The Glacier National Park Hiking Trail Guide
Thirty trails across six regions. Distances, elevations, difficulty, and the honest version of what to expect on each one.
This is the trail companion to The Glacier Blueprint, my complete Glacier elopement planning guide. The Blueprint covers planning your day in the park. This covers the hikes that take you past the parking lot. Some of these are quarter mile boardwalks. Others are twenty mile loops over alpine passes. There's a hike here for almost everyone.
Every trail includes the practical stuff: distance, elevation, difficulty, and trailhead notes. Where bear activity is high, I say so. Where snow lingers, I say that too. The goal is no surprises.
A few things worth knowing. Glacier is bear country, every trail, every season. Carry spray and know how to use it. Snow can linger on alpine passes into late July. Water crossings get serious in June. And the weather at the high passes can turn fast. Plan for layers, even on hot days.
Quick picks
The fast answer to "which hike?" depending on what you're after.
Trail of the Cedars
A 0.9 mile accessible boardwalk loop through old growth cedar. Filtered light all day.
Take me there → Best Half DayAvalanche Lake
A gentle climb through cedar and hemlock to a stunning cirque with waterfalls.
Take me there → Best Photo TrailIceberg Lake
Wildflower meadows, alpine cirque, and actual icebergs floating in turquoise water.
Take me there → Best for WildflowersHighline Trail
The Garden Wall in July is unmatched. Beargrass, paintbrush, and views the entire way.
Take me there → Best Alpine ViewHidden Lake Overlook
Logan Pass to a turquoise alpine bowl in just over two miles. Mountain goats nearly guaranteed.
Take me there → Most IconicGrinnell Glacier
The signature Many Glacier hike. You stand above the very glacier the park is named for.
Take me there →West Glacier & Apgar
The most accessible corner of the park, with a mix of short walks and one serious climb. Good for a first-day warmup or a final-day photo loop.
Apgar Lookout
Lake McDonald from above, no shuttle required.
A solid moderate climb for the first or last day of a trip. You wind up through old burn into Douglas fir, then break out at the lookout with the lake stretching east and Glacier's peaks lining up behind. Best mid-afternoon when the sun isn't directly in your lens.
Rocky Point Nature Trail
A short loop with the Garden Wall front and center.
Quick, easy, and rewarding. The trail loops out to Rocky Point with Lake McDonald and the Garden Wall straight across. Best at sunrise when the lake's glass. Done in under an hour.
Huckleberry Lookout
A serious climb to one of the park's quieter big views.
Twelve miles round trip and around 3,400 feet of gain through old burn and lodgepole. The view from the top spans the North Fork drainage and Glacier's western peaks. Almost no one's up there, which is half the point.
West Glacier & Apgar trailheads
The North Fork
Where you go to leave the crowds behind. Rougher roads, fewer people, and a different feel from the rest of the park. Time the drive in carefully.
Bowman Lake Shore
An easy lakeside walk through one of the park's quietest corners.
You can do this as a one mile out and back to the day-use beach, or commit to four miles each way along the north shore. Either way it's flat, scenic, and almost always empty. The far end has some of the best mountain reflections in the park.
Numa Lookout
A long climb to a fire lookout above Bowman Lake.
Starts at Bowman, climbs hard up the ridge, and tops out at a lookout staring down at the lake. The drive in is part of the day, allow an hour each way from Polebridge. Once you're up there, you'll likely have it to yourself.
Quartz Lake Loop
Three alpine lakes in one long, lonely day.
A genuine commitment, this loop strings together Lower, Middle, and Upper Quartz lakes through deep forest and the occasional avalanche meadow. Closer to a backcountry day than a casual hike, but the solitude is worth the legwork.
Kintla Lake Shore
If Bowman feels remote, Kintla goes further.
The road to Kintla is rougher than Bowman's, which keeps the crowds nonexistent. The shore trail can be done as a short stroll or a long backcountry effort. Either way, you're as far from a Glacier traffic jam as you can get.
