There is no water available and only vault toilets. Winter recreation access is permitted beyond the vehicle closure on the west side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. All boats must be inspected prior to launch. Occasionally in extreme conditions the road may be closed at the foot of Lake McDonald. The hike is about 7.5 miles round trip from our upper boat dock on Lake Josephine, and the trail is typically open by mid July. Grinnell Glacier Trail is an out-and-back trail, meaning the way you head out is going to be the same way you come back in. HIKERS HAVE BEEN KILLED OR When the trail opens for the season (varies on conditions per year), boat service departs daily at 8:30 a.m. Lodges, Restaurants, and Other Services Check the Road Status webpage for up-to-date information. The roads on the east side of the park are closed, as is typical for this time of year. WINDMAKER SUSPENSION BRIDGE: INSTALLED 6/9/2020 per 650, WINDMAKER SUSPENSION BRIDGE: Scheduled Removal 10/1/2020 per 650, STOCK ADVISORY: Trail between Bullhead Lake and Devil's Elbow is steep, Or, take a short boat ride across Swiftcurrent Lake and pick up the trail near Lake Josephine. Tentative start on July 17th depending on trail conditions. Lake McDonald is currently the only lake open to boating. The Grinnell Glacier hike is a great way to see an abundance of wildflowers, great views, geology, and … Another fun Glacier National Park hiking trail is Grinnell Lake. However, there is an option that cuts off about 3.4 miles of that total roundtrip mileage. You might be able to hike parts of the trails in the Many Glacier area, I heard that part of the Grinnell Glacier trail was open, (although snow packed) and that you can hike far enough to look down on Grinnell Lake which is phenomenal! Trailhead: Grinnell Glacier trailhead, adjacent to the Many Glacier Hotel. Overlook (aka Crusher Hill), a pullout at the top of a hill, you have gone 0.3 miles too far. Our tour boats can cut four miles round-trip off the hike to Grinnell Glacier. DIRECTIONS: Heading north up Highway 89, turn left onto Chief Mountain Highway 17. Obtain a boat permit from the Apgar Permit Center. Arriving at Grinnell Glacier. VEHICLES NOT RECOMMENDED!!! Grinell Glacier and Wing Lookout [CLOSED] is a 13.8 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Browning, Montana that features a lake and is rated as difficult. Start your journey at the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead, just a stone’s throw from the Many Glacier Hotel. The Grinnell glacier trail is closed if you try to access it from Many Glacier. You start at the same trail head for Grinnell Glacier. Along with the trails already mentioned, portions of such trails as Iceberg Lake and Grinnell Glacier may be open. Grinnell Glacier Trail, located in the Many Glacier area, is one of the most popular hikes in Glacier National Park, and for good reason. Date of experience: September 2020. You can either hike it by itself or combine it with the Grinnell Glacier Trail. Round-trip mileage is 7 miles with 1600 foot elevation gain. (FEATHERPLUME) Scheduled removal 10/1/2020 per 650. *Grinnell Glacier Hike. Projected initial clearing date: 7/30/2020 per 658 SERIOUSLY INJURED ATTEMPTING TO GET WATER FROM THE CREEK AFTER CLIMBING ONTO It's also possible to take boats across first Swiftcurrent Lake and then Lake Josephine. This access to the Slide Lake area is by way of an unmarked and unmaintained road across Blackfeet Indian Nation land. This is where the climbing begins and the views really start to get good. At the trails end, you’ll arrive at the massive Grinnell Glacier and the stunning, milky turquoise waters of Upper Grinnell … Non-essential travel on road within the Blackfeet Indian Reservation is prohibited. Once at the end of the lakes, the elevation begins. Please note that there is a fee to ride the two boats.) CLOSED as part of general east side closure due to pandemic. Boating season will close on November 1, 2020. I'm going to Glacier mid July and heading home the 16th or 17th. How to Hike the Highline Trail Glacier’s concessioners operating lodging, restaurants, boat rentals, horseback rides, and bus tours have closed for the season. Grinnell Glacier is the most frequently visited glacier in Glacier National Park with an incredible trail along the way. Call 406-888-7800 and press 5 to leave a call-back number. Thanks! Three gorgeous miles. NOTE - A $20.00 Blackfeet Tribal Conservation Permit is required by each person(regardless of age) to recreate on reservation land. There is one major fork in the road a couple miles in, the left fork that leads down towards Otatso Creek is the way to