Grinnell Glacier
Grinnell Glacier
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Hiking Trails • Geologic Formations
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A large glacier offering 300 acres of beauty.
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  • Parker Duncan
    24 contributions
    Grinnell Glacier via Highline Trail (Logan Pass)
    With Grinnell Glacier access restricted (Covid), we accessed via the Highline trail (Logan Pass visitor center), climbed to the Grinnell Overlook (via Garden Wall trail), and returned via the Loop trail (to the Loop parking lot for pickup). Highly recommend this route as Highline going back out is not only longer but harder and the loop is mostly downhill. The views on Highline after rain yesterday were amazing and perfectly clear. We saw a group of mountain goats, multiple bighorn sheep (on the trail), and a few marmot. The climb to the glacier was tough but definitely worth it. Recommend continuing climb to the saddle (see recording) to see all four lakes at the bottom rather than just looking into the glacier. Exiting via the Loop trail was great as it was mostly downhill. Would definitely do this again and highly recommend if wanting to see the glacier.
    Visited September 2020
    Written September 22, 2020
  • Agome045
    Miami, Florida11 contributions
    No way to access Grinnell Lake - East side of park and Many entrance closed
    We traveled to Glacier primarily to see the view from Grinnell lake unfortunately with covid the Blackfeet have closed their roads. The West side of the park was amazing. I recommend Avalanche Lake and St. Mary’s for views of glacial lakes.
    Visited July 2020
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 15, 2020
  • radx4
    Ellicott City, Maryland2,243 contributions
    Must Do
    There are many awesome views in Glacier National Park, but the most memorable of our trip was the hike to the Grinnell Glacier. the hike is fairly long and will take several hours depending upon how far you wish to go. But it is well worth the time and effort as it provides some of the most impressive views of lower Grinnell lake with it's emerald green waters and surrounding mountains and glaciers. Your hike will likely begin at the Many Glacier hotel at Swiftcurrent Lake. The start of the trail is actually paved for about the first mile. Following that there is a gradual incline along the north side of Josephine Lake. After that the trail curves around to the right and starts becoming more steep and narrow as Grinnel Lake comes into view. The hike can be a bit challenging at times. I highly recommend using hiking poles in places as there can be rocks and slippery areas. In late June there are areas that are still covered in snow. We encountered two such crossing at the time of our visit. Hiking poles are highly recommended for crossing these very slippery areas. Access to Upper Grinnell Lake was not possible at this time of year due to steep snowy areas, but you can still experience plenty of great views. If you can only do one thing at Glacier National Park, I recommend hiking up to Grinnell Glacier. Is a memorable hike with landscapes and beauty unlike anything else on Earth.
    Visited June 2021
    Written July 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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AnnaWest24
Boston, MA258 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
Awesome hike! We did it with two kids ages 13 and 15. We parked at Many Glacier Hotel and walked a mile to the start of the trail. We didn’t even try to park at the trailhead parking lot. When we walked by, it was completely full with several cars waiting for hikers to come back to get a spot.

DO BRING MITTENS OR GLOVES, rain jacket to walk through waterfall, waterproof hiking shoes (walking over many small streams). I had wool long sleeve shirt, thick fleece, and rain jacket and it was freezing at the glacier.

Lake Josephine is where you will most likely encounter a bear. I researched before and many people see bears about 1.75 miles into the trip. We saw one 1.5 miles in, walking our trail about 35 years from us when we turned around the bush. It was a beautiful black bear. Big. We clapped and said “Hey Bear!” loudly going through this area to and from the glacier.

We saw a bear, a moose very close by on way to and from, four big horn sheep in a distance, and ground dogs and chipmunks.

The hike was not tiring but the bottom of our feet were very sore after the trail. Make sure you have some extra padded sole inserts. I saw many people walking in pain at the parking lot of the Many Glacier hotel for the exact same reason. Walking through the waterfall was fun. We saw many kids hiking this long trail, some as little as 7-8.

