OVERVIEW

As one of the largest and most visited national parks in the United States, Glacier National Park has over 700 miles of pristine hiking trails just begging for exploration. If you love to trekking through remote wilderness, seeing alpine wildlife, and witnessing nature’s splendor, then this 7 day Glacier National Park itinerary is for you!

One could spend months exploring this park, so with only a week you’ll have to prioritize the most important sights and activities. This one week Glacier National Park itinerary will help you customize an amazing itinerary through one of the country’s most incredible national parks.

With a 7 day Glacier National Park itinerary you’ll get the opportunity to explore all three regions of the park. Start with 3 days focusing on the western half and Going-to-the-Sun Road while staying in West Glacier or Whitefish. The second half will have you touring the Many Glacier and Two Medicine areas, while staying in St. Mary or Browning. Here are the details!

WEST GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Day 1: Highline Trail

Distance: 11.8 miles point-to-point trail. The detour to Grinnell Glacier Overlook adds 1.6 miles.

Elevation Gain: 800 feet. The detour to Grinnell Glacier Overlook adds 900 feet of elevation.

Difficulty: Moderate – strenuous, mostly due to length.

Duration: 7-8 hours.

Where: The Trailhead is located at the Logan Pass parking lot and ends at The Loop, further west along Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Background and logistics

Arguably the most famous trail of Glacier National Park is Highline Trail. It’s a nearly 12 mile point to point hike connecting Logan Pass and The Loop. It can be hiked in either direction, but most people start at Logan Pass.

Hiking in this direction makes the trail much easier, with only 800 feet of total elevation gain, and the last third of the hike is completely downhill.

You’ll park at Logan Pass in the morning, where there is a visitor center and bathrooms. When you finish the trail in the afternoon at The Loop, you will need to get back up to Logan Pass to retrieve your car, and hiking isn’t really a viable option. 

You could park a second car at The Loop and drive back to Logan Pass or attempt hitchhiking. But most people take advantage of the free park shuttle system. 

The shuttles pass through about every 30 minutes and usually reserve a couple spots for the line of hikers waiting at The Loop. The shuttles are quite small however, so you may have to wait in line over an hour before boarding.

The hike 

Immediately upon starting the trail you’ll be hiking on a cliffside, with steep drop-offs down to the valley floor below. Hold onto the cables that are attached to the cliffs for added safety in the face of these vertiginous heights. The trail narrows in a few sections and may be anxiety-inducing for those with a fear of heights.

Make sure to look behind every so often, as the views over Logan Pass, Going-to-the-Sun Road, and the immense mountains across the valley are stunning.

After the cliffside walk you’ll enter the Garden Wall section, characterized by vibrant wildflower meadows, lush valleys, and cascading waterfalls. It’s a very fitting name as you’ll see.

Next up is the segment known as Haystack Pass, featuring a series of long switchbacks that will bring you to the top of the mountain pass. From here you’ll have panoramas of the surrounding mountains, glaciers, and valleys.

Three miles later there’s the option to ascend nearly 1,000 feet up the mountainside to Grinnell Glacier Overlook. The views from this lookout are outstanding, but it’s a steep and brutal extension to the main trail. 

A mile further down the main trail brings you to the rustic Granite Park Chalet, where some hikers spend the night. The primitive mountain hut sleeps about 12, but with virtually no amenities. It’s a great spot to eat your packed lunch and enjoy the views.

The remainder of the trail is mostly forested. From the Chalet it’s a 4 mile steep and monotonous downhill walk to the shuttle stop at The Loop. Wait in line here until a shuttle has room to take you back up to Logan Pass.

Day 2: Hidden Lake

Distance: 5.3 miles out-and-back trail.

Elevation Gain: 1,300 feet.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Duration: 3-4 hours.

Where: The Trailhead is located behind the Logan Pass parking lot and Visitor’s Center.

The hike

The second day of your Glacier National Park itinerary will bring you back up to Logan Pass. Hidden Lake Trail is a 5.3 mile out-and-back trail with 1,300 feet of elevation gain. It’s a fairly easy trail, with excellent scenery and an abundance of potential wildlife encounters.

You’ll walk initially on a paved path and then a raised boardwalk that cuts across a meadow filled with colorful wildflowers. The Garden Wall can again be seen to your right and the majestic Clements Mountain will be seen ahead in the distance.

