Glacier vs. Yellowstone: A National Park Showdown For The 50+ Traveler

Since both Yellowstone and Glacier are fabulous travel options for many over 50, choosing between the two requires an exercise in knowing thyself. Take the time to think about what you enjoy the most, and what you can and want to do physically.

Bucket List Entries

Many people have included both Glacier and Yellowstone on their travel bucket lists. Both National Parks are categorized as premiere (along with Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion, Acadia, and Denali) because of their dramatic landscapes, scenic drives, extensive hiking options, abundant wildlife, and diverse experiences.

But what if you could only visit one, which would you choose?

Yellowstone Or Glacier?

Distances Are Great

On a map, the two Parks look pretty close to each other so you might think you can visit both in a week. You can. But, it would be a drive-thru experience because the distances across each park and between them is vast. Maps can be deceiving.

• Plan on 2.5-4 hours travel time from Old Faithful Geyser to Lamar Valley (an area in Yellowstone known for extensive wildlife) depending on traffic, bison crossings, and quick pic stops. With 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone key attractions are a distance from each other.

• It took us 6 hours to drive from the Roosevelt Arch at Yellowstone's North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana to the Glacier Park Lodge (a.k.a. Big Tree Lodge) located at the southeast corner of Glacier NP. This corner of Montana is all plains, so the ride is beautiful but menotonous. And, after 6 hours, you’re not even there yet—Glacier Park Lodge is still a full hour south of Glacier Park’s Main East Entrance at St. Mary’s, Montana.

Time And Money Budgets

The reality is that many of us over 50 have a travel bucket list, but also have restrictions on how much time we can be away from home and our responsibilities, and how much we can spend on a trip.

Travel has become very expensive, particularly if a flight and car rental is involved. And staying inside premiere National Parks is limited and, therefore, not cheap. That said, I’d consider cutting a trip short by a day or two if it meant I could stay inside either of these Parks and still maintain my budget. The convenience, including not dealing with Park entrance lines daily, is significant. Plus, in some cases you are hours closer to Park features vs. staying outside the entrances.

Choosing The Park That Fits You

Depending on a number of factors, one of these two Parks might be a better fit than the other for you. They are quite different from each other in terms of scenery, wildlife, hiking options, crowd levels, lodging options, food, and more.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the differences between the two. Choose your adventure. Choose your chaos level.

Scenery

Glacier offers jaw-dropping, soul-stirring, sit-and-stare-for-long-moments beauty. The scenery is the kind that makes you quiet and contemplative before reaching for your phone.

At Glacier NP, everywhere you look is picture perfect including this overlook from Going-To-The-Sun Road. (Photo: Edie Kramer)

With over half the world's geysers, hot springs, and mud pots, Yellowstone offers landscapes that seem otherworldly. In addition to Old Faithful, the Park has other geysers that erupt, and areas where mud bubbles. The Park boasts the smell of sulfur, and you’ll see “Danger!” signs near hot springs for the dim-witted.

Yellowstone, our nation’s first National Park, is known for its geothermal features. Boardwalks, like in Upper Geyser Basin (above), have been built for safely viewing geysers, mud pots, and hot springs, protecting visitors from scalding water and preserving fragile ecosystems from foot traffic. (Photo: Edie Kramer)

Winner: Glacier
Yellowstone entertains you. Glacier humbles you.

Wildlife

Glacier has mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, and grizzlies—usually at a respectful distance. On hikes you absolutely must carry bear spray and the east area hikes along lakes are known for moose sightings.

Grizzly in a roadside field near the West Entrance of Glacier National Park. (Photo: Erik Kramer)

In Yellowstone, bison are everywhere. In grassy fields. Lounging along the side of the road. Standing in the road. In parking lots. In large groups across Lamar Valley. We also saw elk (many at Mammoth Hot Springs) and grizzlies.

Bull elk during the autumn mating season (rut) at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park. (Photo: Edie Kramer)

Winner: Yellowstone
More animals, more drama, more “please stay in your car” announcements from park rangers. Like magic, rangers mysteriously appear at the right moment (when stupid people are starting to act, well, stupid.)

