Miss This Trail in Glacier National Park and You Haven’t Truly Been There

#hikingtrails 📍Grinnell Glacier Trail | Glacier National Park, Montana, USA Glacier National Park is the definition of love and pain. You’ll fall head over heels for its dramatic alpine beauty… and then immediately question your life choices once you see the trail distances start at 10 miles. But here’s the secret: Grinnell Glacier Trail is one of the rare hikes where you can cheat a little—and still soak up iconic scenery. This hike treats you to not just one, but two jaw-dropping glacier-fed lakes: • The dazzling Grinnell Lake, a glowing emerald gem, and • The epic Upper Grinnell Lake, nestled right at the foot of a glacier. Throw in some wildflowers and wildlife sightings, and you’ve got yourself one of the most rewarding trails in the park. 🗺️ Trail Stats • Round Trip: ~10 miles (shorter if you take the boat!) • Elevation Gain: ~2,000 ft • Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous (but worth every step) 🩵 Best Way to Get There? Take the Boat Shortcut! The first 2–3 miles of the trail can be skipped if you take two scenic boat rides from Many Glacier Hotel—highly recommended and totally worth it! • Catch the first boat right in front of the hotel. • After a short hike, hop on a second boat across Lake Josephine. • From there, your real hiking adventure begins. ⏰ Important Tip: Boat tickets in July–August are insanely popular, especially for early morning departures. 🎟️ Reserve online when planning your trip. Can’t get a ticket? Arrive early and try for the walk-in waiting list when the ticket office opens at 8 AM. 👉 Our experience: We queued at 7 AM and were 3rd in line. The 8:30 AM boat had 12 no-shows—so we got lucky! 💧Bonus: It poured rain that morning—we were so grateful to have skipped those soggy early miles! 🥾 Full Hiking Option Prefer the full trail? No problem! • Trailhead: Drive to Grinnell Glacier Trailhead (just 5 min from Many Glacier Hotel). Go early—parking is limited. • Staying at Many Glacier? You can start hiking right from the hotel via the lakeside trail.