St Mary Campground - Glacier National Park — Glacier National Park

We camped in our van at a campsite. Site was easy to find

We stayed at B87 and A44 with our 19 foot camper van. Both sites were semi private, close the the restrooms. Bathrooms were ok sites were not shaded but you just can’t beat the location! Would definitely stay here again if we can’t get into MG.

Perfect location for alpine start at trails along GTTSR and at Logan Pass. Exactly 30 mins from Logan Pass without traffic. We stayed in site A14, which has a decent amount of privacy thanks to plenty of foliage (it's not one of the open sites) and sits on a'corner' with a trail running directly to the river. Fresh water right across the road and a bathroom and trash cans within a 2-minute walk. This loop is closest to the campground entrance, just a couple minutes from both the St Mary park entrance and Sun Road. It's also the furthest from the showers (loop C) and no generators are allowed, but that's what makes it the most peaceful loop here. Certainly not a secluded campground, but fantastic for the location and convenience.

There wasn't any shade, but it was good for September. The view was beautiful. The restrooms were clean. There were only two showers open for the whole campsite. Showers are located in the upper loop. The camp host was very helpful. 

There was a creepy man camping, who approached me several times inviting me to come back to his site with him. I had to pass his site every time I went to the restroom/shower. Please don't be a creeper! A reciprocated "good morning" doesn't mean anything more.

I stayed in B loop site 72 (which is all the way down before looping around) and the closest food locker was at least a .10th of a mile back towards the entrance. It was too far to walk back and forth with my things so I drove them. But in order to do that I had to go out then come back in since the road is one way. I found out later there was one closer near the bathrooms but it can’t be seen from the side I was staying on. Speaking of bathrooms, there was no soap - not even a dispenser. So everyone has no choice but to touch the door with their dirty hands. If this is done in light of bear presence, then there should at least be a panel on the bottom of the door to allow for the door to be opened with a foot.

Great NP campground with no hookups, NO GENERATOR RUNNING IN LOOP A, Big rigs go to loop C

We stayed here for a week in 2 different spots because it is so hard to get even one night. The campground is conveniently located on the edge of glacier national park. There are ranger talks in the campground every night.

According to the NPS website, this campground is closed for 2021.

Gorgeous views, and a fox even visited our campground! There are actual bathrooms at this campground, with sinks and running water. Our site had a picnic table and a fire pit. We tent camped while we were here (August), and this was one of the few campgrounds which would allow it, as bears had been spotted in a few of the other campgrounds recently. There was a general store nearby, which sold firewood and basic food items, along with the typical kitschy souvenirs. I can’t wait to visit again!

We stayed at St. Mary's for 1 night, then got up early the next day and found a spot with a tree at Rising sun. Many of the tent sites at St. Mary's are out in the OPEN prairie and so very blazing hot in July and August. Remember the sun doesn't set up here until 10pm. Our neighbors washed dishes IN THE fresh water spout, DON'T DO THIS, gross and you might kill me. I also saw people washing in the RV dump room, DON'T DO THIS, gross and you might kill yourself. Showers were hot and pretty clean. Camp hosts were super kind and helpful. Be sure to eat at Johnson's of St. Mary's. Fried Chicken and Good Soup are AMAZING after a 10 mi hike. I don't have a picture because I was so miserable roasting in the throws of Hades.

Honestly, I probably will not stay on this side of the park when I return to Glacier. The campsites were very rocky and uneven. There were pads for tents but unless you have a very small tent, it's not going to fit. Add to that, the area is very exposed to winds and dramatic weather changes. The entire time we were there (early July), it never got out of the upper 40's whereas the west side of the park was in the 70's.

The bathrooms were just okay, could use an update.

They had new bear boxes for every 3-4 sites this year. Make sure your camp is bear proof at all times. We had great luck fishing at St Mary Lake from the shore. 28” lake trout and 35” burbot among others. 

One issue we had was finding firewood to buy. They were sold out at the local stores for 4 of 5 days we were there. Would’ve brought our own, but it is very strict to not bring outside wood in and not pick up from the ground. 

Make sure to go after June 20th or so because the going to the sun road will be open. It opened a few days after we left. Quite the drive around if you’re coming from Idaho/Washington side wanting to go to east glacier. On the other hand, because of the road being closed we didn’t have near the traffic as lake McDonald did when we were traveling through. 

We brought our dog, but because of him we couldn’t do any hiking. Still were a lot of different roadways to explore. Every corner held a new breathtaking view.

Overall nice campground and typical a national park. Our site had no shade and felt very exposed (A loop was better) but we enjoyed the proximity to the visitors center and ability to walk to the shuttle.

