Next 7 departures
- TueOct 13
HighFreezing, 19°F near Deer Lodge around 8:45 AM MDT. Also at 3 other checkpoints.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Bozeman7 AM MDT Areas fog27°F Homestake Pass8 AM MDT Partly sunny22°F Deer Lodge8:45 AM MDT Areas fog19°F Seeley Lake10:15 AM MDT Areas fog29°F Swan Lake11 AM MDT Partly sunny37°F West Glacier12 PM MDT Sunny41°F - WedOct 14
CautionFreezing, 24°F near Bozeman around 7 AM MDT. Also at 3 other checkpoints.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Bozeman7 AM MDT Mostly sunny24°F Homestake Pass8 AM MDT Mostly sunny23°F Deer Lodge8:45 AM MDT Patchy fog21°F Seeley Lake10:15 AM MDT Mostly sunny29°F Swan Lake11 AM MDT Mostly sunny41°F West Glacier12 PM MDT Mostly sunny46°F - ThuOct 15
CautionFreezing, 29°F near Homestake Pass around 8 AM MDT. Also at 1 other checkpoint.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Bozeman7 AM MDT Mostly sunny33°F Homestake Pass8 AM MDT Sunny29°F Deer Lodge8:45 AM MDT Areas fog27°F Seeley Lake10:15 AM MDT Mostly sunny34°F Swan Lake11 AM MDT Mostly sunny44°F West Glacier12 PM MDT Mostly sunny52°F - FriOct 16
CautionFreezing, 32°F near Bozeman around 7 AM MDT. Also at 2 other checkpoints.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Bozeman7 AM MDT Mostly sunny32°F Homestake Pass8 AM MDT Mostly sunny32°F Deer Lodge8:45 AM MDT Mostly sunny29°F Seeley Lake10:15 AM MDT Mostly sunny35°F Swan Lake11 AM MDT Mostly sunny48°F West Glacier12 PM MDT Mostly sunny53°F - SatOct 17
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 34–56°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Bozeman7 AM MDT Mostly sunny39°F Homestake Pass8 AM MDT Mostly sunny37°F Deer Lodge8:45 AM MDT Mostly sunny34°F Seeley Lake10:15 AM MDT Mostly sunny39°F Swan Lake11 AM MDT Mostly sunny53°F West Glacier12 PM MDT Mostly sunny56°F - SunOct 18
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 34–53°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Bozeman7 AM MDT Mostly sunny40°F Homestake Pass8 AM MDT Mostly sunny37°F Deer Lodge8:45 AM MDT Mostly sunny34°F Seeley Lake10:15 AM MDT Partly sunny38°F Swan Lake11 AM MDT Partly sunny48°F West Glacier12 PM MDT Partly sunny53°F - MonOct 19
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 34–50°F along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Bozeman7 AM MDT Mostly sunny42°F Homestake Pass8 AM MDT Mostly sunny38°F Deer Lodge8:45 AM MDT Mostly sunny34°F Seeley Lake10:15 AM MDT Partly sunny37°F Swan Lake11 AM MDT Slight chance of light rain46°F West Glacier12 PM MDT Chance of light rain50°F
The worst conditions expected at any checkpoint, timed to when you would reach it driving without stops. Levels use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.
The route, stop by stop
Checkpoints in order, with driving time from Bozeman (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.
- Bozeman, MTStart 4,823 ftelevation
- Homestake Pass, MTMountain pass · Mile 75 · 1 h 4 min 6,428 ftelevation
- Deer Lodge, MTMile 121 · 1 h 42 min 4,567 ftelevation
- Seeley Lake, MTMile 217 · 3 h 10 min 4,014 ftelevation
- Swan Lake, MTMile 273 · 4 h 2 min 3,099 ftelevation
- West Glacier, MTMile 329 · 5 h 3,210 ftelevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and days with an inch or more of snow, at Bozeman, Homestake Pass and West Glacier.
| Month | Bozeman 4,913 ft | Homestake Pass Butte Airport station · 5,506 ft | West Glacier W Glacier station · 3,148 ft | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °F | Snow days | High / low °F | High / low °F | Snow days | |
| Jan | 34° / 15° | 4.1 | 32° / 8° | 30° / 19° | 9.2 |
| Feb | 37° / 17° | 3.9 | 35° / 10° | 34° / 19° | 6.8 |
| Mar | 46° / 24° | 4.5 | 44° / 19° | 43° / 25° | 4.4 |
| Apr | 55° / 31° | 4.0 | 51° / 26° | 53° / 31° | 1.2 |
| May | 63° / 39° | 0.9 | 61° / 34° | 64° / 39° | 0.3 |
| Jun | 72° / 46° | 0.1 | 70° / 41° | 70° / 45° | 0 |
| Jul | 82° / 52° | 0 | 81° / 46° | 80° / 50° | 0 |
| Aug | 81° / 50° | 0 | 80° / 44° | 79° / 48° | 0 |
| Sep | 71° / 42° | 0.1 | 69° / 37° | 68° / 41° | 0 |
| Oct | 57° / 32° | 1.8 | 54° / 27° | 52° / 33° | 0.7 |
| Nov | 42° / 22° | 4.1 | 40° / 16° | 37° / 26° | 5.3 |
| Dec | 33° / 15° | 5.1 | 31° / 7° | 29° / 20° | 9.5 |
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020: BOZEMAN MONTANA STATE UNIV (USC00241044, 4,913 ft); BUTTE BERT MOONEY AP (USW00024135, 5,506 ft); W GLACIER (USC00248809, 3,148 ft). Snow days are days with at least 1 inch of new snow. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.
Road conditions
Closures and chain rules change by the hour, so we link to the official reports for Montana rather than repeat them.
- Montana · MDT511MT road conditions
Check the official National Weather Service forecast and each state's road report before you leave.
Get alerts timed to where you’ll be when you get there
Road Travel plans the drive from Bozeman to West Glacier with the forecast at every stretch for the hour you’ll reach it, then warns you about weather ahead while you drive.
Questions about this drive
How long is the drive from Bozeman to West Glacier?
329 miles, about 5 hours of driving without stops, by way of I-90 and MT-83. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
What is the highest point on the drive?
Homestake Pass, at 6,428 ft. It comes at mile 75, about 1 h 4 min of driving after you leave Bozeman.
How cold is Homestake Pass in January?
The nearest long-term NOAA station, Butte Airport (5,506 ft), averages a high of 32°F and a low of 8°F in January (1991–2020 normals).
How cold is West Glacier in January?
The nearest long-term NOAA station, W Glacier (3,148 ft), averages a high of 30°F and a low of 19°F in January (1991–2020 normals).