Things To Do In Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is so full of jaw dropping views that no amount of time spent here feels enough – which is why we are already planning our THIRD trip to this place soon! So now that you have decided to visit one of our favorite National Parks, find all the information you need to make the trip happen.

Whether you are an avid hiker or not, there are plenty of places in the park for everyone to soak in the views and get a taste of the slice of paradise this place is.

Glacier National Park Map

Best Time To Visit Glacier National Park

The best time to visit is Early July to the first week of September (until labor day weekend). This is when the park and all its facilities including lodging and free shuttle service is fully open to visitors. This makes July and August an attractive time for all first timers and most hikers since this is the only time you will find all the trails and roads open.

For those looking to avoid summer crowds and higher costs, June and October are good shoulder seasons but expect trail and road closures due to snow. The park is open year-round but keep in mind that most businesses, restaurants and lodges close after the labor-day weekend.

How Many Days Do You Need In Glacier National Park?

Plan to spend at least four full days in the park. Ideally, seven days will give you enough time to explore the three different regions of the park and hike some of the best trails.

You could spend hours commuting between different regions of the park due to poor road conditions and traffic. To optimize your time in the park, we recommend staying in a particular region and exploring it before moving on to the next. Read the next section to better understand the different regions.

Glacier National Park Lodging – Where to Stay

Glacier National Park is big and to make the best use of your time in the park, we recommend staying the night in the region where you plan to be exploring the following day. Lodging and accommodations within the park are limited and sometimes get fully booked out a year in advance. Following are the regions to consider splitting your stay between:

Many Glacier:

We recommend staying either at the Many Glacier Hotel or Swiftcurrent Motor Inn when exploring this region.

Going-to-the-Sun Road:

Saint Mary Visitor Center and Apgar Visitor Center mark the two extremes of this scenic drive which also has great hiking trails. When exploring this region, we highly recommend staying either at the Rising Sun Motor Inn or at St. Mary Village, especially if you plan to be hiking. Otherwise, Lake Mc Donald lodge is also a good option if hiking is not a priority.

Two Medicine:

Glacier Park Lodge or St. Mary Village are the best places to be spending the night at when exploring this region

Glacier National Park – Things To Do

For ease of planning and to save time it is best to cover the park region-wise. Read on to find out about the things to do in each of the regions.

Many Glacier

This area has the secluded yet popular Many Glacier Lodge situated on the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake. We highly recommend staying here when exploring this area. An experience that must not be missed when staying here is watching the sun set behind the rugged peaks surrounding the lodge. This region is a hiker’s paradise. Some of the best hikes in the park with views of alpine and glacier fed lakes start here. Following are our top picks for best trails in this region:

• Grinnell Glacier Trail
• Iceberg Lake
• Cracker Lake
• Swiftcurrent Nature Trail

Going-to-the-Sun Road

This popular 50-ish-mile scenic drive has Apgar Visitor Center at one end and Saint Mary Visitor Center at another. This is a narrow winding road with hairpin curves. It offers beautiful views of valleys surrounded by jagged mountain peaks and the opportunity to view wildlife. At the summit of the drive, about halfway through, is the Logan Pass Visitor Center. When driving this scenic road, consider stopping at the below points to take in the views. None of these viewpoints need hiking :

• Lake McDonald
• The loop
• The weeping wall
• Big Bend
• Wild Goose Island

Following are our top picks for the best hiking trails in this region:

• Hidden Lake Trail
• Highline Trail
• Avalanche Lake Trail
• Trail of the Cedars
• St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls Hike

Two Medicine

We haven’t had a chance to visit this region of the park yet. But the following trails top our must-hike list the next time we find ourselves in Glacier National Park :

• Dawson Pass
• Pitamakan Pass

Best Hikes In Glacier National Park

In this section we have shared our all-time favorite hikes in the park, listed in that order. We aim to provide all the details needed for you to plan your time in the park most efficiently.

Grinnell Glacier Trail

• Distance : ~11 miles Out & Back
• Time : ~7-8 hours
• Elevation gain : 2200 ft
• Rating : Strenuous
• Trailhead Region : Many Glacier
• Kid Friendly : Yes, if your kid is an experienced hiker

The trailhead starts outside of Many Glacier Lodge but you can choose to save 3.4 miles of roundtrip hike by reserving a boat service to ferry you across swiftcurrent and Josephine lakes. The elevation gain will still remain the same.

If there is only one hike that you can do at Glacier National Park, then this is it. You are not just treated with views of a Glacier up and close but the opportunity to dip your feet in a glacier fed lake with floating icebergs. Throughout the hike you get to enjoy views of rugged mountains surrounding lush valleys with turquoise alpine lakes.

Pro Tip: This trail remains closed until the first week of July and sometimes opens as late as mid to late July if the snow hasn’t melted. Make sure to check trail conditions on the NPS website before planning your hike.

