Parks / Glacier / St. Mary Entrance

Glacier · St. Mary, MT (US-89)

Glacier St. Mary Entrance: this week

Open — road to Jackson Glacier Overlook Week of Nov 9–15, 2026

St. Mary is the east-side entrance to Going-to-the-Sun Road, along St. Mary Lake. It's about 125 miles from Great Falls via US-89 and Browning.

This week's conditions Risks here now Get GOES before you lose signal

When signal drops, GOES steps in.

Grizzlies, a tularemia advisory and wind off the Divide. Download GOES before St. Mary so its offline tick, wildlife and cold guidance is ready.

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Official conditions

This week at the St. Mary Entrance

From NPS pages and alerts fetched Nov 12, 2026. Each line links to its source.

Heads-upGoing-to-the-Sun Road is closed for the season at Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east side. Open sections can change at any time due to winter weather. NPS alert
ClosedSt. Mary Visitor Center is closed for the winter. Primitive camping is available year-round at St. Mary Campground. NPS NPS
Heads-upTularemia was confirmed in a dead snowshoe hare in the St. Mary Lake area (Sept 17 release). NPS news
InfoNo fuel inside the park. The St. Mary grocery store sometimes stays open in fall; full-service groceries are in Browning. NPS NPS

Entrance fee: Private vehicle $35 (self-pay when stations are unstaffed). Non-US residents 16+ pay an additional $100 nonresident fee unless entering with an annual / America the Beautiful pass. NPS fees NPS API

Weather

Forecast near the St. Mary Entrance

Snapshot from the National Weather Service, fetched Nov 12, 2026. Live forecast loads below if you're online.Full NWS forecast

Period	Temp	Forecast	Wind
Tonight	46°F	Mostly Cloudy	9 mph
Thursday	62°F	Mostly Cloudy	8 mph
Thursday Night	40°F	Mostly Cloudy	6 mph
Friday	62°F	Partly Sunny	3 mph
Friday Night	36°F	Partly Cloudy	3 mph
Saturday	54°F	Mostly Sunny	2 to 9 mph
Saturday Night	34°F	Mostly Cloudy	9 to 13 mph
Sunday	48°F	Mostly Sunny	8 to 12 mph

Know the risks

What actually matters here in mid-November

The goal is a good trip, not a scary one. These are the hazards NPS highlights for this area and season, and what to do about each.

East-side wind and cold

Glacier sits where Pacific air from the west meets arctic air from the northeast. NWS forecast for St. Mary this week: mostly cloudy, highs around 54–62°F, lows near 36–46°F. Expect colder, harsher conditions higher up. NWS NPS NPS API

In GOESEnvironmental Health: hypothermia and frostbite assessments

Bears

Grizzlies and black bears live on both sides of the Divide. Make noise, hike in a group, and carry bear spray where you can reach it. NPS

In GOESWildlife Encounters: location-specific risk indicators for bears and other dangerous animals

Tularemia and ticks

Don't touch dead animals, use repellent, check for ticks, and drink only treated or boiled water. NPS news

In GOESTick Risk: location- and season-specific tick activity

Before you go in

Checklist for the St. Mary Entrance

Fuel and supplies in Browning or St. MaryNo fuel in the park.
Bear spray and windproof layersThe east side is exposed.
Treat all waterTularemia advisory in the St. Mary Lake area.
Download GOES before St. MaryPlan for no signal inside the park.

Follow official NPS rules, posted closures and ranger instructions. They override anything on this page.

Park-wide

Glacier risks everywhere in the park

Grizzly and black bears

Glacier has habitat for nearly 1,000 bears of both species. Stay 100 yards from bears and wolves (25 yards from other wildlife), carry bear spray, make noise and hike in groups: Glacier has had no reported attacks on groups of four or more. In fall, bears forage hard before denning. NPS NPS NPS

In GOESWildlife Encounters: location-specific risk indicators for bears and other dangerous animals

Cold water

Water is the number one cause of fatalities in Glacier. Use extreme caution near lakes and streams. NPS

In GOESEnvironmental Health: hypothermia and frostbite assessments

Tularemia

NPS confirmed tularemia in dead snowshoe hares in Many Glacier (Oct 15 release) and the St. Mary Lake area (Sept 17 release). Use insect repellent, check for ticks, don't touch carcasses, drink only treated or boiled water, and see a doctor if you get fever, chills or sores within two weeks of your visit. NPS news NPS news

In GOESTick Risk: location- and season-specific tick activity

Winter self-sufficiency

Most businesses and services in and near the park are closed from early October to late May. Expect cold, blustery days and be entirely self-sufficient. NPS NPS

In GOESEnvironmental Health: hypothermia and frostbite assessments

NPS alerts

All active Glacier alerts

Pulled from the NPS Data API on Nov 12, 2026; the same alerts appear on nps.gov/glac.

Park ClosureGoing-to-the-Sun Road Seasonal Closure. Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed for the season at Avalanche Creek on the west side of the park. On the east side, the closure is located at Jackson Glacier Overlook. Travel on open sections of the road may change at any time due to winter weather conditions. Visitors should check road conditions before their arrival and be prepared for winter weather. More

Your outdoor safety companion

When signal drops, GOES steps in.

Grizzlies, a tularemia advisory and wind off the Divide. Download GOES before St. Mary so its offline tick, wildlife and cold guidance is ready.

Works with no cell service: interactive health assessment and 50+ visual how-to guides, available offline.
Location-specific risks: wildlife (bears, venomous snakes), hypothermia, frostbite, heat illness, altitude, ticks, poisonous plants, UV and smoke/air quality.
200+ prevention tips across 60+ medical topics, also available offline.
Built by wilderness medicine physicians: founded by Dr. Grant Lipman, former Stanford Emergency Medicine professor and director of its wilderness medicine fellowship; Chief Medical Officer Dr. Colin Little, MD, FAWM.

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Free to download. Premium features need a monthly or annual subscription after a 7-day free trial. GOES provides guidance. It is not a substitute for professional medical care. Follow official NPS rules and ranger instructions.

Other Glacier entrances

West EntranceOpen — road to Avalanche Creek
St. Mary EntranceOpen — road to Jackson Glacier Overlook

Glacier overview, closures and park-wide risks →

Sources

Where this week's information comes from

Fetched Thu Nov 12, 2026 (JST), which is Wed Nov 11 evening in US time zones. We don't publish wait times, bear sightings or conditions we can't source. Check the official pages before you go — they're updated more often than we are.