Apgar Campground, on the west side of Glacier National Park, goes to free winter camping on November 1 and stays that way through March 31. The catch is the pass: the park lists the sites as “free with a valid entrance pass,” and a winter vehicle pass is $25 for seven days. On the east side, St. Mary Campground closes to all camping from January 1 to June 30, 2027 for construction, so its season ends at New Year’s this time.
The campground details come from Glacier’s campground data, which the park publishes on its reservation campgrounds page. Read October 21, 2026, along with the other park pages linked below.
Apgar through the winter
- Now through October 31: primitive status, $20 a night. No potable water, no dump station, comfort stations closed, vault toilets only.
- November 1 to March 31: winter status. “Sites are free with a valid entrance pass.” Still no water and no dump station, and the comfort stations stay closed. No reservation needed in winter.
Apgar has 194 sites, and 25 of them take an RV or truck and trailer up to 40 feet. The park’s winter page says Going-to-the-Sun Road is plowed from West Glacier to Lake McDonald Lodge year-round, weather permitting, and that the Apgar Visitor Center restrooms stay open all winter. That page was last updated in December 2023, so check it against current conditions.
One gap: the data runs Apgar’s fall and winter primitive season to April 18, 2027, but only calls November 1 to March 31 free. It doesn’t say what early April costs. Ask before you count on free.
The pass math
The fees page puts the private vehicle pass at $25 from November 1 to April 30, good for seven days. If you don’t hold a pass, a week at Apgar costs $25, about $3.57 a night, against $20 a night in October. If you already carry an annual Glacier pass or an America the Beautiful pass, the site costs nothing.
The compendium caps camping in the park at 30 days between Labor Day and June 30, counted across separate stays. The camping information page adds that sites may not be left unattended for more than 24 hours, and hookups are prohibited.
St. Mary
St. Mary is in primitive status at $20 a night through December 31, 2026. The park’s data also lists a $0 “winter status” but doesn’t say when it starts, so we can’t tell you whether St. Mary goes free before it closes. Then: “All sites in St. Mary Campground will be closed to camping from January 1, 2027–June 30, 2027 due to construction.” The same data still lists a spring primitive season from April 18 to May 21, 2027, inside that window. The closure statement is the more specific one. Treat St. Mary as shut until July.
Everything else
Per the same data, Many Glacier closed October 20, Quartz Creek closes October 23, and Bowman Lake and Kintla Lake end their primitive seasons October 31. Two Medicine and Logging Creek are closed for 2026.
Before you go
Carry all your water and plan your power with no hookups. Our winter daylight and battery sizing piece and the solar calculator cover the math. Buy the pass before you pull into the loop. The posted sign at the campground and the ranger’s word beat this page. For free camping outside the park, start with our Montana page.