Hiking the Hidden Lake Trail in Glacier National Park
Distance: 5.1 miles / 8.2 km
Elevation Change (Overlook to Lake): ~800 ft. / 244 m
The Hidden Lake Trail is one of the best day hikes in Glacier National Park, as it’s one of the shorter adventures that you can have in the park to reach a pristine alpine lake that’s great for both swimming and fishing!
Logan Pass (Hidden Lake) Parking
Logan Pass is the most difficult area of Glacier National Park to find parking.
On every nice day during the busy summer season, you can expect the Logan Pass Visitor Center parking lot to fill with cars completely by 7:05-7:10 a.m. I’ve watched it happen more than once.
This means that by 7:20 a.m. cars are already circling the parking lot trying to find a spot, which won’t open up until the first hikers return from the Hidden Lake Overlook.
This also means that if you want to hike either the Hidden Lake or Highline Trail from Logan Pass, you need to arrive by 6:30 a.m. or earlier to be safe, which means factoring in the long drive up Going-to-the-Sun Road from the west entrance. The east entrance to Logan Pass is a bit of a shorter drive.
Overall, having a Glacier vehicle reservation does not mean much if you’re plan is to hike from Logan Pass because of how popular/ competitive it is to find parking.
Google Maps Directions: Logan Pass
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 Hidden Lake Trail
Hidden Lake Overlook Trail
The Hidden Lake Trail start off on the same path that leads to the popular Hidden Lake Overlook.
That being said, during the early summer season, the trail to the overlook alone can be one of the snowier/ icier trails in Glacier because it begins from the highest point off Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Additional Early Season Gear
Depending on the winter snowpack, micro-spikes may be necessary during the early season on the entire Hidden Lake Trail.
This is because upper elevation trails, like the Hidden Lake Trail, can be covered in snow for much longer than lower areas of the park, and when the snow is melting during the day, it can yet freeze during the night, creating icy hazardous conditions on the trail.
I personally use the Yaktrax below.
Even though the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail is one of the busier hikes in Glacier National Park, do not get complacent and hike without bear spray.
A grizzly walked right across the boardwalk during one of my visits.
Hidden Lake Overlook
The Hidden Lake Overlook is a popular destination for a number of hikers beginning from Logan Pass, and it’s also where the majority of groups turn around instead of continuing on to the lake below.
Hidden Lake Trail
Past the Hidden Lake Overlook, the trail begins a bit of a long descent from the pass down to the lake below.
This is typically the part of the Hidden Lake Trail that turns a number of hikers around when they see how steep the descent down to Hidden Lake is.
In my experience, if you’re willing to go for a cold swim, then the hike back up the switchbacks from Hidden Lake doesn’t seem nearly as bad.
In mid-August, there were tons of Fireweed to find along the trail.
After a series of 5 or 6 switchbacks, depending on how you count, the trail levels out just prior to reaching Hidden Lake.
Since Hidden Lake is so popular, there is a pit toilet down by the lake for hikers to use.
Go left to reach Hidden Lake located shortly ahead.
Hidden Lake
Typically speaking, most hikers stop right away when they see the water, but if you’re willing to take the small trails for a short distance around the lake, I have always found little private spots without the same crowds.
Something cool to keep in mind is that the stream that drains out of Hidden Lake connects with the same stream from Avalanche Lake, and you’ll likely see this connection if you do both trails.
Warning
The jumping/ diving photos that you see in this post were taken when Hidden Lake was going through much more snowmelt than the late summer photo shown above.
From what I noticed, the Hidden Lake level rises and falls slightly, which is what made these jumps a little safer (not safe), as the lake was half frozen when those photos were taken.
Regardless, I do not advise nor recommend that anyone jump or dive from the same point.
