Day trips in Glacier National Park
Glacier is like Disneyland for outdoorsy people. Everything is set up to make it as easy as possible to get into the most beautiful surroundings and view incredible wildlife. Free shuttle buses and higher end tour shuttles take you wherever you want to go and the place is full of people who return year after year for their whole lives.
Campsites sell out in minutes here though. Which is how we found ourselves stood outside the visitor centre with a week stretching in front of us and nowhere to stay. Thank god for Camp Nab! Knowing that the central booking system for National Park campsites (recreation.gov) is a nightmare to navigate, some coders designed a system which scans recreation.gov and sends you a text if someone cancels a spot at a campsite you’d like to go to. It costs you (either per scan or per month) but it’s been so worth it on our trip.
It took us maybe an hour or so of refreshing recreation.gov and waiting for texts from Camp Nab before we had four nights booked at the sought after Many Glacier campsite. Okay, we’d have to move sites every day but it was a small price to pay for being in the heart of some of the best hiking Glacier has to offer.
Another thing that was very new to me as a Brit was the camp lecture programme. Every evening a ranger at the campsite would do a talk on some aspect of the park - from wildfires to beavers. They were really interesting (sometimes included a singalong) and there was always the chance to go and talk to the ranger afterwards about the topic. We had a really funny conversation with a British guy who claimed that wild camping (backpacking) in England is too dangerous because of the adders (Britain’s only venomous snake). To me it feels like hiking in rattlesnake, grizzly, wolf and even moose country is a little more risky! There’s not been an adder fatality since 1975 but maybe I’m wrong and me and Amy are actually way more hardcore than I thought for hiking in Dartmoor.
I probably enjoyed this singalong a bit too much..!
Our first hike in the Many Glacier area was a double whammy of the Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake. Almost 16 miles round trip it was a long one but, with the elevation gains mostly nicely spread out it felt doable. It didn’t take long for us to hit the Ptarmigan waterfall and take the fork up to the tunnel, diverging from the more popular route to Iceberg Lake.
We got an early start to try and beat the heat
Ptarmigan Tunnel is a real throwback to the olden days of Glacier hiking. It was blasted into the rock in 1930 to avoid the steepest section of the climb over the pass although to be honest it doesn’t seem to cut off much of the elevation.
Through the Ptarmigan tunnel the trail continues down to Elizabeth Lake - a popular backpacking route and a trip we’ve promised ourselves we’ll do one day!
By the time we really started heading out towards Iceberg Lake it was gone midday and getting incredibly hot. It was also pretty crowded down by the lake shore so we took a detour to the right and within a few metres it felt like we were all alone. I was really hoping that there would be icebergs in Iceberg Lake and we’d taken bets on how many there would be. We weren’t disappointed! The lake was full of icebergs and a gorgeous blue/green colour.
Such a beautiful lake and very peaceful once you walked round it a bit
We both took a quick dip and, following a tip from a couple we met on the way in, carried on down the lakeshore to a gorgeous wildflower meadow where we warmed our toes in the sun and watched the birds.
Amy chilling (literally) with the icebergs in the crystal clear water
Iceberg lake’s hidden wildflower meadow
Heading back we ran into a lot of really hot people! The dip in the lake really dropped our core temps though so the hike out wasn’t too bad and we made it back down to the diner near the campsite just in time for tea.
So much beargrass on the way back from Iceberg Lake
The next day we took it really easy (it was a scorcher) and made use of the campsite’s mini library to read about the wildlife in the area. We made a quick hike out to a lake just half a mile from the campsite where you can usually see moose and were rewarded with a nice bull moose grazing on the plants in the lake. We had fun attempting to take photos through our binoculars (some of them turned out really nicely!) before heading back for the ranger talk and an early night.
Fishercap lake is popular with photography courses as you can see to the right of this photo
We went back to the lake later and stumbled across the same moose down the river and much closer to the trail!
Saturday the 22nd July was our second wedding anniversary! We had planned a hike to Grinnell Glacier - widely agreed to be one of the best hikes in the park. We got a fairly early start and our hike began with a stroll along a series of glass-smooth lakes surrounded by forests.
