If you’re planning a trip to Glacier National Park, then you need to read our blog about the best hikes there! We are trying to visit all 63 National Parks over the next few years, and Glacier was our 9th National Park and one of our favorites! There are so many incredible hiking trails in Glacier, and we can’t wait to share them with you!

Keep reading if you want to learn more about Glacier, where it is, how to visit, and more!

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Where is Glacier National Park?

Glacier National Park is located in Montana in the northwest corner, right on the border of Canada. Canada actually shares some of its million acres and glaciers!

There are three main parts of the park: The Going-to-the-Sun Road, which includes Logan’s Pass, Lake McDonald, Apgar Village, Saint Mary’s, and more. Many Glacier, in the northern part of the park, and Two Medicine, in the lower part. The Going-to-the-Sun road is the most popular, and for good reason! But we suggest exploring each part of the park, as each has incredible places to view.

If you’re planning to fly to Glacier, we recommend flying into Kalispell and renting a car or campervan before driving into the park. It is the closest and largest town to Glacier. If you are planning to camp, we recommend doing so in the park at one of the three campgrounds: Fish Creek Campground, Avalanche Campground, or Many Glacier Campground. But remember to get your camping reservations early!

When to Hike in Glacier National Park

The best season to hike in Glacier is definitely the summer. In Spring and winter, the Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed because of the amount of snow it receives in the mountains there. We recommend coming from Early June to late September. Most of the hiking trails are accessible, restaurants are open, and you don’t run the risk of hitting snow.

Glacier gets a ton of snow, so unless you’re coming for the snow, try and avoid coming before June.

Wondering what to wear or what gear to bring to go hiking in Glacier National Park? Check out our must-have summer hiking gear here!

Must-Know Tips to Hike in Glacier National Park

Vehicle Reservations

For 2026, the vehicle registration changed (thankfully!). No registration is needed, and there are no timed entries for this summer. There is a 3-hour parking limit at the Logan Pass Visitor Center to encourage parking turnover. Therefore, if you are planning on hiking the Highline Trail or any of the long hikes that you can access from the Logan Pass Visitor Center, you will need to catch a shuttle to drop you off and pick you up.

A redesigned shuttle system will run more of the famous red shuttle vans to drop people off at the center and to pick them up, but reservations will most likely need to be made in advance.

You can learn more about the shuttle system and the lack of a reservation system on the NPS official website here.

Crowds & Safety

The best way to avoid crowds, especially in a place like Glacier, is to arrive early! Parking can be a nightmare, and congestion in the park can turn a quick 30-minute drive into a several-hour-long drive. We always recommend when traveling to get in the park around sunrise, or around 6-7 am. Most people, especially people with kids, don’t get into the park until 9-10 am.

We also suggest getting to Logan Pass after 4 pm to catch the sunset. The parking lot was practically empty each time we went late, which allowed us to park and walk the trails to watch the sunset. The one night we saw a mountain goat, and were able to sit with him for over an hour to photograph him!

Another way to avoid the crowds is to hike the less popular trails. With over 700 miles of trails in Glacier, there are so many options for finding a good hiking trail.

If you’re willing to travel in the shoulder season and risk snow, you’ll most likely encounter fewer crowds! Visit after September or before June to have fewer people in the park and a more enjoyable (though potentially snowy) trip!

Drive carefully and do not rubberneck. There have been so many times when we’ve been in a near-accident because someone was looking at wildlife and almost caused one. If you see wildlife while you’re driving, pull over in a safe spot where you’re completely off the road or find a parking spot. Do not stop in the middle of the road! Have a passenger snap a quick cell phone photo and keep moving.

Bear safety is so important while hiking. Be alert in bear country! Make sure to talk or sing while you’re hiking. Bear Bells aren’t recommended anymore, as bears are now associating the sound with food from hikers. Hike in groups, and be aware of your surroundings! Don’t hike with headphones in, and make sure to always carry your bear spray within reach! It will be useless to you if you keep it in your backpack.

Best Hikes in Glacier National Park

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s lay out our favorite hikes in Glacier! Before hiking, always make sure you have the right gear for the weather, enough water, and a complete first-aid kit. A map of the park and a compass would also be a great idea!

Trail of Cedars Nature Walk

Going-to-the-Sun Road

• Difficulty: Easy
• Mileage: 0.7
• Elevation Gain: 29 ft

This is a super easy nature walk! Great for families, you follow an easy boardwalk through a cedar-lined trail to a turquoise waterfall. You can learn all about the flora and fauna along this trail with informational markers, and take a break with some benches along the trail.

