Grinnell Glacier Trail: A Scenic Adventure in Glacier National Park

This incredible scenic trail is nothing short of spectacular! The crowds on this hike are full of tourons trying to hike the rugged 11.8 mile round trip in flip flops, with pets, babies, posing off trail on cliffs, taking wildflowers and rocks (which is all illegal), and only carrying tiny 16 oz water bottles. They don't realize they are endangering all visitors and ruining the experience for others. I wish the NPS had more funds to place rangers at the trailheads of the more popular trails to help prevent these occurrences.

I'm not an avid hiker and this was the hardest thing I've ever willingly done. It was worth it. My husband and the kiddos(9, 12, 15yrs.) made it too. The views are amazing and totally worth it. Make sure to bring enough water. We brought four waters for each of us. If you want you can bring a water filter and drink from the water fall and/or glacier. Bring snacks and liquid i.v. or your favorite electrolyte brand. We were there July 16th and there was still snow along the path. I highly recommend hiking sticks. We didn't have any and they would have been very helpful. It was a great hike. We took 8 hours from start to finish. Bring sun screen I forgot and we got fried.

We got up at 4:30 A.M. to make sure we got a parking spot at Many Glacier Hotel, which is a National Historic Hotel of America, to hike to Grinnell Glacier. Make sure to use the bathroom at the hotel and bring PLENTY of water and snacks. My husband and I have never drank so much water on our hikes before. We brought 9 bottles and drank all of them by the time the hike ended and normally we drink 4-6 bottles total. We could have easily drank more, but wanted to make sure we had enough for the trip. We also brought sandwiches, granola bars, sunscreen, and bear spray due to the trail heavily being used by bears and the trail being exposed in the sun for 80+% of the time. The first 0.9 miles is ADA accessible since it is paved. We clocked 13+ miles of hiking even though the sign says it's only 5.3 miles one way with an elevation gain of 2,596 feet. It was rough. Mainly due to having to make sure you pick up your feet high enough for each step due to all the rocks on the trail. We were being tripped up by them several times throughout the hike and saw many others almost take a tumble. We did bring our poles, which we used and we stretched the morning of. However, when we were hiking back, that is usually my time to shine. Descending on a hike I find so easy and able to do efficiently, but this time, my feet, knees, lower back, and ankles were sore. I've never dealt with sore ankles on a hike before, but it was probably from all the balancing on the small rocks you have to step on. There are log steps, and steep stone stairs on this trail. Along the trail, you hike beside Swiftcurrent Lake, Lake Josephine, which I highly recommend going to the dock area to feast your eyes on the beautiful reflection in the lake with the mountains and pine trees, and then you start to go up the mountainside and can see Grinnell Lake below before you get to Upper Grinnell Lake. Honestly, we enjoyed the views of the 3 lakes from above more than we enjoyed the final destination. This could be because we did Alaska recently and have seen a bunch of glaciers and even did a 3 hour hike on one, so the views there were better. Still, if you've never hiked to a glacier, I am sure you will be blown away because a girl, probably in her early 20s, said to us, "this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!" We were so happy for her! It is COLD up there, so bring winter gloves, a beanie, and a hoodie to help with the cold. Luckily, we came prepared. This hike took us about 7.5 hours. We took a lot of breaks. Wildlife sightings: Right before getting to Lake Josephine, there was a HUGE bull moose and cow moose a little off the trail in the woods. We might have missed it if people weren't taking pictures. We couldn't believe the size and heard the female moose whining. Then we saw a mountain goat on the way back from Grinnell Glacier napping on the red rock face. He looked like a white blob from afar, but closer up, you could see him better. We saw several squirrels and chipmunks and maybe even a pika. As we were driving out, before we left the park, we did see a Big Grizzly munching in the field and a black bear cub munching on a tree right off the side of the road. Do NOT block traffic. The Ranger got pissed at the people who stopped traffic at both ends. We did meet a lovely older couple that we hiked back with and shared great conversations with. We hope their future endeavors bring them all good things in life. (Follow us on TikTok for ideas: nomad.lifestyle) After our hike, we rewarded ourself with bison burgers and a drink. I got the Huckleberry Smash (very good) and my husband got the Mountain Man, a Scottish Ale, which was also really good. The burgers came with fries at no extra cost, unlike Eddie's Mercantile in Agar Village, and the service was unbelievably fast. Not a bad place to stop to eat. Tad pricey though. Also, the one complaint we do have about it, is that the music they played wasn't always family friendly. They played the unedited version of "My Humps" by Fergie, which includes curse words and the obvious innuendo.

What an amazing hike! It’s about 11 miles round trip, and you get beautiful views the entire way. The distance might seem a lot, but the elevation gain is moderate, which makes it very manageable. Definitely a must-visit if you’re in the area

The most incredible hike we’ve ever done. Spectacular views the entire time, and we even got to see a bear! We started from the parking lot instead of taking the boat, and it’s gorgeous but definitely exhausting by the end. The last 1 to 1 1/2 miles to the glacier are very steep. Highly recommend taking the boat if possible - it will help save some energy, even if you miss out on a few nice views.