Grinnell Glacier Trail

The Grinnell Glacier Trail is the classic big day hike in Many Glacier and one of the few trails in the park that ends at a glacier you can actually walk up to. It starts at the Grinnell Glacier trailhead near Swiftcurrent Lake, follows the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine, then climbs the slopes above Grinnell Lake, whose milky turquoise water comes from glacial flour, to a viewpoint at the glacier's edge under the Garden Wall.

The Park Service's current figures are about 5.0 miles one way from the trailhead, with about 2,600 feet of climbing on the way up and about 1,000 feet of descent, so the round trip is around 10 miles. Taking the concessioner boats across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine shortens the hike to about 3.7 miles one way. The upper section is exposed, crosses waterfalls and can hold steep snow well into summer; it is often among the last trails in the park to open.

The glacier is named for George Bird Grinnell, the conservationist and editor who explored the area and pushed for the creation of the national park. It rests on the north flank of Mount Gould, and photographs going back more than a century show how much it has shrunk. In 1850 the ice covered about 710 acres, including the Salamander, an ice apron above it that has since separated; by 1993 Grinnell measured about 220 acres. Gem Glacier, one of the smallest in the park, is visible above it on the Garden Wall. Today the hike ends at Upper Grinnell Lake, a meltwater lake below the remaining ice.

2026 was a hard year on this trail. A hiker was seriously injured by a surprised grizzly on a snowfield about 3.5 miles up on May 28, the day after the trail had reopened from a bear closure, and the park closed it again afterwards. Heavy rain flooded the Many Glacier valley on June 29, and most Many Glacier trails stayed closed into early July. There were no vehicle reservations, and the expanded Swiftcurrent parking area now has 339 spaces. Glacier Park Boat Company has finished its 2026 season.

Practical tip: start early, carry bear spray where you can reach it, and hike in a group making noise, especially on snow and around blind corners. Check the trail status the day before; closures here are common.