Crowds

Glacier is busy, particularly along the Going-To-The-Sun road (literally, the only road that crosses the Park.) The crowds however are often fleeting. Cars pull off where there are designated spaces, take a few pictures, stand in awe for a few moments, then get back in their car, and leave. Since the vast majority of visitors enter Glacier via the West Entrance where there are a number of towns and infrastructure outside the gate, a timed reservation was required through the 2025 season. In contrast, since few visitors use the main East Entrance, entry reservations were not required. If you stayed overnight in the Park, you could enter at any time during your stay. I’ve heard rules are changing starting in 2026 but have not seen anything concrete as of this article posting.

Logan Pass in early October, a few days before Glacier NP closed for the season. Typically, this parking lot is full, with cars circling for a space due to several popular trailheads. (Photo: Edie Kramer)

Even during shoulder season, Yellowstone crowds are impressive. You’re in the middle of nowhere, and then there’s a traffic jam due to a wildlife sighting. Literally 20 cars are at a sudden standstill in the middle of nowhere. Lamar Valley comes to mind because of the bison. The boardwalks around the thermal features can get jammed with people stopping to take photos. There are few places where you are alone.

Wildlife spotting in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, is common resulting in periodic traffic jams. (Photo: Edie Kramer)

Winner: Glacier
Fewer people with the exception of Logan Pass and some key spots around the midway part of the Going-To-The-Sun road. Hikes (and their respective parking areas) near the popular West Entrance can get crowded.

Driving

Glacier has just over 1 million acres and only one epic road (Going-to-the-Sun) that cuts across the Park. There is no other road. Much of the Park is accessible by foot only. Going-to-the-Sun is single-lane each way. Cars heading west hug the cliffs, cars heading east see sheer drops to the valley here and there, and both directions experience a number of switchbacks. It’s thrilling and unbelievably scenic (you’ve never seen anything like it.) The best way to enjoy it the first time is to spend the day on a roundtrip Red Bus Tour. Then decide if you want to drive the road yourself (and remember, it will likely be a round-trip voyage.)

Riding along the Going-To-The-Sun Road in Glacier National Park before we hit all the hairpin turns. (Photo: Erik Kramer)

Unlike Glacier, Yellowstone offers a number of well-paved driving routes that criss-cross the 2.2 million acre Park. I found myself thinking, “Are we still in the Park?” between key Park destinations because of the Park’s sheer size.

All the roads in Yellowstone NP are well-maintained and very easy to drive. Just look out for wildlife crossing! (Photo: Edie Kramer)

Winner: Tied
Glacier has fewer miles, and more payoff. Yellowstone offers calmer drives and more daily roadtrip options.

Hiking (50+ Reality Check)

Glacier offers a number of short hikes that deliver enormous views and potential wildlife sightings. You can stop often and nobody judges. In fact, on one hike, we walked slowly and stopped occasionally due to recent hip replacement surgery. One couple walked with us for several miles and another man stopped to chat and show us wildlife pics he had just taken on the trail. Civilized hiking!

Grinnell Lake Trail is a scenic, moderate hike on the east side of Glacier NP that starts near the shoreline of Swiftcurrent Lake (near Many Glacier Hotel.) Part of it runs along Lake Josephine (shown above). (Photo: Edie Kramer)

Although there’s plenty of hiking in Yellowstone, including boardwalks and easy trails, the Park is more about the thermal activity and wildlife. It doesn’t have the same “wow” moments per step as Glacier.

Winner: Glacier
Maximum beauty per hike.

Lodging & Food

Glacier offers historic lodges—Many Glacier Lodge in the east; Lake McDonald Lodge in the west. Both had beautiful locations (close to key hikes) and quiet evenings.

