Glacier National Park once had 150 glaciers in the year 1850; now it only has 25 glaciers. Hearing about the glaciers receding at a fast pace prompted me to take a trip to Montana to see the beauty of this national park while it is still around. And boy, did the beauty leave me in awe! The best hikes in Glacier National Park that I have lined up for you will reveal cascading waterfalls around every turn, lush greenery and wildflowers lining your trail, and clear, turquoise lakes leaving you mesmerized.
I only had enough time to visit the West side of Glacier, but my goal is to make it back before 2025 to see the East side. Below you will find my recommendations of my favorite hiking trails on the west side of Glacier.
Things to know before going to Glacier
There are a few things to know to help make your trip inside Glacier National Park a little bit easier.
- In the year 2021, you will need reservations to get inside the park. This is a $2 fee per car. Reservations are available 60 days in advance. This is IN ADDITION to your national park entrance pass which costs $35. Anyone who enters the park before 6am opening hour will not be checked at the gate and you can go right in without a pass.
- If you don’t want to drive yourself, the park has an operating shuttle that can take you along the Sun Road. Just make sure you get back in time before the last shuttle stop! The first shuttles of the day will depart from Apgar Visitor Center and the St. Mary Visitor Center at 7 am. The last return shuttles will leave Logan Pass Visitor Center at 7 pm.
- Arrive into the park early if you don’t want to have the headache of parking at the trailheads…and by early I mean by sunrise. The parking inside at the trailheads are very limited, so expect to be circling for a while if you arrive any later than 7am.
- Plan your hikes ahead of time so you know how many hikes you can fit in a day. It is not recommended to hike in the dark. The good thing though is that during the summer Montana doesn’t get dark until 9:30pm!
- Bring bear spray! It’s a small price to pay for your protection and to help ease your fear. You won’t be able to bring the bear spray in your luggage, so you’ll have to rent/buy them when you arrive. They are available in the Montana airport or grocery stores. Lucky for me, I never encountered a bear so I didn’t have to use mine.
Avalanche Lake
Distance: 6 miles
Type: Out & back
Difficulty: moderate
Elevation gain: 730 feet
Parking: Trail of the Cedars trailhead
Notes: bathroom on site, wheelchair accessible for 1 mile loop
I started my hiking trip by going to Avalanche Lake, which is one of the earlier hikes you can find on the Going-to-the-sun road, about 30 minutes from the West Glacier park entrance. The trailhead is very well marked as you are driving, so you can’t miss it on your right. There are many more parking spots here than other trailheads, but the spots get taken up fast. I arrived at 6:20am and was able to find a parking spot without any problem.
Where to access the trailhead:
The trailhead is accessed through the Trail of the Cedars trail. This is a very well paved boardwalk-like loop trail, perfect for individuals with disabilities or mobility difficulties who need flatter ground to walk on. It is a beautiful trail with tall cedars hovering over the boardwalk with a beautiful small creek running through it.
You will find the Avalanche Lake trailhead about a half mile into the Trail of the Cedars. From there you will walk about 2.5 miles to reach the lake.
St. Mary & Virginia Falls
If seeing waterfalls is on your list to do, then this is just the trail for you. It is a rather easy hike, totaling 3 miles. If it wasn’t 90 degrees out when I went, it would have been even easier, so I did break a sweat when walking these 3 miles as there is not much shade coverage. The last mile was the only stretch that made me breathe a little heavier as it is uphill to get to Virginia Falls.
Distance: 3 miles
Type: Out & back
Difficulty: easy
Elevation gain: 215 feet
Parking: limited, shuttle stop
You might notice that the trees appear white. This is because this trail was destroyed by a fire in 2015. Now, you will see an abundance of Fireweed flowers blooming along the trail, as a result of the fire’s destruction.
Pro tip-It might not be a bad idea to bring a change of dry clothes, just incase you want to take a jump into the water! Several people were rock jumping but you would see them quickly swim to the side to get out as the water is quite chilly even during the peak hot summer months.
