10.6 Miles Round Trip | 1600 FT. Total Elevation Gain
(Option to shorten the hike with a boat tour over Lake Josephine)
So, it's classic early spring in Montana right now and why not dream of summer with a blog about one of my favorite hikes to date: Grinnell Glacier Trail.
Since we moved across the country from Florida to Montana in 2017, it's safe to say we do not get a lot of friends and family who are able to come out here. When we do get people to come out, they are from Florida where the elevation is pretty much zero and proposing a hike like this probably isn't a great idea unless they are in great shape.
The friends who have come here have mostly visited in the winter for other outdoor activities like skiing, snowboarding, or simply to see snow for the first time. Other friends have come on the off season (looking at you Hannah) where nothing is really open, and others have come in the early season (June/Early July) where the trails still have tons of snow on them. Floridians are also in the heat year round so thinking about summer elsewhere may not seem like a big deal. But summer (officially mid-July through early September in our eyes) in Montana is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Wildflowers, fresh air, big blue skies on top of mountain peaks, cool nights, crystal clear water, no humidity... To be honest, my entire life I didn't understand what humidity was. I was born and raised in Florida, so glistening of sweat on your way to the car year round was normal to me.
All this to say when my sister, Jennifer, said she wanted to visit us and hike in Glacier National Park with her friend John, I immediately started Googling the best trails. She is physically fit and would be able to do any hike I threw at her. I wanted to impress. I wanted to prove that we were not crazy for moving to the middle of nowhere on the northern border of the country. Hearing and seeing great things about this trail, naturally I wanted to take her.
SIDE NOTE FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT WANT INCLINE:
The fall before Jennifer came to visit, Josh and I had hiked to Lower Grinnell Lake which is the lower portion of this hike. It is about an 8 mile hike and close to no elevation gain. You can also take 5 miles off of your hike by shuttle via boat. This hike is neat because you pass three lakes - Swiftcurrent, Lake Josephine, and Lower Grinnell.
Here are some photos of that hike. Lake Josephine is on the left, a viewpoint of Grinnell Point about .5 miles from the hotel in the center, and about 1 mile from the hotel at the crossing between Swiftcurrent and Lake Josephine.
Many Glacier is about a 1.5-2 hour drive from the house / glamping tent area, but it is worth every minute, even just to stare at the historic Many Glacier hotel. It also helps that the drive is beautiful. There are two options for driving routes, Going to the Sun Road or HWY 2. If Going to the Sun Road is open, this route is a shorter distance and is always an experience in itself to say the least. Save the stopping for another day or the return drive because this hike will take about 6 hours.
The Many Glacier parking lots fill up fast every day of the season. Many Glacier is a hot spot in the park. One year I drove my mom there hoping just to visit the hotel and we got turned around at the gate. At least it was a nice 2 hour drive and luckily we were camping in Two Medicine. :)
Back to the Grinnell Glacier hike with my sister... What's crazy about this story is we hiked this trail the day the Howe Ridge Fire started in 2018. We left the house around 7:30a and drove past what looked like a rogue chimney fire on the north side of Lake McDonald. We dismissed it and kept trucking on (more on this later).
We arrived at the hotel around 10a and explored a little. We ate, got snacks for the hike (and a can of wine for the destination) and hit the trail.
Looking at the Many Glacier Hotel from the parking lot on the hill, the trailhead is to the left (south) along Swiftcurrent Lake. As mentioned above, you can shorten the hike by about 3.4 miles round trip if you take the two boats over Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. If you are short on time or just want to save your legs, I am sure the boat tour is informative and beautiful as well.
The weather was beautiful outside - light breeze and super clear. About 3 minutes into hiking, a group going the opposite direction said, "Have your bear spray ready, there is a grizzly sow and 2 cubs 500 yards away!". Hands on our bear sprays, we cautiously continue hiking as there are more people on the trail and it seemed like a good idea... Sure enough, no bears. Apparently, they were on the South Shore of Lake Josephine and this trail calls for the North Shore Trail. I think Jennifer was more than ok with this outcome. :-P
The junction takes you on a bridge over a creek. Then, before you know it. BAM! You are at the head of Lake Josephine. There is a sign that takes you off the trail slightly to see the head of the lake. There is just something about this lake that I find absolutely jaw dropping. It could be the Morning Eagle docked majestically in the wilderness. Or it could be the massive peaks all around. Needless to say, it is worth a little pit stop.
Back on the North Shore trail, it starts to elevate some, but nothing crazy. Continue along until you see the junction for Grinnell Glacier Trail where you will turn right. THIS is the start of crazy. From here, the trail is pretty much all elevation gain up to the glacier. The initial gain is the hardest with a lot of switchbacks. As you start to elevate, you will see Lower Grinnell Lake. On a sunny day, the lake's color is a turquoise shade and the clouds' shadows moving across the surface is a show in itself. There are many points on this hike where we stopped, not only because we were exhausted, but to take in that view.
Jennifer and my sister Jessica (her twin) call this photo the famous Raquel pose. It was used in a local health insurance ad and I didn't even get notified.... hahah
Here is Jennifer's famous yoga instagram pose:
Continue along the trail. In early August, we saw many varieties of wildflowers and foliage. Some straight out of Dr. Seuss like below:
My favorite part about this hike is that it encompasses everything I love about Glacier National Park into one hike. It has beautiful lakes, streams, wildflowers, waterfalls, wildlife, and the namesake at the end, a glacier!
This day in particular, we spotted grizzly bear! From a distance and within a big crowd of onlookers. We are super smart and took photos through our binoculars :-P
On other days on this same hike, we spotted bighorn sheep and a lot of other people often see moose in the lower lakes, although we haven't been lucky enough yet!
This next part of the hike where you hike in a waterfall was a little scary for me because it had slippery rocks! As you can see, I used all fours to get through it.
Before you get to the Glacier, be sure to turn around to see all the lakes you just hiked by. The closest is Lower Grinnell, then Lake Josephine, behind the mountain is Swiftcurrent, and the furthest is Lake Sherburne which you drive past on the main road into Many Glacier.
We did not create that cairn... nor do we condone it! Leave no trace :)
One you get to the lake, try and find some space away from the crowds! We relaxed for a bit near an iceberg, ate snacks, drank canned wine, and had a photoshoot.
After a our break, we headed down the mountain. Once we got back to the hotel, starving for some calories, we ate at the pub. Upon exiting the hotel, we couldn't believe our eyes. It was super smokey and windy out of NOWHERE. The hike had been beautiful as you can see above. Crystal clear weather all day long. We thought to ourselves... could it be that little chimney fire from this morning? Could it have blown up that fast?
Here is the scene. Although it is beautiful, it was quite eerie how it happened so fast.
Of course, none of us had cell service until we got to St. Mary area. We turned onto Going to the Sun and passed the park gate. That's when Jennifer luckily looked on Glacier's Twitter page and said... "Oh! Going to the Sun road is closed at Logan's Pass! It is that fire!" If she hadn't read that in the knick of time, we would have added another hour to our drive home. In taking HWY 2 home, we also passed the Paola Ridge which you could clearly see from the highway.
It's been almost three years and I remember this day as if it was yesterday. Glacier has that effect on me. It is my favorite place on this planet and we are lucky enough to live right next to it. That's why we started Glamp Glacier; to share this beauty with others!
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