Many Glacier Entrance to Glacier National Park - Grinnel Glacier Lake Hike

Kim Martinez
2 days ago
3 min read

Swift Current lake View from Many Glacier Hotel

Many Glacier is our favorite entrance into Glacier National Park. It’s the kind of place that delivers on everything you hope for up here: big views, quiet roads, and the best chance of seeing wildlife.

This is the furthest-north entrance, and getting there is part of the experience. You drive several miles on a well-maintained gravel road before you reach the park entrance. In May, the mountains in this area are still covered with snow, and the whole landscape feels extra dramatic.

One of my favorite views in the entire park is the panorama at Many Glacier. Standing along the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake, you can see Grinnell Point rising sharply above the water with Mount Gould towering behind it. Rugged peaks, crystal-clear water, and reflections that look almost too perfect to be real.

It was also extra quiet during our visit because the lodge and hotel don’t open until June.

Why We Love Many Glacier

For us, this is the entrance where we usually see the most wildlife. Over the years we’ve spotted:

· Moose

· Bears (grizzly and black)

· Foxes

· Coyotes

· Bighorn sheep

Sometimes we see them right from the road, and sometimes we see them on the hikes. We often take an evening drive through Many Glacier just for the views and the chance of a surprise wildlife sighting.

Favorite Hikes in the Many Glacier Area

On this trip, two hikes stood out as favorites:

· Red Rock Falls

· Grinnell Lake

This time, the Red Rock Falls hike came with some added excitement. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s in my post: The Great Bear Incident (Red Rock Falls Hike).

Grinnell Lake Hike: The Perfect Choice

This hike started out special before we even hit the trail—there were bighorn sheep in the parking lot.

It was also incredibly quiet. We were shocked to see only one other car in the entire parking area.

The Grinnell trailhead connects to a couple of other trails:

· The Grinnell Glacier hike (one of the highest-rated hikes in Glacier, but far too long and steep for me)

· Another trail - Lake Josephine - was closed due to bear activity

So Grinnell Lake was the right choice. It’s a bit longer than my usual hike—about 7+ miles—but absolutely worth it.

Hiking With New Friends (and Feeling Safer)

Right after we started, we met the couple who owned the other car in the lot. They were a little nervous, and honestly, we all felt safer hiking together.

The Trail: Lakes, Detours, and “Fancy Ducks”

The hike itself was fairly easy.

We walked along Swiftcurrent Lake first. Later in June, when the Many Glacier Hotel is open, you can shave off about a mile by taking the boat across. But since it wasn’t running yet, we enjoyed the walk.

After a mile or so, we took a few detours and hiked along the west side of Lake Josephine. (Good thing those bears know to stay on the east side where the trails were closed.)

Lake Josephine was beautiful, and we spotted a few “fancy ducks”—white bodies with black heads and tail feathers.

Hidden Falls + Suspension Bridge

We also took a short spur trail looking for hidden falls. That detour brought us across a suspension bridge and over a crystal-clear river, and it gave us a great view of the falls.

Arriving at Grinnell Lake (Wow)

The trail continued through the woods and along the river, and then it opened up to Grinnell Lake.

Wow.

The view of Grinnell Glacier and the mountains surrounding the lake was so captivating that we spent about 45 minutesthere just taking it all in—taking photos, comparing photos, and wondering why none of them could capture what we were seeing.