The scenery on this hike was gorgeous from the beginning
After the first couple of miles though - the easy times were over and we began to climb. It was less elevation than the Ptarmigan/Iceberg hike but somehow felt a lot harder. Maybe because we were exhausted from all the previous hikes. The scenery was stunning though and the view just kept getting better.
A mile or so before the top we found some elusive bighorn sheep (I feel like I’m always looking for bighorn sheep and never see them!) and stopped to take a few pictures before the final series of steep switchbacks to get to the glacier.
Our first glimpse of Grinnell Glacier
One of the things I really wanted to do on this trip was swim in a glacial lake (preferably one with icebergs). We’d sort of done this at Iceberg Lake but the lake directly off Grinnell Glacier was much much colder and had the distinctive opaque turquoise colour of a true glacial lake.
The water was a really unusual cloudy blue from the rocks ground to dust by the glacier
It really was freezing though and, much as we tried we initially couldn’t bring ourselves to get into the icy water. Thankfully a family from New York arrived at the secluded spot we’d picked away from the crowds and the two brothers announced that they were going for a dip. We all cheered each other on as the five of us took the plunge and after we’d seen the boys survive we knew we had to go in.
I usually get into cold water really slowly but this time there was no hanging about. I floated around for a few seconds before my brain caught up to how cold the water was and I scrambled out. It was another roasting hot day though and the dip really helped cool us down.
This wasn’t water to hang around in - we were in and out pretty quickly!
I’ve since seen a few posts on sites dedicated to calling out stupid tourists in national parks which show people swimming in this lake. I think it’s that it’s so cold people can’t imagine it being a safe activity. As long as you’ve got people around you though and/or know your abilities well then I think it’s ok. I definitely wouldn’t go swimming out into the middle of the lake but some people probably would without batting an eyelid. To me it felt like a lifesaver in staving off heat stroke.
Bathing in the afterglow and endorphin rush of a coldwater plunge we made quick time back down the trail - stopping to have a quick shower in the waterfall that crosses the path about halfway up. Just after that we ran into a couple of volunteer rangers who were hiking up to check on everyone in the heat and to let us know that one of the trails out was closed because two bears were mating right on the path!
On the way down we saw this female moose and her baby on the edge of a lake
The hike ends at the Many Glacier Lodge. Built in 1914 in the style of a Swiss chalet by the Great Northern Railway it’s a gorgeous historic building overlooking Swiftcurrent Lake. They have a beautiful dining room and since it was our anniversary we’d decided to push the boat out and go for cocktails and a steak dinner. We were really early but it worked out well as we were able to put our names on the sign-up sheet early and sip our drinks overlooking the lake while we waited.
We got a lovely table by the window and feasted on Wagyu beef. The perfect end to a special day. The fun didn’t stop there though as the next day we had a night reserved at Granite Park chalet so we headed back to do a bit of packing.
A special end to a memorable 2nd anniversary!
We took it easy the next morning with a big breakfast at the campground diner. I think we might even have showered too although I can’t remember the timeline. Either way, it was almost 10:30 before we set off on our 7.7 mile hike to the chalet. The chalet functions like a backpackers hostel although you all get your own rooms. You can pay extra to have them provide sheets or bring your own (which is what we did). Our packs were lighter than usual though because we could ditch the tent and our bear-proof container.
Feeling fresh at the start of our hike with lighter packs than usual
On the first part of the hike we saw three bears, all way off in the distance eating berries on the hillside and apparently came within seconds of seeing a bear run across the trail.
Just as we started the really steep section we had the scariest moment of the trip to date! We were standing on the edge of the trail looking down into the valley watching a juvenile moose and looking for a big male we were told was in the area. We’d been there chatting for a while and suddenly heard a really loud huffing noise in the bushes right next to us. We backed up pretty quickly as it sounded a lot like a bear telling us to get out of its space. Both our bear sprays were out in seconds!
Beautiful scenery but we didn’t stick around after our notice to vacate was delivered
I gingerly retrieved our trekking poles while Amy covered my back with the bear spray and we didn’t hear any more noises and never saw the animal that made them. As we came across people walking down the trail we let them know so they could avoid stopping in that particular spot. One woman insisted to us that it was a moose we’d heard but as far as I know moose don’t huff like that. We did see plenty of moose on that hike (7 I think, including the big male a little further down the valley!) but none where we’d heard the huffing sound.
