St. Mary Campground

Location

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK P.O. BOX 128
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Policies

Check-in

12:30 PM

Check-out

12:00 PM

Max stay

14 nights

Pets

Allowed (per listing)

Campfires

Allowed (per listing)

About

St. Mary Campground sits just inside the east side of Glacier National Park, roughly a half-mile west of the St. Mary entrance and a short drive off U.S. Highway 89 (about 33 miles northwest of Browning, Montana) or over Logan Pass when that road is open seasonally. As the largest campground on the park's east side, it contains a total of 141 campsites (all configured to serve both RVs and tents), arranged in three loops: Loop A has 40 sites, Loop B has 50 sites, and Loop C has 51 sites. The campground is reservation-only during the peak season; vehicle restrictions apply on park roads and the Going-to-the-Sun Road, and current fees, reservation windows and any off-season camping rules are listed on the Glacier National Park website. Practical amenities inside the loop include potable water and restrooms with flush toilets and sinks, and the St. Mary Visitor Center about a half-mile away runs interpretive programs, shuttle service and the historic Red Bus tours that depart from the center. The setting is open and high-elevation compared with many west-side trailheads: shade is limited to clumps of aspen that flash yellow in fall, while Singleshot, East Flattop and Red Eagle Mountains form a rugged skyline above the campsite. St. Mary Lake lies nearby and provides cool, scenic shoreline views (the water is often very cold and can be rough, so swimming isn't generally recommended), and many of the park's best day hikes are accessed from trailheads on this east side where you typically start higher and gain less elevation to reach alpine viewpoints. From camp you have easy access to parkwide activities auto touring on Going-to-the-Sun Road, hiking, biking, boating/paddling and fishing, plus visits to historic chalets and cultural sites while services such as restaurants, a camp store, gas and groceries are available a couple of miles down the road outside the park. For broader explorations, the Waterton Lakes area across the Canadian border and the Blackfeet Nation and its Museum of the Plains Indian just east of the park are within straightforward reach.