Slide. In Apgar there is a campstore with limited grocery supplies, gift shops, recreational equipment rental, and a restaurant that may operate later into the fall. The hiking trail is in blue and Going-to-the-Sun Road is white. A ranger will return your call within 3 work days. Trails in the Many Glacier and Two Medicine Valleys are not open this summer. (Boat rides across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine can shorten the hike to about 7 miles. narrow and not recommended for stock. This article is based on a hike I took with a group, Sunday, July 31st, 2005 on Grinnell Glacier Trail, Glacier National Park; a 11 - 12 mile roundtrip hike considered by most to be moderate in difficulty. Easiest remaining glacier to hike to in the park. Winter conditions are in effect throughout the park trail system. The Grinnell Glacier Trail is one of the most scenic hikes in Glacier National Parks. Hiking to Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park is a bucket list item! Hiking to Grinnell Lake, the terrain remains mostly flat. There will also be a gem colored lake sitting at the base of the glacier, which will make you believe in fairy-tales, or maybe that blue Gatorade comes from someplace other than a … Upper Cataract Creek Suspension Bridge: Installed 6/10/2020 per 650 The Grinnell Glacier Trail is gorgeous, and that in itself is worth the trip! Trails and Backcountry Camping This is not true. Loop B of the Apgar Campground has opened for first-come, first served primitive camping. Most hikers visiting the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park in Montana come to experience the Grinnell Glacier Trail or trek to Iceberg Lake. THE FIRST MAJOR CREEK THAT IS CROSSED EAST OF RED GAP Those trails include the popular Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake, Cracker Lake, Cobalt Lake, Dawson/Pitamaken Pass, and Scenic Point trails. Its vistas are incredible (and well documented online) and the trail is well maintained and can be hiked if you are in reasonable shape. Loop B will remain open for primitive camping through the winter. Drive 4.3 miles north up Highway 17. It’s just over 3 miles, one way, to Grinnell Glacier from this point. Either way, you're looking at about 1800 feet of elevation gain to the lake the Grinnell glacier. When hiking the Grinnell Glacier Trail, a hiker will pass by crystal clear mountain lakes, towering mountains and will have the unique opportunity to stand on a glacier if one chooses. The Grinnell Glacier Overlook trail will bring you above one of Glacier National Park’s most prominent glacier formations. Depending on weather conditions the road will be open to Avalanche Creek or Lake McDonald Lodge. Doing so saves about 3 miles of hiking. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is best used from June until October. THE ROCKS BOTH AT THE BRIDGE SITE AND FROM THE SWITCHBACKS BELOW. 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). Show more Show less. Access the start of this route from the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead parking area, west of Swiftcurrent Lake. Save. Please consult the … Oftentimes it remains closed into late June or early July, depending upon the amount of snow. Limited winter access into the North Fork area of the park is still available as well. From here, it is a 6 mile hike, one way. EXTREME CAUTION!!! Grinnell Glacier is ranked #9 out of 10 things to do in Glacier National Park. Each summer thousands of hikers take the well-worn trail to be rewarded with the sight of the remnant Grinnell Glacier and Upper Grinnell Lake. Tips for a Grinnell Lake Hike. Highly recommend this route as. The first two level miles are spent briefly along Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine’s north shores. The view of the Grinnell Lake from Grinnell Glacier Trail Grinnell Lake Hike - Easy To shorten the hiking effort, one can also take Boat tours by Glacier Park Boat Company from Many Glacier Hotel that is a 2-lake cruise with a 0.25 mile walk over moderate hills between the Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes. The snow is beginning to get too deep for hiking on the road. Camping Once near Josephine Lake, you will see a junction for Grinnell … Users have reported that Grinnell Glacier can still be accessed from the western side of Glacier National Park. Similar to the Grinnell Glacier trail, the Highline Trail is around seven miles in length, … Boating PASS HAS EXTREMELY SLIPPERY ROCKS. On those trails, you’re likely to encounter a “trail closed beyond this point” sign somewhere along the way, but getting that far could be rewarding. You can also hike from the Many Glacier Hotel or from the official trailhead which is the parking lot west of the Hotel entrance (12 miles round trip without the boat cruise). After all, Many Glacier has access to some of the best hikes in Glacier National Park (in my opinion). Since the Many Glacier area of the park is closed, it may be worth it for some people to hike the spur trail to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook just to get a glimpse of this area of the park. Preface. WARNING! The Grinnell Lake hike is one of the most beautiful trails in Glacier National Park. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is open at the West Entrance. This access to the Glacier Park boundary is very muddy, rutted, rocky, and used heavily by cattle. USE Highline Trail. Grinnell Glacier, 7.6 miles Grinnell Glacier is the most accessible glacier in the park, and the trail one of the most scenic. It’s open if you try to access it from Piegan Pass, but that would make for a long day. Lake Josephine to Grinnell Glacier. Portions of the trail are accessible to hiking, but the trail is not completely accessible to Grinnell Glacier until late July when trail crew staff, and melting snow, open higher portions of the trail. Family Friendly The opportunity to take a boat along the first part of the trail, along with wildlife sightings and spectacular vistas make this a wonderful trail for kids! As is typical for this time of year much of the road access to the park has closed for the season. Trailhead: Follow the Many Glacier Road straight ahead until you see clearly marked signs for the Grinnell Glacier Trail. Look for a dirt road on the left heading west/southwest and skirting just south of Chief Mountain. Continue along the trail, which climbs over a tricky stretch of rock and gravel moraine for about .2 miles, which is the steepest and most difficult part of the trail. per 650, Cataract Creek Suspension Bridge: INSTALLED 6/10/2020. Grinnell Glacier Trail From Josephine Lake to Glacier Overlook/ 3.7 mi. Map of the Highline Trail. The main trail and the trail from the Lake Josephine boat dock join up at the far end (the western end) of Lake Josephine. See park web site for map with latest area closure. Due to COVID-19 precautions, permits will be issued electronically by advance reservation only. Start out on the first two level miles along Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine's eastern and northern shores on the appropriately named North Shore Lake Josephine Trail.Towards the end of Lake Josephine, look for the right-hand turn onto the Grinnell Glacier Trail. Permits may be obtained up to 7 days in advance. Access to the eastern side of Glacier National Park is closed due to COVID-19 precautions. If you go by Chief Mtn. Answer 1 of 2: The trail status site says this trail is scheduled for opening July 27, 2018; do the trails ever open earlier than expected? From here it's an 11 mile roundtrip. Iceberg Lake trail will at least be partially open (unless closed for bears which you can't predict)...but it may not be open all the way to the lake (there is a bridge that they put in before the lake at different times depending on snow conditions)... Grinnell Glacier trail all the way to the glacier less than a 50% … The trail is closed, as the park is closed east of the continental divide. Skiing and Snowshoeing Grinnell Glacier is in the heart of Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana.The glacier is named for George Bird Grinnell, an early American conservationist and explorer, who was also a strong advocate of ensuring the creation of Glacier National Park. From November 20th to May 1st, special backcountry camping regulations are in effect. special backcountry camping regulations are in effect. The total mileage is about 11 miles, and the average elevation gain per mile is around 484 feet. Snow has begun to accumulate on park trails. Grinnell Glacier – 10.3mi / 16.5km. This historic image is one of the oldest images re-photographed among the collection. Grinnel Glacier is located in the Many Glacier area, and can be reached via the Grinnell Glacier Trail. Areas of this hike may be closed even into June due to lingering snow. See pictures and our review of Grinnell Glacier. The massive wall of ice that constituted the terminus of Grinnell Glacier has receded beyond view from this point. Skiing and snowshoeing along the road is a popular winter activity. Additionally most areas within the park, east of the Continental Divide, remain closed to all access due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, just outside the park. Mount Gould towers above you the entire time as you climb 1600 vertical feet!