Everyone told us we’d be crazy to hike up Swiftcurrent as it’s very steep - but we loved the idea of not having to mess about with a lengthy shuttle before our hike and in the end it wasn’t too bad. It was very hot (a running theme for this trip) and a lot of the cooling waterfalls were just slightly out of reach which was upsetting!
Looking down over the string of lakes we’d hiked past
Swiftcurrent Pass, when we finally made it up there was stunning! It also felt very bear-y so we made plenty of noise as we made our final descent down to the Chalet.
Our first glimpse of the chalet nestled in the mountains
We got checked in and bought some food to supplement ours. The pricing was based on weight as everything is lugged up by pack horses - so crisps were surprisingly cheap and water retailed for $12 a bottle! Thankfully guests at the chalet have access to a water tank filled with pre-treated water - luxurious!
We got settled in to our room and went back to the main building to make our dinner. No three course meals here - Granite Park Chalet is cheaper than Sperry (which we visited on our backpacking trip) but it’s lighter on extras and is self-catered. They do have a well-stocked kitchen though which made food prep a breeze.
The rooms were bare bones but pretty comfy
Working at these chalets really is something else as we found out when we were talking to a couple of the employees up there. They arrive at the beginning of the season (26th June) and they aren’t allowed to leave until the chalet closes on the 10th September. They get a few afternoons off a week but have to be at the chalet every night. It’s a beautiful setting but that length of time in one place would drive me crazy. At least at Granite there was decent phone signal, at Sperry you’d feel so cut off. But then the day hiking options from Sperry seem more numerous. Either way - not for us!
Alpenglow at sunset from Granite Park Chalet
They were a really fun crew to chat to and gave us lots of recommendations for future adventures and an interesting presentation about the chalet’s history which they all knew off by heart after a month of giving it every evening!
We got lucky with a spectacular sunset from the chalet!
The walls of the chalet are paper thin so we were really pleased to not have any snorers or partiers in our midst and we both got a semi decent night’s sleep despite the persistent heat. We had planned to hike out on The Highline, one of Glacier’s “must do” hikes but it was another ridiculously hot day so we decided to retrace our footsteps straight back to the car. The Highline doesn’t have reliable water sources, is really exposed and gets incredibly crowded. That plus the two long shuttle rides we’d need to take at the end of the hike sealed the deal and we headed back to the Swiftcurrent trail.
It was a gorgeous hike out although it was the hottest day yet which made it more difficult than anticipated. We were so happy to arrive at Red Rock Falls where you can sit in a pool of water with the waterfall crashing next to you. The movement of the water also kept the biting flies away - an unexpected bonus.
A really scenic spot for a dip and one of the warmest swims we’ve had in Glacier
We stayed in the pool until we both had goosebumps which made the final couple of miles pass by like a breeze. Once down we decided to head back up to the Many Glacier lodge to check out their other restaurant for a very late lunch. The burger tasted so good and we met a really fun couple from New Jersey, spending our time swapping horror stories of Newark airport (where he worked as a customs official).
Before dinner we took advantage of the diners self-serve soft serve ice cream. It was $2.50 and you could have as much as you could fit in the container. Amy used to work at an ice cream counter so she was great at getting us loads of ice cream!
The next day we took it easy and went on a ranger guided hike where we all tasted different wild berries and chatted about the ranger’s background. She was from a proper ranger family and grew up in Glacier - what a wild childhood! She loved it so much that she became a ranger at the park too, continuing the family tradition.
These ranger led hikes make the park way more accessible for people travelling alone or who are nervous about bears
One place we knew we had to see on this trip was Logan Pass - which feels like the epicentre of Glacier. It’s famously overcrowded with parking filling up by 7am easily and remaining jammed most of the day. We decided to try for later in the day and, rolling into the car park around 6.30pm we got parked pretty easily.