We loved our stay here in early June. We had site C101, which had one of the best views in the C loop! Bathrooms and showers were nearby, and the area was very quiet and peaceful. The location is great, right by St. Mary Lake. There are plenty of hikes and views nearby. We even saw a bear on the road outside of the campground! We can’t wait to go back.

This is a smaller campground on the east end of the GTTS road. Close to St Mary where there are some amenities. In the shoulder season this campground is open to primitive camping.

Large campground, close to services and inside park. Much exposed to the wind, which can be brutal. Little scenery. Fire pits, water access and toilets. A couple miles to all services, quick access to going to the sun road. Not a favorite of mine but when you need to get a spot to camp, this beats not having one.

The campsites are a little small but they do the job. We camped here in June and had frost on our tent in the morning. They do have nice showers with warm water which was a plus because at the time of year we went the showers at Many Glacier weren't open yet. Bathrooms were nice but we did have to clean so poop and ants away before we could set up camp. All and all I would stay here again. Definatly take the drive and hike St. Marys falls and if you do make sure you go all the way to the top. Soo worth it!

Beautiful views, close to the going to the sun road, several lakes. Just awesome all around!

The sites are small, and some have very little - if any - privacy. But views are outstanding! Each loop has flush toilets and a dumping station (for dish water and portable toilets). Only loop C has showers, but very easily walkable from B via the path. Loop A was closed when we were there in late June 2018. Evening ranger programs every night in the summer. I’d definitely camp here again. Photos below were taken from the campground.

We stayed one night at this campground while on a 10 day camping road trip through US national parks. It’s on the eastern side of Glacier National Park. The campground is open year round and is easily accessible. We stayed overnight on May 22 which was still considered off season so the nightly rate was discounted. Furthermore, since the campground is owned by the national park service, I got even more of a discount with my national parks annual pass. It only cost us 5 dollars to spend the night. The campground is in an open meadow near the St. Mary entrance to the park and has views of the glacial peaks. Just be prepared to feel out in the open and to meet your campground neighbors. If you want to feel alone in nature this probably isn’t the campground for you. The campground has flushing toilets, sinks with running water, and a shower (much appreciated after five days of car camping).

The campground is fine but The time we visit the park was not such a great choice, full of smoke and fire. If you want to see the nature in its beauty you definitely should try it and dont forget the pepper spary.

One of the most scenic places to stay overnight with the view of St.Marys lake right in front of you! Hikes nearby are Gunsight pass and Virgina Falls and Rising Sun Campground is tight around the corner! Popular site to stay in the summer due to tourist hiking and backpacking.

This is a big National Park campground that will fill up every day in the summer. It is close to the park boundary so you get the best of both worlds...civilization and the park’s beauty. We spent all day hiking nearby so didn’t spend much time in the campground. It is busy but was clean. We used the shuttle so we didn’t have to worry about driving and parking. We stayed in the tents loop, nice and far from RV land.

Don't get me wrong, it's hard to be critical about anything related to Glacier National Park. I absolutely love that place. St. Mary Campground was a little bit of a buzzkill for campers looking for solitude and epic scenery. Most of the mountains are obstructed by trees, our sky view had a power line running through it, and it was a bit noisy. However, it is arguably the best location on the east side of the park to start your adventure up Going To The Sun Road. The rangers were very friendly. Up the road, there is a couple bars, gas station. PS: Don't buy Going To The Sun Beer unless you're just into the novelty. I gave it a shot and it was eh...

Some of the bigger National Parks out west have free shuttle bus services and Glacier’s runs right to this campground so you can access day hiking without having to drive and park. Being close to the entrance means you can easily head into town for restaurants, grocery, etc. Pros: tons of hiking, beautiful area with a stream nearby, generally very private and generous campsites, ranger talks, ease of travel via shuttle, clean, good value. Cons: you need reservations in the summer, some bear activity, no tent-only sections, no showers (as of 2009). Bring your passport to hop over into the equivalent Canadian park.

My wife and I entered this area of the park from the Jackson Glacier Overlook. Hiked in about 6 miles to the Gunsight Campground. Beautiful water falls along the trail at the start. Keep an eye out for bears and moose. The Gunsight campground had about 6 or 7 tent pads large enough to accommodate two tents if needed. There is a pole to hang your bear bag from and a designated cooking area and pit toilet. It was very very windy when we were there. The camp is right near an alpine lake fed from the snowmelt so you have great tasting fresh water (treated it with a steripen). Very comfortable site!