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On our last day in Glacier National Park, we decided to explore the Many Glacier Valley. We parked in the lot for the Many Glacier Hotel since we planned on touring the historic lodge in the afternoon. From the lot, we followed the horse trail over the road and picked up the Swiftcurrent Nature Trail around the head of the lake.
This short scrubby trail led to the Grinell Glacier Trail head. That parking lot was already starting to get full at 8:30 AM. The hike to Grinell Glacier is one of the most popular in the park.
I’d already checked online and warned my family that we would not be able to go all the way to the Glacier. It was the last week of June, but the trail is not usually cleared of snow and ice at the top until late July.
There were signs at the trail head saying basically the same thing, so we were mentally prepared to have a nice hike along the first two lakes and then go left at the fork towards Grinell Lake instead of bearing right to the steep trail to the glacier.
The first two miles were relatively flat, travelling up the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake and then Josephine Lake. When we reached the end of Swiftcurrent Lake. we looked back to see Many Glacier Hotel against the mountains where we’d started.
Then a gradual incline took us to a path above Josephine Lake through fields of wildflowers. We passed an inlet with an iceberg floating in it.
When we got to the fork, we saw young people descending from the glacier trail. They confirmed that we could not get all the way to the glacier, but that we could get to a great overlook of Grinnell Lake by following the glacier trail for 10 minutes.
Ten minutes turned out to be a steep, slippery, rocky climb of about a mile and maybe 45 minutes in the world of adults who have a less limited concept of time passage. Tall steps were carved into the rock in places and in others, little waterfalls rained down on us, cooling us off.
The view of Grinell Lake from the overlook is breathtaking. The color of the water is the most vibrant of the three lakes in the valley because it is the closest to the glaciers and receives the glacial flour runoff first.
At about the three and half mile mark, there was a ranger making sure that no hikers tried to go past the signs and risk traversing the ice covered cliffs.
As we headed back down the trail, we had to break the news to hopeful hikers on the ascent that they wouldn’t be able to go all the way to the glacier.
When we got to the start of Swiftcurrent Lake, we decided to hike the other shore back to Many Glacier Hotel. We were rewarded with some different scenes of canoes on the lake with Grinnell Point rising above it.
Location: 1 Rte 3, Browning, MT 59417
Designation: National Park
Date designation declared: 5/11/1910
Date of my visit: 6/27/2018
SO BEAUTIFUL! (Sorry to shout…but I couldn’t contain myself!)
Thanks! I felt the same way when I saw it for the first time (plus they encourage you to shout out there to keep the bears away lol)
Love it! The image of you shouting in enthusiasm made me smile.
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Thanks for sharing
U are welcome
Simply gorgeous ❤️
Thanks!😊
You are very welcome
Absolutely beautiful. Glacier is on my short list of places to see.
Thanks!😊
So beautiful! Also you visited this park on my birthday. 🙂
Thanks 🙏🏻 (and happy belated birthday 🎂)
I love this hike so much! (Btw you hiked it on my birthday 😊) I hope you get to return sometime to go all the way to the glacier.
Well happy belated birthday! Someday, if the Glacier hasn’t melted…
Sad but so true…
Dang! Another decision to make during our late June visit to Glacier NP. Red Rock Falls or Grinnell (Grinell?) Lake overlook? We’ll be in the Many Glacier Valley for a day and a half. If Road to Sun is still snowed in maybe we’ll get to do both! Stewart
Well we didn’t do Red Rock Falls, so I can’t compare the hikes. But after we got back to Many Glacier lodge, we took a tour of it with a ranger. Really interesting!
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Thanks for sharing 😊
Your photography is always first rate. Very impressive. Montana is probably my favorite state to get lost in.
Thanks Darryl!😊
Your photos are fantastic! Tanks for sharing. Definitely on my bucket list!
Thanks so much!😊
This is beautiful! We will be going in early July. Do you think 7 and 9 year old intermediate hikers could pull it off?
They probably have better stamina than me, lol. Just take it slow, watch them on the slippery rocks, though maybe you won’t have as much run off by then. Most off the trail is easy until you ascend to the overlook for the third lake. There is always the option to go down to that lake instead if you think it will be too much for them
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This is truly amazing! I just can imagine myself writing so many articles here after enjoying the hike and the scenery.
Thanks!
So beautiful! Your photography is stunning!
Thanks so much!😊
We’ve been to Yosemite three times and to Yellowstone. Glacier is next on our list. The hike looks beautiful through your lens. Not so sure about the slippery rock climbing part, though.
Thanks! Every hike we did was beautiful, but I think I liked this one best, slippery rocks and all. 😊
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So beautiful. Lake Louise, in Canada is that same vibrant color!
I’ve seen pictures, but haven’t been…I guess it’s that glacial fed water that gives it the unique color 💙