Highline Trail
This trail was the longest out of all the trails I trekked in Glacier, but it was also my absolute favorite. Make sure to put on your best hiking boots because you will have a 15 mile hike ahead of you if you decide to complete it in its entirety.
Distance: 15 miles
Type: Out & back
Difficulty: hard
Elevation gain: 2578 feet
Parking: Logan Pass Visitor Center or Loop Trailhead
Notes: those with fear of heights may have more difficult time around the steep drop offs
There are a few ways to do this trail.
- In an ideal situation, you can park at Logan Pass Visitor Center and hike one way to the Loop Trailhead, but you would need to catch the shuttle back to your car (don’t forget to reserve a shuttle pass ahead of time).
- The other option is starting at the Loop trailhead and hike one way to the Logan Pass Visitor Center, but I have heard the beginning is much more strenuous.
- The last, and most popular, option is starting from Logan Pass Visitor Center and hiking out-and-back to the Granite Park Chalet. This plan does not require a shuttle back since you can turn around at that point; or you can turn around whenever you get too tired.
*Since I was unable to find parking at the Logan Pass Visitor Center (even at 7am), I had to park about a mile downhill which added on even more mileage onto my hike. Needless to say, get there as early as you possibly can since parking is difficult!
If starting the trail from Logan Pass Visitor Center, you will promptly begin the hike by walking on a narrow rock trail overlooking a steep drop off on one side. There is a cable on the opposite side to hold onto if you need a little extra support.
Beware: when I was on this trail, there was a small rockfall just a few feet away from me. It is important to keep your ears perked and eyes set on your surroundings.
The rocky trail will soon lead you into a pathway lined with green shrubs, wildflowers, and pine trees- I call it the pathway to heaven. It is the most scenic trail I have ever seen in my entire life! This trail is easy to follow as there are not many overshoots. Along the way, you’ll pass Haystack Pass, stumble upon Granite Park Chalet, and then have the option to hike a steep mile up to Glacier Overlook before you go back down to the Loop. Many people turn around at the Granite Park Chalet.
Hidden Lake
Distance: 5.5 miles
Type: Out & back
Difficulty: moderate
Elevation gain: 1374 feet
Parking: Logan Pass Visitor Center
The full trail to Hidden Lake was closed when I went because it was bear feeding season and they closed the lake so the bears could fish from the lake. However, the first 1.5 miles was still open if you wanted to have a peak at it from a distance. Though the trail is a wooden boardwalk-like trail, it is a gradual incline that will leave you breathing heavily.
It is important to note that this trail is heavily trafficked since the trailhead starts from the Logan Pass Visitor Center. If you are looking for a more quiet path to walk, I would suggest a different hike to take.
McDonald Creek Trail
Distance: 5.6 miles
Type: Out & back
Difficulty: easy
Elevation gain: 275 feet
Parking: plenty of parking directly at trailhead or over the nearby bridge
Most of this trail has a canopy of trees hovering over you, so the shade is plentiful which comes in handy on a hot day. One of my favorite things about this trail is that you are walking through a lush green forest the entire way, while also hearing the river flow beside you. It is a spectacular sight when you come across the occasional rapids or waterfall.
You might see poop along the way, but don’t fret thinking it is from bears! The first part of the trail is also frequented by horses. I would still bring bear spray on this trail just incase you do stumble across one.
I found this trail to have plenty of parking, so if you are going to do multiple hikes in a day, you can save this one for later on in the day. Choose a hike with more limited parking to do beforehand so you can get there plenty early to find a spot.
Leave a comment!
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What is your favorite trail to hike in Glacier National Park?
For more national park and hiking recommendations, check out my other blog posts to help plan your hiking trip!
2 Comments
Thanks for the great post and tips! I can’t wait to hike at Glacier! 🙂
Glacier is one of my favorite parks to go to! So many places to explore and so often you are completely alone in the area! Thanks for sharing so that people can explore!