The North Fork trailheads
Going-to-the-Sun, West
Cedar canopies at the bottom, alpine meadows at the top. The west side of the road covers the widest spread of difficulty in the park.
Trail of the Cedars
An accessible boardwalk under 500 year old cedars.
Less than a mile and barely any climb, but among the most distinctive walks in the park. A wood boardwalk weaves through old growth western red cedar and western hemlock. Filtered midday light makes this one of the rare summer hikes where harsh sun actually helps.
Avalanche Lake
The most popular moderate hike in the park, and worth it.
Starting from Trail of the Cedars, the path climbs gently along Avalanche Creek through dense forest to a stunning lake at the base of a cirque. Waterfalls cascade down the cliffs above. Expect company in the parking lot, early morning or evening is the move.
Johns Lake Loop
A two mile loop most people drive right past.
A quiet alternative to Trail of the Cedars. The loop drops to McDonald Creek, passes a small lake, and returns through dense forest. Sacred Dancing Cascade is on the route, which alone makes it worth the stop.
Mt. Brown Lookout
One of the steepest climbs in the park.
Over four thousand feet of gain in five miles. It's relentless. The view from the top, across the lake to the Continental Divide, is one of the most earned panoramas in Glacier. Bear activity has been documented here, travel in groups and carry spray.
Highline Trail
Wildflower meadows along the spine of the Continental Divide.
Walk along the side of the Garden Wall with seven miles of unbroken views. Most people end at Granite Park Chalet and shuttle back via The Loop, making it a one-way day. There's a cliff section in the first half mile that's not for the height-shy. July wildflowers are unmatched.
Going-to-the-Sun, West trailheads
Going-to-the-Sun, East
Drier, more open, with sharper mountain profiles. The east side rewards longer drives with quieter trailheads and stronger morning light.
Sun Point Nature Trail
A short interpretive loop with massive mountain scale.
Easy walking out to the actual point on St. Mary Lake with mountain views in every direction. Connects to longer hikes (Baring Falls, the Lakeshore Trail) if you want to keep going. Otherwise a quick, satisfying stop.
St. Mary Falls & Virginia Falls
Two of the park's prettiest waterfalls in one outing.
A gentle descent and climb through forest with regular waterfall stops along the way. St. Mary Falls is the warmup, Virginia Falls is the main event. Get there early to avoid the crowds and the harsh light.
Baring Falls
A roadside waterfall you can walk to in ten minutes.
Maybe the most accessible waterfall in the park. The trail drops steeply for a tenth of a mile to the base of the falls. Quick, scenic, and a great photo stop if you're driving east in the afternoon.
Otokomi Lake
A long forest climb to a red rock alpine cirque.
Mostly a forested grunt up Rose Creek that opens at the lake into a striking red rock bowl. Quieter than most lakes in the park because it's just enough effort to filter out casual hikers.
Piegan Pass
A high alpine pass with views in three directions.
Climb through subalpine larch into wide alpine bowls below Piegan Mountain. You can do it as an out and back or commit to the full traverse down to Many Glacier. The pass itself stays snowy late, so check conditions in early summer.
Siyeh Pass
One of the park's classic alpine traverses.
Long, exposed, and worth every minute. From Siyeh Bend you climb steadily to one of the highest passes the park's maintained trails reach, then descend to Sunrift Gorge. Shuttle logistics are the only complication.
Going-to-the-Sun, East trailheads
Two Medicine
Underrated and quieter than most of the park. The trails here range from a five minute waterfall walk to one of the biggest loops Glacier has.
Running Eagle Falls
A wheelchair accessible quarter mile to a sacred waterfall.
Short, paved, and beautiful. The falls have two outlets that change with water levels through the season, early summer brings a single dramatic flow, late summer reveals two streams. Worth the stop for everyone.
Aster Park
A short climb to a sweeping Two Medicine overlook.