Many Glacier Hotel near the East Entrance of Glacier NP is near several moderate, scenic hikes. (Photo: Edie Kramer)

Many Glacier Hotel’s rooms are basic and could use some updates. Our room had the sink in the main room, not the bathroom. Laundry facilities, we were told, are on the other side of the Park (i.e., 3 hours away) and workers ship laundry out weekly. Stay here for the best hiking options, but manage your expectations about the room. Drinks on the deck at the end of the day are fun (and windy!)

Lake McDonald Lodge near the West Entrance of Glacier NP, offers convenience and the best amenities in the Park. Boat tours and watercraft rentals are available. (Photo: Edie Kramer)

Lake McDonald Lodge rooms and common areas were better appointed than Many Glacier Lodge. Think cozy (small) but comfortable.

Yellowstone also offers several historic lodges plus a few other options (more camping areas, a few motels) throughout the Park. There’s more infrastructure than at Glacier.

Old Faithful Inn offers free tours of its public areas daily including the lobby (shown above). Guest rooms, service levels, and the restaurant are sub-par. (Photo: Edie Kramer)

Old Faithful Inn is a big disappointment—room condition, staffing, restaurant, and coffee bar. We are not terribly picky but found the food at the hotel restaurant (buffet-only) was simply awful. And we heard this same feedback from others we met during our trip. The hotel was also grossly understaffed. No WI-FI (yet a sister hotel a short walk away had it.) You can take a free tour of the impressive main rooms, but stay elsewhere. It’s not worth the price.

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Yellowstone NP, offers beautifully appointed rooms and the location is the most convenient for seeing Mammoth Hot Springs as well as Lamar Valley and northern Yellowstone areas. (Photo: Edie Kramer)

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel is a true gem. Beautifully appointed rooms, good level of staffing, small menu but decent food offerings. Modern conveniences with historic touches throughout the hotel. Stay here.

Another historic hotel to consider is Yellowstone Lake Lodge. We ate lunch there one afternoon and the food was fabulous. Common areas are well-appointed. I can’t say anything about the rooms since we did not stay there. I thought it would be too far away from other key areas in the Park (as compared to Old Faithful Inn) but after visiting and driving a number of days in the Park, I think it would be a good place to stay for a few days instead of the Old Faithful area. Ideally, you can split your lodging between Yellowstone Lake Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs.

Food

At Glacier NP, full meals are only available in the hotel restaurants (main dining and the hotel bar.) We found the meals at both Glacier hotels good.

Yellowstone has a few more options than the restaurants in the historic hotels. For example, there’s a cafeteria at Canyon Village and General Stores with prepackaged items near most lodging including campsites. However, as we visited in late September/early October, some of these stores were already closed.

Important: Unless you are spending the day at a hotel, buy a pre-packaged sandwich or snack at the hotel or nearby general store. Don’t expect a lot of choices. Plan ahead or go hungry. Always pack snacks and lunch. Always pack lots of water.

Making Hotel Reservations

All Hotels inside both Glacier and Yellowstone are made through Xanterra, an independent concessionaire, often 13 months in advance. They charge a 10% processing fee.

As of this posting, openings release on the 5th of each month for the following year. Use their websites for online booking, but also check Recreation.gov for other options including last-minute deals due to cancellations. 

Winner: Tied
For Yellowstone, book Mammoth Hot Springs and Yellowstone Lake Lodge, and skip Old Faithful Inn no matter how tempting. For Glacier, book Lake McDonald and if you are planning to hike, Many Glacier Hotel. All of these hotels book a year in advance. When we can, we stay inside National Parks because it is hugely convenient. You can stay outside the Parks but you’ll need to plan on a lot more driving in many cases.

The Honest Bottom Line

Glacier is like a deep breath you didn’t realize you needed. It’s quiet, powerful, and transformative. Glacier doesn’t ask you to keep up. It invites you to slow down—and somehow delivers more because of it. Think depth over drama.

Yellowstone is like a spectacular science museum. It’s fascinating, busy, unforgettable—and occasionally overwhelming. You’ll experience unmatched wildlife viewing, and there are easy walks (including boardwalks around many of the geological features.) Think lots of action.

Neither choice is wrong. But one of them probably fits who you are right now far better than the other.