There is so much to do in Glacier National Park: camping, hiking, paddling, biking, and scenic driving. Glacier is located in Northwest Montana, along the Canadian border. The park is huge with many different entrances. It may take up to a couple hours to get from one area of the park to another. We camped inside the park (at Apgar Campground). Our primary activity was hiking, but we also paddle boarded on Lake McDonald and drove the scenic Going to the Sun Road (GTTSR).
If you’re planning a trip to Glacier, be sure to check the park website for reservation requirements. At the time we visited (Summer 2022), reservations were required for the GTTSR. If you’re planning to stay in certain campgrounds along the GTTSR, you may not need to make a reservation for GTTSR. Your campground reservation would grant you access instead.
Hiking
Hiking at Glacier National Park is spectacular! We thoroughly enjoyed our hikes at Glacier, which is good because we covered a lot of miles. The three main hikes we completed while at Glacier were the Grinnell Glacier Trail, Highline Trail, and Avalanche Lake Trail. If you are planning to hike at Glacier, remember to bring bear spray and have it handy. A link to the NPS Glacier Hiking page can be found here. I find that it can be a bit overwhelming to start your hiking search on this page, so I have included some details from our own experiences below.
Grinnell Glacier Trail
- Quick Facts
- Length: Approx. 11 miles (round trip without taking the boat shuttle across the lakes). Taking the shuttle will shorten the length by about 2 miles each way.
- Elevation Gain: 1,600 ft
- Trailhead/Parking: Many Glacier area – There is some limited parking at the actual trailhead. If that fills up, you can park near Swiftcurrent Lodge or Many Glacier Hotel. Arrive early (around 7AM)! This area fills up quickly during the busy season.
- Link to NPS site
Grinnell Glacier was our favorite hike! We loved hiking along the lakes at the beginning. Then we turned away from the lakes and started to climb up toward Grinnell Glacier and Upper Grinnell Lake. Along this climb, we had outstanding views of Grinnell Lake. We also hiked past several waterfalls on the trail. Their splashes were greatly appreciated on a hot day. Note that, once you leave the lower forest and start climbing up toward the glacier, there is limited shade on the trail.
Finally, we began to turn away from Grinnell Lake and hiked farther up into the mountains. There is a picnic area at the top of this climb. There are several benches and even some pit toilets (bring your own toilet paper). From here, it’s a steep but short climb to the top. We stopped and ate lunch at the top next to Upper Grinnell Lake. It was significantly cooler at the top next to the lake. This isn’t surprising considering that the lake is full of icebergs.
Highline Trail
- Quick Facts
- Length: Approx. 12 miles (One way from Logan Pass to The Loop stop on GTTSR, excluding the Grinnell Glacier overlook side trail)
- Elevation Gain: 800 ft (without the additional 900 ft climb to Grinnell Glacier Overlook)
- Trailhead/Parking: This is a unique situation because of the shuttles. We took a shuttle from the Apgar Visitor Center to Logan Pass and then took a shuttle back from The Loop stop on GTTSR. Logan Pass parking lot fills up quickly during the busy season.
- Link to NPS site
The Highline Trail was another outstanding trail in Glacier! We were most impressed by the expansive views of the mountains. We began our hike at the Logan Pass parking lot. The trail initially follows the Going to the Sun Road (GTTSR). Near the beginning, the trail hugs a ledge above the road and provides metal cables for stability while hiking along the ledge.
Eventually, we arrived at Haystack Pass, which was a big, open area between the mountains. It was a bit of a climb, but it was beautiful area. We continued on the trail on the other side of the pass and the amazing views continued. At the turn off to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook, we decided to make the steep climb to the top. The overlook is nearly a mile one-way with almost 1,000 ft in elevation gain. It was challenging, but well worth it!
After the overlook, we continued on to Granite Park Chalet, which is a rustic mountain hotel. There was a small shop here that sold snacks and drinks. There were also pit toilets at Granite Park Chalet. Finally, we took the Loop trail down to the Loop parking lot on GTTSR. On the way down to the Loop, we hiked through remnants of a forest fire from several years ago. There was little shade on a hot afternoon and this stretch was very warm.
Because we took the shuttle from Apgar, we just needed to take a shuttle back toward Apgar, but be aware, during the busy season the shuttles fill quickly. Shuttles coming down from Logan Pass only reserve two seats for new guests to hop on at The Loop stop. If there are 7-8 people in line in front of you, you may have to wait for several shuttles.
