Let me get this out of the way before I get into it; Glacier National Park is heaven on Earth. I have had the privilege of visiting quite a few incredibly beautiful places in my life so far, but every time that I get to visit this natural playground it takes my breath away. (No joke! Some of these hikes are tough!) I am incredibly lucky that my family lives within an hour of Glacier National Park, and I have been able to visit many, many times over the last few years. I often get asked by friends and followers alike which hikes I would recommend the most in the park. Whether you are looking for gorgeous scenes to photograph or a way to challenge yourself physically, here is an in-depth look at what I consider to be the best hikes in Glacier National Park.
Avalanche Lake
Distance: 5.9 miles round-trip
Elevation gain: 757 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Avalanche lake is one of the best first hikes to do in the park if you have never visited before, which is why it is first on this list. It is also one of the most high-trafficked trails that Glacier National Park has to offer, so be sure to get to the trailhead early if you want to find parking. Convenient parking is in short supply for this trail unless you are willing to walk quite a bit to get to the trailhead. But don’t let that deter you! Avalanche lake is truly breathtaking. I have hiked this trail at least 5 times and it still blows me away every time.
If you have anyone in your party that have mobility issues, the Trail of the Cedars is an excellent option. The Trail of the Cedars is one of two wheelchair-accessible trails in the park, and it leads you to the lovely Avalanche Gorge, pictured on the far left.
Hidden Lake
Distance: 5.3 miles round-trip
Elevation Gain: 1,374 ft
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
No list of the best hikes in Glacier National Park would be complete without mentioning the Hidden Lake trail. The Hidden Lake Overlook Trail starts at the parking lot at Logan Pass. Now for a warning: The Hidden Lake Trail and the Logan Pass parking lot are probably the BUSIEST places in all of Glacier National Park. If you want to hike the Hidden Lake Overlook trail, getting to the parking lot at Logan Pass early is a MUST. In peak season, I might even recommend getting to the parking lot before the sunrise. I wish I was kidding!
In my opinion, if you are really looking to have an incredible hiking experience but you have limited time in the park, I would recommend Avalanche Lake over the Hidden Lake Overlook any day. Hidden Lake is just a lot more popular because many consider it to be the “heart of the park” and they are not wrong, but for me the crowds are sometimes not worth it. You can also hike down to the shores of Hidden Lake, but most people choose to stop at the overlook. To be fair, it is a spectacular view! Here is a better view of the Hidden Lake overlook, as I have never been able to capture the view on a clear day.
The Highline Trail
Distance: 11.8-13.6 miles round-trip, depending on where you turn around
Elevation Gain: 1,950 ft
Difficulty: Difficult
I am almost ashamed to say that I have not yet hiked the Highline Trail. It is the one MAJOR hike in the trail that I have yet to tackle. It is absolutely going to happen the next time that I visit, and I will be sure to update this post when I do. Luckily for me, I know many family and friends that have gotten to hike the Highline Trail and I have drooled over images of online for years, so I feel as though I know it well enough!
Just like the warning for the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail above, the main parking for the Highline Trail starts at Logan Pass so I would recommend getting started as soon as possible. The Highline Trail is an interesting trail because there is no one destination at the end. Some consider the end of the trail to be at the junction where you can either continue on to the Granite Park Chalet, which I will talk about next, or choose to go to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook.
No matter what path you choose, the Highline Trail offers some of the most breathtaking and iconic views in all of Glacier National Park. If you want to see sweeping views of huge sections of the park, you will not be disappointed. I haven’t even done this hike yet but I already know it will be in my top 3 best hikes in Glacier National Park without a doubt, especially if I get to add on a stay at the Granite Park Chalet and a peak at the Grinnell Glacier Overlook.
Granite Park Chalet
Distance: 7.6 miles one-way from Logan Pass (if you are staying at the Chalet), 15.2 round-trip from Logan Pass, 7.6 miles to the Many Glacier Hotel
Elevation Gain: 2,578 ft
Difficulty: Difficult
As stated above, the hike to the Granite Park Chalet is mostly the same hike as the Highline Trail. I am only including it here as a separate hike because from The Granite Park Chalet, more ambitious hikers have quite a few options on how they want to finish the hike, especially if they are spending the night in the chalet and can to more than just a day hike.
If you are able to coordinate that someone comes to pick you up at Many Glacier, I would highly recommend hiking up from Logan Pass to the Granite Park Chalet, spend the night at the chalet, and then hike down to Many Glacier the next day. Reservations for the 12 bedroom Chalet are very limited and they book up well in advance, so this is something that you have to plan for.