Iceberg Lake Trail

• Distance : ~9.5 miles Out & Back
• Time : ~4-5 hours
• Elevation gain : 1450 ft
• Rating : Moderate
• Trailhead Region : Many Glacier
• Kid Friendly : Yes, if your kid is an experienced hiker

This trail offers panoramic views of alpine meadows filled with colorful wildflowers, creeks and Ptarmigan waterfall. and ends at a surreal blue lake. Sitting at the shore of this lake, enjoy views of a cirque surrounded by mountains just across the lake.

Hidden Lake Trail

• Distance : ~5.5 miles Out & Back
• Time : ~3-4 hours
• Elevation gain : 1374 ft
• Rating : Moderate
• Trailhead Region : Logan Pass Visitor Center
• Kid Friendly : Yes, if your kid is an experienced hiker

This trail is one of the more popular ones in the park. Start early to avoid large crowds. Wildlife viewing on this trail is very likely, especially mountain goats and grizzly bears – so much so that the trail sometimes closes down due to bear activity on the trail! The last stretch of the hike down to the lake is steep and the most challenging part of the hike but completely worth the effort nonetheless. Overall the trail is very scenic right from the beginning and ends at the beautiful hidden lake surrounded with mountains.

Cracker Lake Trail

• Distance : ~12 miles Out & Back
• Time : ~5-6 hours
• Elevation gain : 1650 ft
• Rating : Moderate
• Trailhead Region : Many Glacier
• Kid Friendly : Yes, if your kid is an experienced hiker

This one is an underrated beauty! Unlike other hikes in this area, the trail does not start off with great views. The first few miles is through a forest with a thicket of bushes and trees with not so much for views. This section of the trail is also a horse trail. Make sure to carry bug spray as it get muddy with mosquitoes and bugs.

The trail eventually emerges out of the forest to 360-degree views of the canyon surrounded by mountains. Starting about 5.8 miles into the hike, the ice cold turquoise blue color of the lake starts to become apparent. We were surprised to find this beauty of a place significantly less busy compared to other hikes.

Pro Tip: There are three campsites along the shores of this lake for those interested in backpacking. Click here to find out about campsite reservation process.

Avalanche Lake Trail

• Distance : ~6 miles Out & Back
• Time : ~3 hours
• Elevation gain : 760 ft
• Rating : Moderate
• Trailhead Region : Lake McDonald
• Kid Friendly : Yes

This is an easy hike with rewarding views compared to the lake hikes in the Many Glacier region. The lake is huge and surrounded with steep cliffs. On a clear day you will be treated with views of multiple waterfalls plunging into the lake. Continue the hike as far along the shore as you wish.

Saint Mary and Virginia Falls Trail

• Distance : ~3 miles Out & Back
• Time : ~2 hours
• Elevation gain : 452 ft
• Rating : Easy
• Trailhead Region : Along the Going-to-the-Sun Road towards Saint Mary
• Kid Friendly : Yes

This is an easy but rewarding hike offering views of four waterfalls with two of them being unnamed. The first one is a three-tiered waterfall which is the St. Mary falls and the last one is a tall multi-tiered waterfall – the Virginia falls.

Pro Tip: The parking lot is small and gets filled up quickly. So make sure to either arrive early or take the park shuttle to get here.

Highline Trail Glacier National Park

• Distance : ~15 miles Out & Back
• Time : ~7 hours
• Elevation gain : 2600 ft
• Rating : Strenuous
• Trailhead Region : Logan Pass Visitor Center
• Kid Friendly : No

This is perhaps the most popular hike in the park but in our opinion the views on this trail are average compared to other hikes, unless you decide to take the detour to Grinnell Glacier Overlook, which is an additional 1 mile with 1000ft elevation gain. While the views from Grinnell Glacier Overlook are incredible, the effort in hiking the Highline trail to get there makes it less interesting. There are three ways to hike the Highline trail:

• As a roundtrip – Starting from Logan Pass Visitor Center to Granite Park Chalet and back.
• Hike one way from Logan Pass Visitor center to Granite Park Chalet which is approximately 7.5 miles. Then take the shuttle back to Logan Pass Visitor Center. Keep in mind that the shuttles need to be pre-booked here.
• Start from Logan Pass Visitor Center and go as far as you like and turn around at any point (Most popular option)

Swiftcurrent Nature Trail

• Distance : 2.7 miles Loop
• Time : ~1 hour
• Elevation gain : Mostly flat
• Rating : Easy
• Trailhead Region : Many Glacier
• Kid Friendly : Yes

This is a walk around the beautiful Swiftcurrent lake with reflections of the surrounding mountains in it. Take this walk early in the morning when low hanging clouds cover the mountain peaks giving a moody vibe to the scene.

Trail of the Cedars

• Distance : 1 mile loop
• Time : ~1 hour
• Elevation gain : Mostly flat
• Rating : Easy
• Trailhead Region : Lake McDonald
• Kid Friendly : Yes

This trail passes through a forest of Cedar Trees and can be combined with hiking the Avalanche lake Trail as the trailhead to both these hikes is the same.