Grinnell Lake
Many Glacier, Glacier National Park
| Address: | Continental Divide Trail, Browning, MT 59417, USA |
| GPS: |
48°45'54.5"N 113°41'59.1"W Maps | Directions |
| State: | Montana |
Restrooms Lakes Waterfalls Streams Glaciers Trails National Park
Hike and Swim
Grinnelll Lake was named after George Bird Grinnell who helped make Glacier into a national park. This lake allows visitors to see one of the remaining glaciers in the park and take in the immense beauty of the mountains surrounding the lakes.
There are two options for hiking to this lake, one is by boat ferry and the other is by hiking the long way. The trail itself is about 7.5 miles round trip, but takes hikers along the banks of two glacier fed, subapline lakes, Lake Josephine and Swiftcurrent Lake, before reaching Grinnell Lake. There is also a waterfall that hikers will pass through which allows some additional scenery. The trail is pretty flat, with not much elevation gain as hikers meander through forests and along the lakes. When hikers reach Lake Josephine, there is the option to take a ferry across the lake, continue on a trail around the lake, or a trail up to Grinnell Glacier. Reserving tickets for the ferry ahead of time ensures that hikers will have a place on the boat. Taking the ferry cuts off a significant amount of time and miles from the overall hike.
Grinnell Glacier is the glacier that feeds Grinnell Lake, Lake Josephine, and Swiftcurrent Lake. The Grinnell Glacier trail climbs 1,500 ft in elevation to the top of the glacier above Grinnell Lake. It provides beautiful views of the mountain area.
After crossing Lake Josephine, there is only one trail that hikers can take to Grinnell Lake. While following this trail, about .85 miles from the junction is a side trail that goes to Hidden Falls Overlook. This provides a brief look at a 40 ft waterfall as a detour from the main trail.
For the last 1/3 of the trail, hikers will cross on a boardwalk trail system as they trek over streams fed from Grinnell Lake. The trail ends on a sandy bank of the lake. This view showcases the clear, turquoise water of the subalpine lake, as well as the small streams cascading over the mountains from the glacier. If binoculars are available, hikers can look up above the lake and see other hikers who took the trek up to the glacier.
Along the way, visitors will see Mt Grinnell, Angel Wing, Allen Mountain, and the Garden Wall.
More Information
Be courteous, informed, and prepared. Read trailhead guidelines, stay on the trail, and don't feed the wildlife.
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- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel & camp on durable surfaces
- Dispose of waste properly
- Leave what you find
- Minimize campfire impacts
- Respect wildlife
- Be considerate of other visitors
Directions
From Many Glacier, Glacier National Park
- Head north toward Continental Divide Trail (0.3 mi)
- Turn left onto Rte 3 (0.8 mi)
- Turn left (285 ft)
- Turn left (472 ft)
- Turn left (0.2 mi)
From the east entrance of Glacier National Park drive outside the park on Going-to-the-Sun Road to the town of Saint Mary. Turn north on Route 89 and drive 8.5 miles north to Babb, Montana. Turn left on Many Glacier Road (Route 3). Drive another 11.5 miles to Many Glacier Hotel and turn left into the parking lot above the hotel. The trail begins from the south end of Many Glacier Hotel.
Trailhead address: Many Glacier Road (Route 3), Glacier National Park, Browning, MT 59417
Trailhead coordinates: 48.79536, -113.65726 (48° 47′ 43.3″N 113° 39′ 26.1″W)Courtesy of hikespeak.com