We arrived late due to rain and flood warning until 6:45 AM Due to construction, allow yourself and extra 40 mins at the Many Glacier entrance.

We started at around 11:45 AM. 3:05 hours in and just a bit short of 2 hours back. 5 hours overall with an hour or so at Glacier.

Pick a sunny day to get more vibrant colors.
Written August 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Crystal tea
Salem, OR34 contributions
Sep 2020 • Family
I had seen many reviews with carribean blue water. I'm not sure how much were filters and how much was real. I went on a very cloudy day, so the lake looked slightly blue, not like the pictures. The hike was very difficult. I'm pretty healthy and do cardio workouts regularly. We had to pull over a few times just for me to breathe. We continued thinking just a little further to the end, but it kept going. It was 1.25 miles high. My 11 year old thought but was ok and my 8 year old was miserable. We went in September and it was snow cold. My husband and I loved the views from high up on the mountain and we were thankful for an adventure. The lake itself was not exciting on a cloudy day. We loved the Cedar walk water and a turn off. The water there was green and really gorgeous (even on a cloudy day.) If you like mountain hiking, it's warm and sunny, or you really like challenging yourself you might love this.
Written September 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ArKrWa
133 contributions
Jul 2022
We did this hike at the end of the July and it wasn’t open all the way to the top. We caught the 9:00 boat from the hotel across both lakes. According to the guide at the information kiosk, the trail from that point was 4 miles round trip.

When you get off the boat, you circle around Josephine Lake and walk about half a mile to connect with the Glacier Trail. There is a bit of an incline in the section before you join the main trail.

After joining the main trail, you start going up. After about a mile, you start to see glimpses of Lower Grinnell Lake. Keep going and you are rewarded with one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, due to snow, you can’t hike all the way to the top and see the Upper Lake. It was still worth going as this is on the most beautiful sites I’ve ever seen.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the boat service can be tricky. The return boat comes at 11:45 am and makes multiple trips at that time to get all patrons back. We got to the dock at 11:50 and thought the boat would come back and get the people there. It did not as they hadn’t purchased tickets The next boat wasn’t until 1:45. As we waited more and more people were waiting for 1:45 boat. At 12:45, we decided to just walk back to the Many Glacier hotel. That hike was two miles. Flat and shady and we got to hotel before 1:45. Hated that I paid for return ticket, though. We felt our time was more valuable. In hindsight, I would’ve kept a closer eye on the time and made the 11:45 shuttle.

Wonderful, wonderful hike!! Highly recommend!!
Written August 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DePere
De Pere, WI469 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
We a couple (age 61 and 71) hiked the Grinnell Glacier trail on July 13 (2023). We stayed at the Many Glacier Hotel and booked the 9:00 A.M. boat tour many months in advance. The first boat takes you across Swiftcurrent Lake, followed by a short hike over a hill to Josephine Lake, where a second boat takes you across Josephine Lake. You then hike approximately 0.4 miles to the junction of the Grinnell Glacier Trail and then it is all up for the next 3.5 miles.
There are a lot of “WOW” moments on the trail: Viewing three alpine lakes at one instant, meadows full of flowers, beargrass, a waterfall, water cascading down the walls next to the trail, and of course Grinnell Glacier/Lake.
We started the trek with light sweaters, went down to t-shirts and shorts, and had a rain coat on when we reached the top (thunder and rain drops)
We got back to the boat dock at 4:45 P.M. We would have had to wait approximately an hour for the next boat so we decided to hike back to the hotel (2.9 miles). In all, it took us 9 hours to complete the activity. We stopped frequently, took a lot of photos, and really tried to enjoy the experience.
This is a heavily used trail and you will be sharing the trail with many other hikers. There is one pit toilet near the end of the trail. (Plan ahead)
For me this was the highlight of our six days in Glacier but I probably won’t be doing it again.