Avalanche Lake Trail
- Quick facts
- Length: 2.3 miles (one way), a little longer if hiking to the far side of the lake
- Elevation Gain: 500 ft
- Trailhead/Parking: Avalanche stop on GTTSR
- Link to NPS Site
Avalanche Lake was a beautiful shorter hike! We were looking for something to fill about half a day and this was the perfect choice. We took the shuttle from Apgar Visitor Center. It dropped us off right across the street from the start of the trail. Unlike Grinnell Glacier and Highline Trails, this trail was mostly in the forest. The trail begins by following a creek, while gradually climbing to Avalanche Lake.
Don’t be fooled! The trail doesn’t end at the beginning of the lake. It’s definitely worth walking out to the lake and admiring the view once you arrive. You can see several long and narrow mountain waterfalls flowing down into the lake. Continue along the lake for additional views with fewer crowds. We walked to the far side of the lake where we could see the creeks from the waterfalls entering the lake.
Apgar Village Path
- Quick facts
- Length: <1 mile
- Elevation Gain: None
- Trailhead/Parking: Can catch the trail at the Apgar Visitor Center, Campground, or Apgar Village
- Link to NPS site
This is a bonus trail. It’s short, flat, and paved. If you are in the mood for an easy walk through the trees, this is for you. We loved that it connected Apgar Campground to the Apgar Visitor Center, Apgar Village, and Lake McDonald. We walked the trail many times to the visitor center where we caught the shuttle deeper into the park and we were able to connect to wifi at the Visitor Center. Cell service in the campground was very spotty.
Paddling
We brought our inflatable paddle boards on our trip in hopes of being able to take them out on some mountain lakes. We were able to take them out on Lake McDonald, which was a short distance from Apgar Campground. The park does require all water craft to be inspected before entering the water. This was a relatively painless process and it was free. We unrolled our paddle boards for the ranger at the inspection station and hosed them down while answering a couple questions about where we last had them in the water. Then we received a tag to indicate that we had them inspected.
If you don’t have your own watercraft, no problem! Rentals and boat tours are available at many lakes inside the park.
Link to NPS info about boats in Glacier.
Scenic Driving
We were excited to drive through the mountains in Glacier! I read a lot about the Going to the Sun Road (GTTSR) prior to our trip. It takes quite some time to get this road completely cleared of snow in the Summer. The year we visited (2022), GTTSR didn’t open fully until mid-July. There are many reasons we chose to visit in mid-August, but this was a big one. We wanted to make sure we could drive the entire stretch of the GTTSR.
If you’re not comfortable with driving the GTTSR yourself, you can take a free shuttle to various stops on the GTTSR from Apgar Visitor Center or St. Mary’s Visitor Center. For more info about the shuttle on the NPS website, click here. There is an option to pay for an actual bus tour along the GTTSR. More info on these bus tours can be found here.
Camping/Lodging
We travel with our camper (travel trailer). We usually aim to camp inside the park we are visiting, so we are even closer to our favorite park activities. This also reduces the need to drive in and out through the entrance stations each day – which could possibly result in waiting in a lengthy line. Glacier is a huge park with many campgrounds. Many people split their stay between the east and west sides of the park.
We chose not to do this because of our camper. We would have spent the better part of a day hooking up, driving around the outside of the park (no trailers allowed on the GTTSR) and then setting up in our new location. Instead, we choose to make day trips from our campsite to more distant areas of the park, which was as much as a two-hour drive. It was worth it to us to not have to move camp during the few days that we were in the park. We camped at Apgar for the entire duration of our stay, and we loved it! Click here to read more about our stay: Apgar Campground – Miles of Yellow Lines.
In addition to camping, there are several lodging options. You can read more about the various lodging options inside the park here and camping options here.
When to Visit
We wanted to be able to drive all of the Going to the Sun Road, so we planned our visit for late summer (mid-August). The year we visited (2022), the GTTSR didn’t fully open until mid-July due to snow. It was very hot during the day in August and some of the trails have little shade, so this made for some warm hikes. It did cool off nicely in the evenings, which was great for camping. If driving the entire length of the GTTSR is not one of your priorities, you could look into visiting earlier in the summer. I’ve also heard that early fall is a beautiful time to visit the park. The temperatures are a little cooler and the leaves are starting to change.
Wish List
Even though we were able to spend an extra day in Glacier, we still have many items on our wish list for when we return.
- Visit the Two Medicine area
- Hike to Iceberg Lake
- Hike to Cracker Lake
- Hike to Hidden Lake Overlook and Hidden Lake
- Hike to St. Mary & Virginia Falls
- Visit the Polebridge area