Gunsight Lake
Distance: 12.9 miles round-trip
Elevation Gain: 1,742 ft
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Unfortunately for me, Gunsight Lake is another hike that I have yet to enjoy. I have heard absolutely incredible things about it from friends, and I will be sure to update this post when I do get to go. There are two ways that you can enjoy Gunsight Lake. The details above are referring to the out and back trip that starts at Jackson Glacier overlook. The other option is to make it a multi-day backpacking trip where one end of the journey is at Lake McDonald and you hike through Gunsight Pass and Sperry Chalet. I found a wonderful in-depth walkthrough of that hike here.
Cracker Lake
Distance: 12 miles round-trip
Elevation Gain: 1,650 ft
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Oh, Cracker Lake. In my opinion, Cracker Lake is one of the top 3 best hikes in Glacier National Park. Yes, the lake is actually the color in the photos above. I have never seen anything like it in my life! One thing I will say about this hike is that out of all of the hikes out of Many Glacier, this one has probably one of the least interesting and beautiful journeys to get to the destination. You spend most of the actual hike in the tree line, so you don’t get the incredible views along the way that you see when hiking to Iceberg Lake or Grinnell Glacier. However, for me any many others, Cracker Lake is one of the most incredible sights you can see in the park. It is one of those places that you almost can’t believe is real!
There are limited campsites at Cracker Lake and permits are limited and they go quickly. Camping at Cracker Lake is definitely a bucket list item for me, because I can only imagine what sunrise and sunset would look like here.
Iceberg Lake
Distance: 9.3 miles round-trip
Elevation Gain: 1,450 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Iceberg Lake is without a doubt one of the coolest hikes in the park, pun absolutely intended. Never in my life did I think I would be able to see actual icebergs floating in a lake in the United States (Alaska not included, obviously) in the middle of July. The hike to Iceberg Lake has something for everyone, and it is without a doubt one of the top 5 best hikes in the park, and in the top 3 best hikes starting at Many Glacier. It isn’t too difficult considering the incredible payoff at the end and the views along the way are amazing.
Something to keep in mind, however, is that because this is a relatively easy hike with such an insane view payoff at the end (I mean, icebergs?? Come on, who doesn’t want to see icebergs in the Summer??), this trail can get pretty busy. I would recommend getting to the trailhead as early as possible. My husband and I started hiking around sunrise in late August, and we were the first or second group on the trail. On the hike back, we hiked past literally hundreds of people headed up. Seriously, get there early!
Grinnell Glacier
Distance: 11.2 miles round-trip
Elevation Gain: 2,181 ft
Difficulty: Difficult
If you only can do one hike at Many Glacier and you are looking to see the most that you possibly can, this is the hike for you. Yes, it is long and difficult. It is one of the hikes in the park that has tested me the most. But I would absolutely do it again in a heartbeat because it is one of the top 3 best hikes in Glacier National Park. If you really want to, you can cut down on the miles by taking one of the boat tours across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. The boat tours are really lovely, but I personally prefer hitting the trails as early as possible and you can’t do that with the boat tours. It is an option though!
Hiking to Grinnell Glacier is without a doubt the most scenic hike I have ever done. The entire journey up to Upper Grinnell lake and Grinnell Glacier is insanely gorgeous. The Grinnell Lake overlook, pictured on the far left, is like something out of a movie. The further up you go, you can get an incredible view of Grinnell Lake and Lake Josephine, pictured in the center. Ending up at Grinnell Glacier, pictured far right, is just the cherry on top.
Grinnell Lake
Distance: 7.1 miles round-trip
Elevation Gain: 351 ft
Difficulty: Easy
If you are looking for an easy hike in the Many Glacier area, hiking to Grinnell Lake is an excellent choice. You can even cut down on the milage for this hike by taking one of many boat tours from the Many Glacier hotel across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. I personally prefer the overlook of Grinnell Lake that you can see from the Grinnell Glacier Hike, but I have heard this hike is delightful. It is a great option for anyone with more limited mobility, and great for families and kids. I have not personally done this hike myself, but the next time I am in Many Glacier with a group of people that aren’t as willing to dig into a 10+ mile hike, you better believe that we will go to Grinnell Lake.
Upper Two Medicine Lake
Distance: 11.2 miles round-trip
Elevation Gain: 977 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Two Medicine is one of the most underrated places in all of Glacier National Park. The photo on the far left is the view you get just from the main parking lot at Two Medicine Lake! I have only been able to hike up to Upper Two Medicine Lake and have yet to explore the other hikes at Two Medicine, but I would gladly go back.
The hike to Upper Two Medicine Lake is a mostly flat trail and much less crowded than similar hikes at Many Glacier. If you have the extra time or are looking for a more quiet Glacier National Park experience, I would highly recommend checking out the Two Medicine area. It rightfully deserves it’s spot among the best hikes in Glacier National Park, and I will be sure to update this post as I get to explore it further. There are also other ways to recreate around Two Medicine, including scenic boat rides and Kayak rentals.