After about 1.5 miles of gradual ascent through the rocky meadow you’ll reach Hidden Lake Overlook. The vistas here are tremendous as you’ll see Bearhat Mountain dominating the landscape and reflecting off the turquoise waters of Hidden Lake. 

In the distance we saw a grizzly bear with her two cubs, reminding us that we are the guests here. It’s critical to always be on the alert for bears in the Rockies. Make sure you carry bear spray, hike in groups, and keep up a conversation to avoid surprising the animals.

Proceed down the southern slopes of Clements Mountain as the trail begins to descend toward the lake. The trail soon steepens dramatically and transforms into a series of switchbacks. We encountered a curious mountain goat along this stretch of the trail. 

Avalanche Lake

In a short amount of time you will have dropped down nearly 800 feet to Hidden Lake.

A rocky beach lines the northwest shoreline of Hidden Lake. You can watch some anglers and look for more wildlife while exploring the primitive trail encircling the lake. 

The return trip is far more strenuous. The trail is completely exposed to the sun and the occasional winds as it ascends back up the switchbacks. After reaching Hidden Lake Overlook the trail eases up while descending back down the boardwalks to Logan Pass Visitor’s Center.

Day 3: Cedar Lake Trail and Avalanche Lake Trail

Distance: 4.5 miles out-and-back trail.

Elevation Gain: 600 feet.

Difficulty: Easy – moderate.

Duration: 3-4 hours.

Where: The trailhead is located at the Avalanche Creek/Campground parking lot near Lake McDonald.

Cedar Lake Trail

Your last day exploring the western half of Glacier National Park will be spent near Lake McDonald, hiking the popular Avalanche Lake Trail. This is a 4.5 mile out and back trail that is an extension off the popular Trail of the Cedars. 

While not overly strenuous, you should be prepared for a gradual ascent of about 700 feet and rocky terrain along much of the trail. You’ll park at Avalanche Creek and begin by hiking east on Trail of the Cedars, a 0.7 mile loop trail. 

Trail of the Cedars is a family friendly trail on a boardwalk that passes through a dense forest of ancient western red cedars and hemlocks. The forest floor is carpeted in beautiful mosses and ferns, creating a peaceful atmosphere for hiking. 

A short bridge passes over Avalanche Creek with views down to the lower section of Avalanche Gorge. Immediately afterward, Avalanche Lake Trail splits off Trail of the Cedars loop. 

Avalanche Lake Trail

It ascends steeply to a spur trail that leads to a viewing platform overlooking the turbulent water of Avalanche Creek as it carves through the sculpted rock walls of the gorge.

The ascent continues through the forest while loosely following Avalanche Creek. Soon you’ll reach the confluence of Hidden Creek and Avalanche Creek, characterized by hundreds of downed trees resulting from a recent avalanche that flattened the landscape.

The forest opens up to panoramas of glacial waterfalls tumbling down the mountainside from Sperry Glacier into the emerald waters of Avalanche Lake. 

You can hike along the rocky beach that follows the western shoreline around a portion of the lake. Find a secluded spot to eat lunch and consider a dip into the pristine alpine lake.

TWO MEDICINE

Day 4: Rockwell Falls

Distance: 6.6 miles out-and-back trail.

Elevation Gain: 400 feet.

Difficulty: Easy-moderate.

Duration: 3-4 hours.

Where: Trailhead is located at the boathouse along Two Medicine Lake, near the parking lot.

Getting to Two Medicine

You’ll be changing your lodging accommodations on day 4 of your Glacier National Park itinerary. Exploring the Many Glacier and Two Medicine regions is best done from St. Mary. There’s not an abundance of lodging available there, however, so Browning is a viable alternative.

To get to St Mary, you could drive along Going-to-the-Sun Road again, but this Glacier National Park itinerary will take you along the southern route in order to get to the Two Medicine area much faster.

The drive itself won’t compare to the sights you’ve seen the past three days, but if you leave early then you should arrive at Two Medicine well before 9 AM. You’ll need that extra time as today is a busy day.

Park in the lot at the end of the Two Medicine Road, at the east end of Two Medicine Lake. Before beginning the hike, take in the views from the lakeshore. Enjoy the reflections of Painted Teepee Peak and the neighboring mountains on the alpine lake surface.