It felt a bit late to start the 15 mile out and back Highline Trail(!) although I guess we could have just done part of it. In any case we decided to hike out to the Hidden Lake Overlook. An easy 3 miler mostly on a boardwalk.
Incredible scenery less than a mile from the carpark
This hike is why Glacier feels like Disneyland to me! It was up there with the most beautiful hikes we’ve done and I loved that you won’t miss out if you can’t hike 15 miles in a day. At sunset it was a very peaceful hike although I imagine it’s super crowded during peak times. On the way up we spotted a mountain goat sitting on a rock in the distance and shared our binoculars with a couple of really excited girls who had been trying to make out what the white shape they were looking at was.
We didn’t need the binoculars to see this goat reading the informational sign… it was actually licking the fence probably trying to get salty sweat. It’s a bit gross but hey goats need minerals too and they can’t just buy multi vitamins or electrolyte tabs
At the top of the overlook, our way was blocked by a big sign saying that the trail down to the lake itself was closed due to bear activity. Glacier often does this. Following a series of attacks in the 1960s the park takes bear management incredibly seriously. If a mother bear and her cubs move in or a bear is hanging around a trail or backcountry campsite they’ll close the area until they decide to head off. Apart from Sperry Chalet trail weirdly which had a mother with three cubs frequenting but remained solidly open (perhaps because it’s the only route up to the Chalet and closing that would be a really money loser…)
A bighorn sheep standing above Hidden Lake. This is probably my favourite photo I’ve taken on this trip so far!
Not being able to go down wasn’t an issue though - it was almost 8pm by this point and rapidly getting darker. We took some gorgeous photos until someone said they’d spotted a bear down by the lake! It was a perfect view as the bear was plenty far away but close enough to see easily through our binoculars.
I was amazed that no one else seemed to have brought a pair so we ended up passing the binoculars around the 6 or so people up there with us. The bear was really focused on flipping over rocks to get at the ants and other insects underneath and we watched it for ages as it wandered around the area.
Amy had the binoculars when suddenly the bear started digging furiously. Out popped a squirrel and the bear chased it like a cat, batting at the squirrel with its huge paws. We think the squirrel got away (or was swallowed whole, it was hard to tell what happened). After that the bear climbed an impossibly steep gully with ease and disappeared off into the mountains.
Heading down the boardwalk from Hidden Lake - it was getting chilly by this point (around 9pm). The sunset hike was amazing for avoiding the crowds though, I can imagine this hike would feel a bit like a conveyer belt at peak times
Back at the car (having seen mountains goats, bighorn sheep and a bear on our short hike) we were greeted by a pair of mountain goats wandering around the car park. We watched them for a while and got some photos of Big Buddy with the goats before heading out of the park for the night.
Big Buddy, Amy and the bighorns. You can see how big they are but the photo doesn’t capture that they’re pure muscle - these guys are so hench!
The next day we took a long and bumpy road up to the North Fork area. A less-visited area of the park with two first come first serve campsites. We also spent a night backpacking up there - a gorgeous trip filled with wild raspberries and swimming. Lowlights included being stung by a hornet and laying awake for several hours at night listening to a bear flipping rocks near our tent and trying to remain relaxed enough to get back to sleep!
Our beautiful spot at Kintla Lake. It was a really windy night so we were happy to have left the outer of the tent off so it wasn’t flapping in the breeze
We also had a really fun evening with the ranger stationed at the lake campground. He invited us into his cabin which was built in 1900 and didn’t look like it had changed much in the intervening years. He then invited us to share a bottle of wine and some fancy cheese and crackers with him - an invitation we definitely weren’t going to refuse. He gave us lots of book recommendations and told us stories of his rangering days in the past. We were late returning to our campsite and I’d drunk more than I had in a long time! I fell into the hammock and slept until gone 9 the next morning.
I loved sleeping in the hammock - although you do feel a bit exposed to the grizzlies! The mug in this picture was a plain white one when we got it - we’ve each added stickers from all the places we’ve visited
Tough as it was to drag ourselves away - it was time to leave Glacier. We had a date with the Sawtooths where Amy helped build a trail 17 years ago! We wanted to see how it was doing and explore the area which had done so much to shape her love of the outdoors all those years ago.
