Grinnell Glacier continuously stands out as one of the best, most-beautiful trails I have ever hiked in my life. Overall, it’s challenging but rewarding trail and 100% worth the effort.
The hike to Grinnell Glacier ranks as one of the park’s most popular hikes for many reasons; breathtaking views, alpine meadows, and a spectacular glacier as the end-reward of a challenging hike.
To get to Grinnell Glacier, hikers will follow a cliff-edge trail overlooking green valleys and lakes, including Swiftcurrent Lake, Lake Josephine, and Grinnell Lake, before finally reaching Grinnell Glacier at the very end of the destination hike.
Hands down, the Grinnell Glacier trail is a must-do day hike on any trip to Glacier National Park.
Grinnell Glacier Hike Details
Grinnell Glacier originally caught our eye from a random episode of Rock the Park featuring Glacier National Park. The footage of the hosts hiking along cliff edges next to dramatic overlooks and then dunking their heads in the glacier lake at the end solidified the hike’s position on our trip itinerary.
- Total Miles: 10.6 miles (without ferry ride), 7.6 miles (with ferry ride)
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Type: Out and back
- Elevation Gain: 1,600 ft.
- Difficulty: Strenuous (but we witnessed people of all ages hiking this trail)
- Landscape: Cliff edge trails, spectacular views, glacier-fed waterfalls and lakes, alpine scenery, glaciers, temperate forest
- Hiker Traffic: Heavy
- Trailhead: Many Glacier Trailhead
- Parking: Lot near Many Glacier Hotel
- Gear: Bear spray, 2+ liters of water, lunch/snacks, moisture-wicking layers, jacket/sweatshirt, hat and mittens
Grinnell Glacier Trail Conditions
The trailhead begins near the Many Glacier Hotel and winds around both Swiftcurrent Lake and half of Lake Josephine before beginning to gain real elevation. Up until that point, the trail remains fairly flat and scenic through a temperate forest. To reduce the total hike mileage, you can buy a ferry ticket to shuttle you across both lakes – saving you about 3.5 miles total.
Shortly after Lake Josephine, the cliff-edge portion of the hike begins. From this point to the top of the mountain hikers will have miles of breathtaking, unobstructed views of the Rocky Mountain landscape filled with mountain peaks, valleys, lakes and multiple glaciers. In some sections, run off from melting glaciers cuts across the trail creating small glacial creeks and waterfalls to walk through.
A Big(horn) Encounter On The Trail
During our ascent to the glacier we rounded a corner and found ourselves face to face with a massive bighorn sheep.
On a cliff edge with nowhere else to go, we turned around and backtracked until we found an area that we could safely climb off the trail. The sheep followed us down the trail and despite our best efforts to warn other hikers, some weren’t able to get out of the way in time.
They were forced to press their backs against the mountain wall and let the sheep pass between them and a 1,000 foot cliff edge. Our hearts were pounding with fear and excitement as we watched the whole thing play out – it was such a wild experience!
Experiencing 3 Seasons in 1 Hike
As we climbed the mountain we felt the change in temperature and shift in the weather in correlation with the elevation gain. When we started the hike we were wearing t-shirts. However, by the time we reached the top we were both wearing all our layers – including puff jackets and winter hats and mittens!
Although the temperature may be warm on the ground, it is SUPER important to pay attention to the mountain weather and bring warmer layers for this reason. Since we were prepared and bundled up we were able to spend more time at the glacier because we weren’t freezing cold. Some people only had on t-shirts and shorts – they definitely didn’t hang out long.
Experiencing Our First Ever Glacier
After a challenging three hour climb, we finally reached Grinnell Glacier! The whole experience was just as amazing as we had imagined with the brilliant blue water and massive floating ice chunks.
We ate our picnic lunches gazing out upon the turquoise blue glacier melt and took a ton of pictures. We had originally planned to dunk our heads in the water like in the episode of Rock the Park – however it was way too cold. Touching the water instantly numbed our hands and took our breath away. It was the coldest thing I have ever experienced!
An Unforgettable Day Hike in Glacier National Park
We spent over an hour exploring and taking in the views of Grinnell Glacier before the cold ultimately drove us from the glacier’s edge. We descended from the mountain peak at an easy pace, stopping to take in the breathtaking views an appreciate the beauty of the park.
Hours later, we climbed into our car with smiles plastered on our faces and a fresh set of blisters on our feet. We had such an amazing day!
Have you ever hiked to Grinnell Glacier? What was your favorite part? Please comment below!
Thank you! This was super helpful, heading to Glacier soon. I am researching to see if this hike is right for my family. We already bought the ferry tickets, just not sure how everyone will do with heights and trail length.