What a Glacier Park tour costs
Guided days in Glacier on GetYourGuide and Viator run from ~$70 to ~$250 a person, and most of that gap pays for who drives you and who feeds you. The two Tour Glacier driving days collect you in town and fold park entry and a picnic into the price. For the river trips and the nature walk, you make your own way to West Glacier. Below, each price is set against its hours, and then we add what the listing total leaves out.
Eleven tours in one table
These are regular "from" prices per adult, taking the lower figure where GetYourGuide and Viator differ. Date and group size can nudge them, so confirm on the listing.
| Tour | From | Length | Getting there | Food | Park entry | Free cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour Glacier summer driving tour (summer pick) | ~$250 | 6–7 h | Pickup in Kalispell, Whitefish or Columbia Falls | Picnic lunch | Included | 24 h |
| Tour Glacier winter driving tour (winter pick) | ~$250 | 5–6 h | Pickup in five towns, ski resort included | Picnic lunch, hot drinks | Included | 24 h |
| Glacier Guides morning nature walk | ~$70 | 4 h | Meet in West Glacier | Snacks | Not included | 24 h on Viator, 2 days on GetYourGuide |
| Glacier Raft Company scenic float | ~$77 | 2.5 h | Meet in West Glacier | Not included | Not needed | 24 h |
| Glacier Raft Company half-day whitewater | ~$77 | 2.5–3.5 h | Meet at the West Glacier office | Not included | Not needed | 24 h |
| Tour Glacier drive and snowshoe | ~$230 | 4–6 h | Pickup in Whitefish, Kalispell or Columbia Falls | Picnic lunch, coffee and cocoa | Included | 24 h |
| Full-day whitewater with lunch | ~$166 | 6 h | Meet in West Glacier | Riverside barbecue | Not needed | On the listing |
| Whitewater with dinner | ~$113 | About 3.5 h | Meet in West Glacier | Dinner | Not needed | On the listing |
| Shaka Guide Sun Road audio app | ~$10 per car | Your own pace | Your own car | None | You pay at the gate | On the listing |
| Glacier Hikes & Bikes Sun Road e-bike | ~$320 | 6–8 h | On the listing | Sandwich lunch | On the listing | On the listing |
| Privat Tours Worldwide private SUV | ~$1,499 per group | 5–8 h | Picks you up | On the listing | On the listing | On the listing |
Every main tour cancels free until 24 hours before the start, with one exception. The nature walk on GetYourGuide needs two days' notice, and it is also the only one of the six that GetYourGuide will not let you reserve now and pay later.
What the driving days include
Tour Glacier's west side summer tour, from ~$250, shares the top price with its winter sister and is the longest day of the six. Park entry is in the price, as is a picnic from Park Provisions with ciabatta sandwiches (vegetarian and gluten-free options). Its catch sits in the title, which says no Sun Road, so the day never climbs to Logan Pass. Guests rate the guides 5.0 on GetYourGuide but give value a 4.5, the softest score on the listing.
The winter driving tour, from ~$250, charges the same on Viator for 5–6 hours. Park entry and a picnic with hot drinks are covered, and pickups reach five places, including the Whitefish ski resort. The catch is the map, since snow limits the day to the lower valley.
Tour Glacier's drive and snowshoe day, from ~$230 on GetYourGuide, swaps part of the driving for about two hours on snowshoes in the park. The gear comes with it (snowshoes and poles, plus hand warmers), and so does a picnic with coffee or cocoa by McDonald Creek. Its catch is a short track record, with three reviews on GetYourGuide and 13 on Viator, one of those a single star.
Our two picks, one for each season
Price per hour
Divide each price by its hours and the ranking moves. The morning nature walk with Glacier Guides and Montana Raft, from ~$70, is the cheapest guided way into the park, at roughly half the hourly rate of a driving day. Two easy loops of about a mile (1.6 km) each fill the morning. The catch is what the price leaves out. You need your own park pass and your own way to West Glacier.
The scenic float from Glacier Raft Company (~$77 and up) costs the same as its half-day whitewater trip (~$77 and up). The float gives you about 2 hours on the Middle Fork out of 2.5. The whitewater trip lasts about 2.5 hours in June and stretches to about 3.5 from mid-August as the river drops, so a late-summer seat buys more river for the same money. Per hour, both land a little below the driving days, though you get neither lunch nor a pickup.
Two extras mark the ends of the range. Glacier Raft Company's deluxe full day (from ~$166) adds a morning float and a riverside barbecue lunch (bison burgers included) to the afternoon whitewater. Its catch is six hours for about twice the half-day price. Privat Tours Worldwide's private SUV day, from ~$1,499 per group of up to seven, puts your party in its own vehicle with its own guide for 5–8 hours. The catch is that only three reviews (all five stars) stand behind that price.
Same tour, two price tags
Four of the six main tours cost the same on both sites when we compared them. Two did not.
- Winter driving tour. ~$250 on Viator against about $253 on GetYourGuide;
- Drive and snowshoe. ~$230 on GetYourGuide against about $250 on Viator.
Tour Glacier's Viator pages add that the price varies with group size and group discounts apply, so enter your real party on both sites.
The cheapest guided morning inside the park
A Glacier Guides naturalist spends four hours leading two short loops in the Lake McDonald Valley and by the North Fork. Snacks and hiking poles are supplied, from ~$70. Bring your park pass, and on GetYourGuide cancel at least two days ahead.
What you pay on top
- Park entry. You pay it only when you bring your own car or book the nature walk. In recent summers a private vehicle paid about $35 for seven days, with a lower winter rate, and a US parks annual pass covers it. Non-US residents may face higher fees at the busiest parks, so check the park's current fees before you go;
- Tips. No listing includes them, and US guides expect them. A few dollars per person suits a short float, and a guide who spent the whole day with you deserves more;
- Rafting extras. Glacier Raft Company rents water shoes or booties for $7 once wetsuits are no longer needed. The half-day trips include no food, so eat before or after.
A family of four, added up
Take two adults and two children of 10 and 13 on a summer trip. Four seats on the west side tour cost four times ~$250. Lunch and park entry are already inside that figure, and tips come on top. The same family could raft the whitewater half day for four times ~$77 or a little less, since Viator shows youth rates for 12 and under. Add the nature walk next morning at four times ~$70 plus a park pass, and both outings still cost well under the one driving day, though you need a car for them.
Bring the same family back in winter and the bill barely moves. Four seats on the winter driving tour at ~$250 each cost what the summer day does, and lunch with hot drinks plus park entry sit inside that price again. The trade is a colder, shorter day that snow keeps to the lower valley.
For six or seven people, six seats on the summer tour come to about the private SUV's ~$1,499 for the whole group, so compare the two. Private and small-group Glacier tours sets them side by side, and our guide for seniors and families covers age limits and pace.
Booking early without risk
Free cancellation lets you hold seats well ahead, and Viator says travelers book the summer tour about 62 days out on average. The best time for a Glacier tour has the other lead times, and our guide to choosing a base shows whether a pickup saves you a rental car. If Logan Pass is the goal, start with the Going-to-the-Sun Road guide, because none of these tours crosses it.