Best Hikes in the Parks: Glacier’s Grinnell Glacier Trail

By Robert Earle Howells; Photograph by M. Scott Brauer, Alamy

Celebrating Great Outdoors Month With 35 Great Hikes

Grinnell Glacier Trail

When to Go:June to September

Round-Trip: 11 Miles

Level: Moderate Day Hike

See the Trail Map

View many of Glacier’s most iconic features—big, clear, glacial valley lakes, alpine meadows filled with wildflowers; the omnipresent possibility of seeing a grizzly—en route to a glorious view from the maw of Grinnell, one of the park’s signature glaciers. The trail skirts Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes (opt for a tour boat if you want to knock 3.8 miles off the approach) before ascending 1,600 feet to the narrow, fissured glacier hanging high above milky blue Grinnell Lake.

Insider Tip: Push on past the glacier’s outflow for a jaw-dropping view of Grinnell Lake and a host of alpine summits. The incredible vistas are worth the 1,200-foot climb, first to the saddle between Mount Gould and Angel Wing, and then up to the ridge just below the summit of Angel Wing.

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