The hike

You can inquire about a scenic boat ride if not feeling up to hiking. Otherwise, set out on the forested path toward Rockwell Falls, keeping an eye out for bears hiding in the thick shrubs lining the trail.

You’ll soon come upon a clearing marked by the first of several beaver ponds, where you’ll often find moose and other wildlife foraging in the early morning hours. The trail then cuts through a number of lush meadows interspersed throughout the Two Medicine area.

About a mile into the hike, a short quarter mile out and back trail detours to beautiful Aster Waterfall. After snapping some photos, return to the Rockwell Trail. You’ll continue through the woodlands and soon find a thrilling but rickety suspension bridge over Paradise Creek.

Huckleberries can often be found in the vegetation lining the trail. They have their own unique taste, almost like a mix between blueberries and blackberries, somewhat tart and somewhat sweet.

About 2.5 miles into the hike, the trail will fork as South Shore Trail veers to the right, leading to Two Medicine Lake and a boat dock on the far western side of the lake. You can return to the trailhead by boat for a small fee.

You’ll remain on the trail that tuns left. Cross a bridge and then you’ll arrive at the base of Rockwell falls after nearly 3.5 miles of hiking. There are actually a series of cascading waterfalls in the area, so if you’re feeling adventurous head up along the ridge to investigate some of the other impressive falls.

MANY GLACIER

Day 5: Bullhead Lake

Distance: 6.9 miles out-and-back trial.

Elevation Gain: 440 feet.

Difficulty: Easy – moderate.

Duration: 4-5 hours.

Where: The trailhead shares the Swiftcurrent trailhead, at the end of Many Glacier Road.

Fishercap Lake

Head out on the Swiftcurrent trailhead, heading west toward Bullhead Lake. The trail brings you over Wilbur Creek and then you’ll come across an optional detour down to Fishercap Lake. Make sure you head down there as the potential wildlife sightings at the lake are incredible.

We must have seen almost ten moose foraging in the lake, including a mother and her calf galloping along the shoreline and into the forest, about 10 feet from us. From that point on we referred to the Swiftcurrent Valley as “Moosetopia”.

Redrock Lake

The main trail continues on under a canopy of aspen trees. You’ll come across the occasional clearing, with tremendous views of Switcurrent Valley and the surrounding mountains. After about 2 miles, you’ll come to Redrock Lake. Across the lake you can see Mount Grinnell and Swiftcurrent Glacier.

Continue walking along the north shore of Redrock Lake until reaching another detour to the left leading to Redrock Falls. This is a mesmerizing series of layered waterfalls cascading down the red rocks which inspired the name of the lake and falls. Explore the side trails providing different vantage points of the area.

Bullhead Lake

Continue hiking through the forests and meadows until reaching a suspension bridge that will soon lead you down to Bullhead Lake, which is nestled in a beautiful alpine basin surrounded by towering peaks, including Mount Wilbur and Mount Henkel.

Find a picnic spot along the shoreline for lunch. It’s also not the worst idea to cool off with a swim in the refreshing alpine lake before returning to the car. The hike to Bullhead Lake is somewhat off the radar, so you should have the chance to enjoy the lake’s natural beauty in a relatively secluded and peaceful setting.

Day 6: Grinnell Glacier

Distance: 10.5 miles out-and-back trail.

Elevation Gain: 1600 feet.

Difficulty: Moderate – Strenuous.

Duration: 5-7 hours.

Where: The Grinnell Glacier trailhead is located at a parking lot right off Many Glacier Road between Many Glacier Hotel and Many Glacier Campground. The parking lot is small and this is a VERY popular trail, so you’ll need to arrive here well before 8 AM if you want to find parking.

Background

The highlight of your week in Glacier National Park just might be hiking to Grinnell Glacier. This is a phenomenal trail, with spectacular views of the towering mountain ranges, verdant valleys, and of course the pristine glacial lakes.

A word of warning, this is not an easy trail. It’s a 10.5 mile out-and-back hike with 1600 feet of elevation. The trail is initially flat as it runs along two lakes but then relentlessly ascends until it reaches the legendary glacial lagoon high up in the mountains.

The hike can be shortened by nearly 4 total miles by taking a scenic boat ride across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. 

