Staying in the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn – Glacier National Park Review
Built in 1933, the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn is located in the heart of the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park, Montana and offers both motel rooms and cabins for park guests. With its prime location, rustic charm, and a plethora of outdoor activities at your doorstep, this motel is an good spot for those seeking a getaway in the heart of nature, with a somewhat reasonable price tag. I stayed at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, in the motel rooms, for two nights, and I’ll give you my personal, HONEST review of what it’s like to stay at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn in Glacier National Park.
IMPORTANT: The Swiftcurrent Motor Inn is CLOSED for the Summer 2025 season for remodeling. So if you’re planning on staying here next summer or beyond, things will likely look a lot different!
Quick history on the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn
The Swiftcurrent Motor Inn was built in 1933 as a cheaper alternatvie to the nearby fancy lodges, like the Many Glacier hotel. This was a way to make lodging in the park more accessible to your average, middle class traveler, offering simple rooms with few amenities, but still giving access to the incredible trails in the area.
Location of the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn:
The location of the Swiftcurrent Lodge in Glacier National Park is fantastic – it’s located right in the heart of the Many Glacier area, with access to the most popular trailheads within walking distance. So if you want to hike Swiftcurrent Pass, Iceberg Lake, Grinnell Glacier, etc., you’ll have easy access to these trailheads without having to worry about finding parking.
It’s located one mile from the famous Many Glacier hotel.
Additionally, Glacier National Park has instituted a vehicle pass to access the Many Glacier area – these vehicle passes need to be purchased in advance. The vehicle passes are in effect from 6am – 3pm, so in order to access this area, you will need to have a pass.
However, if you’re staying in any of the lodging spots in the Many Glacier area, including the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, you can come and go as you please in this area. You will not need a pass!
Because the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn has such an amazing location, we did a quick hike our first night here out to Red Rock Falls in the early evening – the trailhead was just steps away from our room. Also, you’ll have easy access to Fishercap Lake, which is known to be a popular hangout spot for moose!
How much does it cost to stay at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn?
Comparably speaking, rooms at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn are quite a bit cheaper than staying in your typical National Park lodging, however, for what you get (which is a bare-bones room), the price is still pretty high. You’re paying for the location here, which is pretty valuable, especially if you want to tackle any of the amazing hikes in the area. Expect to pay about $140-170 a night here, depending on room type, as of 2023. Compare that to the Many Glacier hotel, where rooms can cost about double!
Making a Reservation at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn
It’s not easy to get a reservation at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. This area of the park is only open during the short summer season. Reservations open up a year in advance, and if you want specific dates for multiple nights, you have to book early.
Check here for availability through Xanterra.
If you don’t book early, you can always check for cancellations – that’s how I scored two nights here just two weeks before my trip! Make sure to check the site multiple times a day for cancellations.
Also, it’s easier to get a cabin vs. a room at the inn – probably because most of the cabins do not have bathrooms.
Rooms at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn
Two types of lodging are available at Swiftcurrent – motel-style rooms and cabins. We stayed in a motel room in the motor inn, so this review will cover that type of accommodation.
The motel rooms are simple but pretty decent. All of the rooms are exterior-facing, so you can park right outside your room and easily unload your belongings. Our room had two beds, a and bathroom with shower. It was smaller than your average US hotel room, but we still had enough space for 3 adults.
The bathroom was nice, the shower was lovely, and they did provide shampoo, conditioner and body wash (if you like this stuff, you can buy it in the gift shop. I really liked it but felt the prices were way too high). There is no TV in the room, but you will find a chest of drawers, a small desk, table and chairs, and a little Keurig coffee pot.
The rooms are not air-conditioned, but they do provide you with a fan. We stayed in early July and had highs in the mid-70s, and our room never got too warm. The fan did help at night though, just keeping the air moving.
The beds were comfortable, everything was quiet at night despite having so many other guests staying in the nearby accommodations.
Wifi is not available in the rooms and you will not have any sort of cellular data signal. Wifi is available at the restaurant, lobby, and gift shop, which is a short walk away, but it’s not very fast or reliable. You’re kind off the grid here, which I don’t like!
“Everyone” always says, “Oh!! You’re in NATURE!! Enjoy it!! You don’t need wifi! You don’t need to be connected!”
Well, I do. I like being connected. I like relaxing with my phone after a day of adventures, looking up stuff on a hike I just did or posting photos on social media to share with friends and family. I enjoy this. I hate how judgemental people are about wifi in National Park areas – if you want to be disconnected, put your goddamn phone on airplane mode and leave the rest of us alone! (And judging by how many other guests were hanging out around the lobby and shop, glued to their phones, I’m not in the minority here!)
Amenities
Like I said above, Wifi is only available in the common area, and it’s a feat to actually get a signal. If you really need a connection, if you drive out to the village of St. Mary (about 45 minutes one way!), you can use up all the wifi you want, as cell data and wifi is in abundance there.
There is a gift shop on premises, selling your typical Glacier National Park souvenirs (t-shirts, hats, magnets, coffee mugs), a small selection of groceries, camping supplies, and also has a soft serve ice cream machine and drip coffee for sale.
A restaurant is also on-site, but we did not dine there. Restaurants and US National Parks are never very good and even without dining here myself, I’ll bet you $10 that “Nells'” is no exception.
The lobby is pretty nice with some comfy seating but if you’re expecting the grandeur of a typical National Park Lodge lobby, you’ll be sorely disappointed. This one is pretty bare bones.
Final Thoughts – Is Staying at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn worth it?
Yes! I actually enjoyed my stay here much more than I did when I stayed at the Many Glacier hotel. I thought it was much more convenient to the hiking trails I wanted to do (remember, the Many Glacier hotel is a mile away from this motel), I thought the room was nicer than what I got at Many Glacier, despite it being cheaper. I would absolutely stay here again!
Have you stayed at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn? Tell me about your experience in the comments!
