Montana National Parks Ranked High For Best Destinations

Each year millions of folks travel to both Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.

While the parks have some access all year long, there are certainly more "peak" times to enjoy all that both have to offer. And while they are just a few hours apart, both certainly have their own identity and beauty that makes them completely different than the other.

With Yellowstone, you have the history along with the abundant wildlife. Yellowstone is America's first national park and one of the most popular. The park is huge covering parts of two different states, while Glacier National Park is also quite large covering two different countries with the Canadian side named Waterton.

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We mentioned that both parks have limited access year-round, however, to enjoy them both in all of their glory, it seems that the summer months are the best time, according to some new data.

When is the best time to visit Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks?

According to U$Culture which broke down the best National Parks to visit each season, for those looking to take in either Yellowstone or Glacier National Parks, the best time to do that is between June through August. The data breaks down rankings in each season and for the summer months, Yellowstone ranks 1st on the list with Glacier coming in second.

The only issue with that?

Everyone and their brother want to visit the parks during that time which means that hotel rooms will be limited as well as camping spots. In 2023 over 4.5 million people visited Yellowstone while almost 3 million people visited Glacier. Of course, the majority of those visits happened during the summer months.

On a side note, Yellowstone also made the list of best parks to visit during the winter as well, coming in 7th place.

Personally, every time I've ever visited either park has been during the off-season. I'm not one for big crowds. I want to be able to enjoy the views without having 275 people cramped beside me all looking at the same thing. I've found if you go just before or right after the peak season, you can enjoy the parks with a smaller crowd, plus lodging is cheaper as well.

Check out this amazing list of national parks just outside of Montana below.