Hiking the Grinnell Glacier Trail in Glacier National Park
Distance: 10.6 miles / 17.1 km
Elevation Gain: ~1,600 ft. / 488 m
The Grinnell Glacier Trail is one of the best hikes in Glacier National Park, and in my opinion, it’s one of the best hikes in the country!
From the beautiful turquoise views of Grinnell Lake and Grinnell Falls, to the opportunity to swim with icebergs up at the glacier, to seeing individuals climb high above the glacier from the Highline Trail on the far side of the mountain, there are few trails with so much diversity in just one day hike.
On top of this, there’s no telling what you might encounter in terms of wildlife, which to me, were mountain goats and bighorn sheep right on the trail.
Grinnell Glacier Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Grinnell Glacier Trail is located in a very small parking lot just a little before the Many Glacier Ranger Station.
Since the parking area for Grinnell is so limited, cars typically spill out onto Many Glacier Road, where there is additional parking. Typically, this is the case on nearly every nice day during the busy summer season.
Google Maps Directions: Grinnell Glacier Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Glacier
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Glacier National Park.
Hiking the Grinnell Glacier Trail
Between Grinnell Glacier, Cracker, and Iceberg Lake, Grinnell Glacier is easily the most challenging trail that begins out of Many Glacier.
This is because the trail gains about 1,600 ft. (488 m) of elevation, which is all concentrated in the last 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of the trail where the treeline begins to thin, making the hike one of the hardest on a hot summer day, like the photos in this post.
In the beginning, the Grinnell Glacier Trail will remain mostly flat until about the last third of Lake Josephine.
Swiftcurrent-North Shore Lake Josephine Junction
There are a number of turns along the Grinnell Glacier Trail, but know that Grinnell Glacier is furthest of all destinations from the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead.
Go right at this first split to continue around Lake Josephine.
Then, go right again at the next split.
Grinnell Glacier-Grinnell Lake Junction
The next junction in the trail is for both the continued loop trail around Lake Josephine as well as the more popular Grinnell Lake, which will become more and more visible the further you hike up the Grinnell Glacier Trail.
Go right once again to continue up toward Grinnell Glacier.
At about the 1.8-mile (2.9 km) mark, the Grinnell Glacier Trail starts to noticeably gain elevation, as it rises up from Lake Josephine below.
Grinnell Glacier-Josephine Lake Boat Dock Junction
At the next split for the Lake Josephine Boat Dock, go right.
This is trail you would have come up had you taken the shuttle boat across Lake Josephine.
From this point on, there are no more notable junctions in the trail, but personally, I think that the switchbacks make for nice mental checkpoints because there are so few on the entire hike.
This is the first and likely most notable switchback on the hike up to Grinnell Glacier because the initial long stretch from Lake Josephine continues on for so long.
This is the view toward Grinnell Lake, which only gets better and better the higher the trail goes.
This waterfall pouring off Mt. Grinnell is one of the best parts about the trail on a hot summer day.
Additional Early Season Gear
Depending on the winter snowpack, micro-spikes may be necessary, as the trail reaches these more exposed sections of the hike.
This is because upper elevation trails, like the Grinnell Glacier Trail, can be covered in snow for much longer than lower areas of the park, making these sections extremely dangerous when they are snowy and icy.
On some of the most exposed sections prior to the glacier, one cannot fall, or it would certainly mean death.
I personally use the Yaktrax below.
On my return hike, this stretch of the trail is where I saw a number of mountain goats and bighorn sheep.
Just prior to the final section up Grinnell Glacier is the split for the pit toilets.
Go left to reach Grinnell Glacier, located only 0.4 miles (0.6 km) ahead.
The final uphill, after the pit toilets, seemed to drag on for much longer than it initially appeared.
However, when you reach the top, you'll have amazing views of Grinnell from atop the hill, which is shown in the photo below.
Grinnell Glacier
The Grinnell Glacier may look very different from these photos, depending on what time of the summer season that you are visiting.
These photos were taken in mid-August during an average snow year, but the amount of ice on the lake can drastically change depending on how much earlier in the season it is.