Mostly flat for the first mile along Pray Lake, then a short steep climb to a meadow overlook. The view back across Two Medicine Lake is one of the most photographed angles in this corner of the park.
Twin Falls
A long flat walk to a beautiful pair of cascades.
You can do this entirely on foot or shorten it with the Two Medicine boat shuttle. Either way, the trail itself is flat, the falls are striking, and the lake views along the way are some of the best in the park.
Scenic Point
The biggest views in Two Medicine for the price of one big climb.
A relentless climb up open ridge with the Two Medicine valley falling away behind you. The summit panorama looks toward Mt. Henry, the Two Medicine lakes, and across to the Great Plains. Exposed the whole way, watch the weather.
Pitamakan & Dawson Pass Loop
The big loop. A full day of high country.
Nineteen miles, two alpine passes, and views you won't forget. Most people start by 7am to finish in daylight. It's the kind of hike that defines a trip. Bring food, layers, and good legs.
Two Medicine trailheads
Many Glacier
The Switzerland of North America, and the densest cluster of iconic hikes in the park. Bear country every step of the way.
Apikuni Falls
A quick, steep climb to a hidden waterfall.
Short on paper, but it climbs fast. The first half mile is mostly flat, then it gets serious. The falls themselves are tucked into a stone alcove and rarely crowded because most visitors keep driving.
Redrock Falls
An easy half day from Swiftcurrent with a perfect lunch spot.
Flat walking through meadow and forest to a chain of small cascades stepping down red rock. Bear activity here is well documented, hike in groups and make noise. Most days it lives up to its name and makes a perfect lazy afternoon.
Iceberg Lake
The lake that earns its name well into July.
A long meadow approach with wildflowers, then a final climb to a turquoise alpine bowl with actual icebergs floating in it. One of the most photographed hikes in the park for good reason. Bear country, hike with company, carry spray.
Grinnell Glacier
Stand above the glacier the park is named for.
The signature Many Glacier hike. Two boat shuttles can shave off the first three miles, otherwise it's the full eleven. Either way, you climb above two alpine lakes to the foot of the glacier itself, with views back across the Many Glacier valley.
Ptarmigan Tunnel
Climb through a passage carved through the Continental Divide.
A tough hike that ends at a literal tunnel through the rock with a door that opens to the other side of the divide. Through the tunnel, the view drops into the Belly River drainage. Wild country, surreal route.
Cracker Lake
An impossible blue tucked beneath Mt. Siyeh.
Mostly horse trail to start (it can get dusty and muddy), then opens to a striking turquoise lake at the base of Mt. Siyeh. The color is from glacial rock flour and it has to be seen to be believed. Longer than it looks on the map.
Many Glacier trailheads
The full trail map
Thirty trails, grouped by region. Filter by difficulty or what you want to see at the end of the walk.
Safety essentials
Three things every hiker in Glacier needs to know, no matter the trail.
Every trail. Every season.
Glacier is one of the densest grizzly habitats in the lower forty eight. You're sharing every trail with them, even the popular ones.
- Carry bear spray, accessible, not buried
- Hike in groups of three or more
- Make noise, especially around blind corners
- Never run from a bear
- Know the difference between defensive and predatory
Weather, snow, water.
Conditions can change fast. Always check NPS alerts the morning of, especially in shoulder season or after rain.
- Snow lingers on passes into July most years
- Water crossings get serious in June
- Afternoon thunderstorms build fast in summer
- Carry layers, even on warm days
- Sunscreen and 2L of water minimum
Why the park still looks like this.
Glacier is one of the most visited parks in the country and stays the way we love it largely because of people who tread lightly.
- Pack out everything, including peels
- Stay on the trail, even in the meadow
- Don't pick wildflowers or move rocks
- Give wildlife at least 100 yards
- Use a toilet or pack it out properly
Hiking in for the shot?
I've spent nearly a decade hiking and photographing this park. If you're planning an adventure session, a hike-in elopement, or you just want a local's take on your route, I'd love to help.