Jammer drivers on the Red Buses, boat-tour guides on the lakes, hiking guides on the Highline, and lodge staff at Many Glacier — a lot of Glacier’s magic comes from people who work for tips. Here’s who to tip and how much.
Glacier National Park is a park of guided experiences: the iconic Red Bus “jammer” tours over Going-to-the-Sun Road, boat tours on Lake McDonald and Swiftcurrent, guided hikes, and the grand historic lodges at Many Glacier and Lake McDonald. These guides, drivers and hospitality workers rely on gratuities — and in a park this remote, with long stretches of no service, a phone tip is often the only practical way to leave one.
| Who | Customary tip | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Red Bus (jammer) driver | $5–$10 per person | For a half- or full-day narrated tour over Going-to-the-Sun Road. |
| Boat-tour guide | $2–$5 per person | On Lake McDonald, Two Medicine and Swiftcurrent tours. |
| Hiking guide | 15–20% | For guided day hikes and the Highline. |
| Lodge housekeeping | $2–$5 per night | At Many Glacier, Lake McDonald and Glacier Park lodges. |
| Restaurant server | 15–20% | In the lodge dining rooms. |
| Bellhop / bag handler | $2–$3 per bag | At the historic lodges. |
Customary US guidance; a jammer who narrates a full day earns the top of the range. See our guide tipping guide.
Glacier’s Red Bus drivers, the “jammers,” don’t just drive Going-to-the-Sun Road — they narrate the history, spot the wildlife and time the stops, all on one of the most dramatic roads in the country. $5–$10 a person is the norm for a full day. The hitch is that huge parts of Glacier have no cell service and the lodges are far from any bank, so the tip you planned rarely survives the trip. A code the driver can show you at the end lets you tip once you’re back on lodge Wi-Fi.
Glacier’s jammer drivers and boat guides work across a park with long stretches of no signal and no ATMs. A ScanToTIP QR code lets travelers tip by phone with Apple Pay, Google Pay or card once they reach lodge Wi-Fi — and guests can cover the fee so the guide keeps 100%.
$5–$10 per person for a half- or full-day narrated Red Bus tour is customary, toward the top for a full day over Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Yes — $2–$5 per person for a guided boat tour on Lake McDonald, Two Medicine or Swiftcurrent.
Yes: $2–$5 a night for housekeeping, 15–20% for dining-room servers, and $2–$3 a bag for bell staff.
Free to start, no hardware, works anywhere a phone gets a moment of signal. Your team keeps 100%.
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