The hike

You’ll begin the hike walking through the forest until reaching the southwest shore of Swiftcurrent Lake. Keep going and you’ll soon find Josephine Lake where the trail follows the west shoreline. After 2 miles of hiking you’ll have passed the two lakes and the ascent begins.

From here it’s a brutal and constant 3 mile ascent to Grinnell Glacier. Fortunately, the views along this stretch are some of the best in the entire park. You’ll hug the cliffside while passing through the base of an occasional waterfall.

Seeing the azure Grinnell Lake below is really an amazing sight. Depending on the time of year, you may get lucky and hike through alpine meadows bursting with colorful wildflowers.

The final push up to Grinnell Glacier is the steepest and most demanding. Staircases constructed from the large stones zigzag up the mountainside as the lush meadows are replaced with scree. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife, we saw several mountain goats on the trail during our hike.

When the trail flattens out it’s only a short distance to the turquoise lagoon and one of the most spectacular sights of the week. You’ll find massive icebergs floating in the turquoise lagoon that are fed by innumerable faint waterfalls cascading down the mountainside. 

Day 7: Waterfalls

Distance: 2.4 miles to St. Mary Falls and 3.8 miles to Virginia Falls (round trip distances). It’s an out-and-back trail.

Elevation Gain: 530 feet.

Difficulty: Easy.

Duration: 3 hours.

Where: The trailhead, with a small parking lot, is located along the eastern section Going-to-the-Sun Road.

St. Mary Falls

The trail to these waterfalls is short, easy and very convenient as the trailhead lies along Going-to-the-Sun Road. As a result, they can get very busy, so arrive early to get a parking spot or plan on taking the free park shuttle.

You can choose to start the hike at the shuttle stop or two thirds of a mile further down the road at the official St. Mary Falls trailhead. Both trails proceed downhill through a charred forest resulting from the 2015 Reynold’s Creek forest fire. Life is returning to the area fortunately with seedlings and wildflowers carpeting the rejuvenated forest floor.

The trail forks and to the right runs the Piegan Pass Trail but you’ll veer to the left and walk along the bank of St. Mary’s River. In the distance you’ll begin hearing the thundering of St. Mary Falls. 

You’ll soon be to a wooden bridge overlooking the two-tiered St. Mary Falls as it carves out its route through the gorge. On the other side of the bridge we saw several thrill seekers cliff jumping into the river below.

Virginia Falls

The best is yet to come so keep hiking deeper into the forest. You’ll pass two less impressive but still beautiful unnamed falls before reaching Virginia Falls.

Virginia Falls is another multi-tiered waterfall with the highest layer measuring 50 feet in height. The lowest level is shorter and wider but unique and impressive in its own way. Cool off in the water before taking a lunch break. If time permits, you might add on an afternoon hike to Deadwood Falls.

Deadwood falls

Distance: 2.3 mile out-and-back trail (round trip distance).

Elevation Gain: 665 feet.

Difficulty: Easy.

Duration: 2-3 hours.

Where: The trailhead is located at the Jackson Glacier Overlook parking lot along the eastern section Going-to-the-Sun Road, only a mile down from the St. Mary Falls parking lot.

Hop back in the car and continue up Going-to-the-Sun Road toward Logan Pass to the Jackson Glacier Overlook parking lot, about a mile away. By now it’ll be early afternoon and hopefully the morning crowds have cleared out, opening up some parking spots.

The trail is a little over a mile long (one way) and heads straight down through the dense brush and a sea of huckleberry bushes. Remember to keep up the conversation to let any bears in the area know that you’re coming.

You’ll soon arrive at Deadwood Falls, where you’ll find a 10 foot waterfall plunging over the rocky cliffs into a crystal-clear pool below. Relax by the water’s edge, capturing some stunning photographs and enjoying the tranquility of this natural paradise.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS

A 7 day Glacier National Park itinerary is the perfect amount of time to spend in the park for a first time visitor. Despite it’s size and popularity, the park doesn’t feel overwhelming.

You’ll be able to drive the iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road, hike many of the bucket list trails, and still have time for activities such as kayaking or fishing. You’re also sure to see remarkable scenery and have several animal encounters throughout the week. Moose, bears, marmots, and elk…you’ll see it all!

Overall, we found Glacier National Park to be a phenomenal park filled with incredible sights and activities. With this 7 day Glacier National Park itinerary, you too can experience all that this park has to offer.