East Glacier National Park (East Entrance) in May

May can be one of the best times to visit Glacier National Park. Crowds are thinner, the weather is often spring-like (though it can change day to day), and the park feels extra alive—wildlife is more active, early-season flowers begin to bloom, and snowmelt creates waterfalls everywhere.

The tradeoff is access. Many campgrounds are still closed, and the Going-to-the-Sun Road is typically closed due to snow—often on both sides of Logan Pass.

Why We Chose East Glacier

This year we decided to focus on East Glacier, which felt noticeably quieter at this time of year.

East Glacier has three main access areas:

·      Many Glacier

·      St. Mary / East Glacier (Going-to-the-Sun Road access)

·      Two Medicine

These roads do not intersect, and each one leads to a very different part of the park. If you’re planning a trip, it helps to think of them as separate “mini destinations” rather than a single loop you can easily connect by car.

Going-to-the-Sun Road (East Side Walk)

The main route that connects West Glacier and East Glacier is the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road, which climbs over Logan Pass. In May, the pass is closed—and in many years, the road is also closed on both sides up to a certain point.

When the road is closed, it becomes a unique opportunity: you can often bike or hike the road up to the closure point.

We’ve previously e-biked up to the snow line from the west side, but we’d never explored the east side this way. This time, we chose to walk (mostly because we didn’t have our bikes on the truck and we were just scouting).

The Going to the Sun road is closed after about 14 miles so We started at the road closure near Jackson Glacier and walked almost 4 miles—a steady climb, climb, climb—until we reached a beautiful viewpoint looking out over East Glacier. Unfortunately, we were stopped there as well. We weren’t anywhere near the snowplow closure, but there were avalanche signs posted and rangers weren’t allowing anyone to continue. We took a little side trail about 3/4 of the way up but the trail was blocked by too much snow for us to continue.

We were disappointed, but we made the best of it: we sat, enjoyed the views, and had a quick snack (nuts are one of my favorite “good energy” trail snacks) before hiking back down.

The return was all downhill, so it was significantly faster and easier.

Would I do it again? Probably not on foot. The east side views are beautiful, but (in my opinion) not as spectacular as the west side, and the distance is shorter. If we do it again, I’d choose to use our e- bike.

Virginia Falls and St. Mary Falls Hike

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/da2f07_2ba79e6a5ad74ff7a6048718983b25dd/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Go across the "less than sturdy " bridge to Experience Virginia Falls

This is one of the most popular hikes on the east side—and for good reason.

The trail is about 4.5 miles and gives you two very different waterfall experiences in one hike. Even in spring, you’ll likely share the trail with other hikers, but it’s nothing like the summer crowds when buses and shuttles drop off visitors from all over the U.S. and the world.

We loved this hike. The views were beautiful, the other hikers weren’t excessive, and both falls were absolutely worth it.

Recommendation: If you’re visiting East Glacier in May, this is a top pick.

Hiking Etiquette Tips (My Personal Musts)

A beautiful trail experience can be made—or ruined—by how people behave. Here are a few etiquette reminders I wish everyone followed:

1.     Respect nature (land and wildlife). Don’t litter, don’t deface the park, and don’t treat wildlife like it’s a zoo. You’re a guest in their home.

2.     Music belongs in earphones. Don’t intrude on other people’s experience with loud music—or any loud, disruptive noise (yelling, screaming, etc.).

3.     Share the trail. If you’re in a group, go single file when others need to pass. Step aside, let hikers through, then regroup. Also, if the trail is narrow, the person going downhill generally has the right of way.

4.     Be respectful at viewpoints and highlights. Waterfalls and platforms get crowded quickly. Take your moment, then make room for others. And please—don’t climb beyond safety boundaries for selfies. It’s dangerous, and it ruins the view for everyone.

For me, the goal is to blend into nature and soak in the beauty and inspiration it offers. That’s one reason we love shoulder seasons: fewer crowds, more quiet, and a more peaceful connection with the landscape—even if not everything is open yet.