Written July 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mari
Pittsburgh, PA2 contributions
Aug 2021
There are no words to describe the beautiful views we saw throughout our entire hike. Hang in there, the last climb to view the glacier and lake was tough but the views made up for it. Enjoy the spray from the waterfall it was refreshing. Bring lots of water, food and I recommend walking sticks. We are both 50+ and our poles were helpful stepping up and down over the rocky terrain. It took us 7 hours to complete but we stopped to take pictures, took time to take in the views and spent about 30 minutes relaxing by the lake We didn't want to rush through this hike.
Written August 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

solyluz
Boulder, CO159 contributions
Jun 2021
We did this hike on June 29th. Park rangers told us that we could not reach the glacier viewpoint due to snow banks and run-off on last mile of trail. Regardless, this was our most strenuous hike in GNP on a clear sunny day with temperatures in the 80's.

We reached the Grinnell Glacier trailhead parking at 7.30am and secured one of the last parking spaces. The first part of the hike is quite flat following Swiftcurrent and Josephine lakes. Just beautiful! The boats were not running yet and the trail was quite busy already.

At the end of Josephine Lake, the trail started to gain altitude with a right turn. That is where we encountered the bear. A large group of hikers ahead of us signaled to us to stop. They were shouting and throwing rocks. The groups behind us also stopped and waited. There was no panic but everyone was unlocked and loaded with bear spray. After 5 minutes, the forward group signaled all clear and we proceeded. Apparently the bear was heading to the lake and crossed the trail ahead of the group.

There were no more wildlife interruptions as the trail climbed significantly. Views were stunning. There was little shade at the higher elevation.

The end point of the trail was a chain with signs "do not pass - danger" and "people have died beyond this point". Most ventured past the chain for 400 meters to the first snow bank covering the trail for photos. Snow bank was at a high angle with some runoff.

We were about 45 minutes from the end of the trail and had to turn at this first snowbank. The walk back was equally enjoyable with welcome shade next to the lakes in the heat of the afternoon. The boats had started operating and we met large groups of hikers taking the boat as a shortcut. If you have the energy for this 6-8 hour hike, then the walk lakeside is worthwhile.
Written October 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DutchTX
The Woodlands, TX662 contributions
Aug 2021
This 13 mile hike from Many Glacier to upper Grinnell Glacier (actually stand where the glacier ends and goes into the first lake) is awesome, but strenuous. Older kids will love it, some folks jumped in the ice-lake. The views during the hike are great, and also refreshing (you have to walk through a small waterfall). When at the Glacier, look up, and see (small) the hikers who did the Highline Trail, and the Grinnell Overlook addition (see our review). And absolute must; you will be tired after a day long good elevation gain hike.
Written August 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeffrey R
Spring Branch, TX228 contributions
Sep 2022
Beautiful hike. Quite a bit of elevation gain. Recommend you plan your trip well in advance and book your space on the boats from Many Glacier. The boats will cut out 4 miles of the 11 mile trail. We were too late in requesting reservations (7 weeks prior to our trip) and had to hike around Swiftcurrent and Josephine lakes.
Written September 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

IDsunshine101
Boise, ID25 contributions
Aug 2020
We were able to see the beautiful scenery by air. The lake was an amazing blue. Sadly the glacier itself was much smaller than expected. We were told to come back in spring when more snow from the winter is still around.
Written August 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

EC13091
Ellicott City, MD1,166 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
What can we say about Grinnell Glacier that hasn’t been said? Just a few tips:
-Remember, Glacier is a huge park. If planning to hike to Grinnell Glacier, stay in St. Mary or at Many Glacier. You’ll then be able to start your hike early in the day. If you stay in West Glacier, Columbia Falls or Whitefish, you’ll drive a really long time to get to Grinnell Glacier Trail.
-With so little shade on the walk, bring sun block and a hat, and lots of water. And again,start early in the day.
-You can use boats to shorten the walk. Some people took them both ways, others took them at the end of their walk. But note: If you want to use them, you must buy tickets before your hike. You cannot say, “Hey, I’m too tired” and simply by a ticket to return across the two lakes to Many Glacier.
Written September 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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