How Crowded Is Glacier National Park in October?

October runs about 0.4× Glacier National Park's average month, which makes it a very quiet month here — roughly 4% of the park's yearly visitors come in October.

In a typical October the park sees about 110,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes October the 6th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (3.3×) and the February low (0.1×).

On our Best Time to Visit score October rates 48/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated May at 67/100 — best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight.

Typical October weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 52°F and an overnight low around 33°F, with about 3.1" of precipitation and roughly 2" of snow.

That average of about 42°F is cool, so layers and a shorter daylight window matter.

Because June, July and August together draw about 69% of annual visitors, choosing October instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 10.5 hours of daylight in October to explore — between the 8.1-hour midwinter low and the 15.9-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 3,136,557 recreation visits, down 2.3% from 3,208,755 in 2024.