Seattle to Glacier National Park by train, flight or road

Every option, compared

Door-to-door times (flights include the time at the airports). Fares are typical ranges from the cheapest seat to the premium one.

• Flight, Alaska, Seattle–Kalispell (FCA) + rental car to West Glacier: Basic-economy and low-cost fares usually charge for a checked bag ($35-45 each way); the budget fare includes one.
• Train, Amtrak Empire Builder, Seattle–West Glacier (overnight): One train a day each way: east from Seattle in the late afternoon, into Whitefish and West Glacier the next morning. The luxury tier is a roomette with meals. [EB]
• Private car, Rental car via I-90, Spokane and US-2, per vehicle: Best split with a night in Spokane or Sandpoint.

Booking links open the route on the country's transport booking site for trains, buses, boats and transfers, and a flight search for flights, dated about two weeks out; change the date there.

What it costs your group, one way

Fares × people; a private car is priced per car, one car per four people.

Once you’re in Glacier National Park

• Best time: July – mid-September
• Typical stay: 3 days
• November: Better avoided: From October to early June Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed past Lake McDonald Lodge on the west side and St. Mary on the east, the park lodges, shuttles and boat tours are shut, and snow covers the high trails. The road usually opens end to end in late June or July (22 June in 2026), and its alpine section closes on the third Monday of October, or earlier with snow. Plan a visit for July to mid-September; in winter the lower valleys are open for snowshoeing and skiing, with Whitefish as the base.

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