: the developed west side and the wild east side. Both campgrounds banish hookups entirely, so this is a dry-camping trip wherever you land.
| Many Glacier | Apgar | |
|---|---|---|
| Sites | 104 (102 standard, 1 tent-only, 1 group) | 187 (184 standard, 3 walk-to) |
| Setting | Swiftcurrent Lake valley, near Many Glacier Hotel | South end of Lake McDonald, at the west entrance |
| Walkable amenities | Trailheads from camp; hotel nearby | Apgar Village groceries, gift shops, food; visitor center and boat launch |
| Booking | Rolling 6-month window, new date daily at 10 a.m. ET | Rolling 6-month window, new date daily at 10 a.m. ET |
| The catch | One of the hardest reservations in the park; strict grizzly food storage | July/August dates go fast despite the big pool |
Hikers who plan to be gone all day anyway. Many Glacier puts you in prime grizzly country within walking distance of Swiftcurrent Lake and trailheads like Grinnell Glacier, and its page is blunt about the rules: store food and scented items exactly as posted, no exceptions. You give up convenience (the nearest real supplies are Babb and St. Mary per its lodging note) and you take on one of the hardest reservations in Glacier National Park to reach.
Families, first-timers, and anyone who wants a soft landing. Apgar is Glacier’s largest campground and sits close to the west entrance, with a visitor center, shops, and a boat launch nearby plus Apgar Village’s groceries and food right there. The bigger pool doubles your odds on release day compared with Many Glacier, though its own page still warns that July and August dates go fast. If Apgar fills, Fish Creek with 171 sites sits a few miles away on the same side of the lake.
Many Glacier Campground (Glacier National Park) fills up fast — lock in a cabin nearby
Babb and St. Mary have cabins and vacation rentals worth checking if Many Glacier is booked out.
See cabins & rentals near Many Glacier Campground (Glacier National Park) →We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Apgar Campground (Glacier National Park) fills up fast — lock in a cabin nearby
West Glacier and Apgar Village both have cabins and vacation rentals worth booking as backup.
See cabins & rentals near Apgar Campground (Glacier National Park) →We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Want the booking playbook?
Apgar is the easier Glacier booking and the better-supplied one: 187 sites at the west entrance with Apgar Village groceries, gift shops, and food right next door. Many Glacier is the scenery trade: 104 sites in the park’s most dramatic valley near Swiftcurrent Lake, which its own page calls one of the hardest reservations in the park. Both are dry camping on the same rolling window, with a new date opening daily at 10 a.m. Eastern six months out.
Apgar lists 187 sites (184 standard no-hookup, 3 walk-to) at the south end of Lake McDonald, close to the visitor center, shops, boat launch, and Apgar Village itself. Many Glacier lists 104 sites (102 standard no-hookup, 1 tent-only, 1 group) near Swiftcurrent Lake and the historic Many Glacier Hotel, with trailheads for Grinnell Glacier out of camp.
Many Glacier by far. Its park page calls it one of the hardest reservations in the park, and the inventory gap explains why: 104 sites against Apgar’s 187 competing for the same daily release. Both open new dates at 10 a.m. Eastern exactly six months ahead, so July and August mornings are a scramble at either campground.
Yes. Apgar, Fish Creek, and Many Glacier are all recreation.gov campgrounds watched by Camp.land alerts. Missed the release? Cancellations post back to recreation.gov continuously since campers get a full refund minus $10 when cancelling more than 14 days out. The first alert is free.