Hidden Lake Trail

Going-to-the-Sun Road

• Difficulty: Moderate
• Mileage: 2.6 miles 
• Elevation Gain: 1,375 ft

Hidden Lake Trail can be accessed by parking at Logan Pass. The trail starts behind the welcome center on a paved trail, before becoming a boardwalk cutting through a beautiful alpine meadow. Make sure to turn around as you hike to look at the view behind you, especially if you are coming at sunrise! You don’t have to hike all the way to the bottom if you just want to stop at the overlook, as we did. The trail is only 2.9 miles with a little over 500 feet of elevation gain. We saw marmots, mule deer, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep while we hiked this trail!

This is one of the most popular hikes, so expect crowds here, even in the mornings!

Avalanche Lake

Going-to-the-Sun Road

• Difficulty: Moderate
• Mileage: 5.9 miles
• Elevation Gain: 757 ft

I really wanted to do this hike when we went to Glacier, but we could never find a parking spot! This is a beautiful hike through cedars, opening up when you hit the lake. Lots of people love swimming here, especially in warmer weather. Keep in mind it has direct snow melt, so the water will be cold!

St. Mary Falls & Virginia Falls

Going-to-the-Sun Road – St. Mary Glacier

• Difficulty: Easy
• Mileage: 5.4 miles (3.8 miles for just St. Mary Falls)
• Elevation Gain: 452 ft

If you love waterfalls, this is the perfect hike for you! It’s a great hike for someone looking for a quicker and easier hike while still seeing the incredible beauty of the park. We didn’t hit this trail, but we wish we had the time to, and we’ll definitely hit it the next time we come back!

Highline Trail

Going-to-the-Sun Road

• Difficulty: Hard
• Mileage: 14.9 miles
• Elevation Gain: 2,621 ft

This trail is incredibly beautiful! It is one of the most famous hikes in the park, and the longest. This hike starts at the Logan Pass Visitor Center and takes you all the way to a mountain chalet at the end. The very beginning of the trail is along a cliff-face, and you have to hang on to a cable to hike it. If you are afraid of heights, we don’t recommend this hike because the beginning stretch is very exposed. It is a challenge when the trail is very crowded!

In 202,6 you can no longer park in the Logan Pass parking area for more than 3 hours, so you’ll have to take a shuttle to drop you off and pick you up in order to access this hike if you are planning to hike the whole thing. We only did about 5 miles of it, and we felt that that was plenty. We even got a chance to see a pika! A small rodent relative of a rabbit that only lives in the high mountain ecosystems.

Iceberg Lake

Many Glacier

• Difficulty: Moderate
• Mileage: 9.6 miles
• Elevation Gain: 1,459 ft

Named for the many icebergs that float on the lake year round, this is a beautiful hike! It’s located in an area that usually has high bear activity, so stay alert while hiking and bring your bear spray! Most of the trail passes through open terrain with the forest section in the middle of the hike. Bring a swimsuit if you are planning on jumping in for a cold plunge!

Grinnell Glacier

Many Glacier

• Difficulty: Hard
• Mileage: 11 miles
• Elevation Gain: 2,175 ft

This was our absolute favorite hike in Glacier! It is also a super popular hike, so we recommend getting here early! We started our trek at sunrise, setting out on the trail at 7 am. We found a great parking spot, and the lot was about 1/4th of the way full when we parked there. It’s nice to note that there are water fill up stations here, so make sure to bring a big enough bladder to fill up at least 3 L of water for your hike. It is a pretty challenging hike, so make sure you’re prepared.

You’ll hike past alpine likes, wildflowers, mountain views, and wildlife! We overheard people in the gift shop talking about seeing moose, mountain goats, and even wolves on this trail! Unfortunately, the only wildlife we saw were marmots and chipmunks!

If you don’t want to hike the whole thing, you can actually take a boat across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine to cut off about 3.4 miles of the total trail! The boats are operated by Glacier Park Boat Company and start operating at about 10 am. Make sure you get your ticket in advance.

Siyeh Pass Trail

Going-to-the-Sun Road

• Difficulty: Medium-hard
• Mileage: 10 miles
• Elevation Gain: 2,247 ft

This 10-mile hike has an intense elevation gain and passes by Mount Siyeh. The trail starts and ends at two different parking lots, so the best way to experience the hike is to park at the Siyeh Pass Trailhead before sunrise, take a shuttle to the opposite trailhead near Logan’s Pass Visitor Center, and hike all the way back to your car from there. This prevents backtracking and allows you to take in the stunning scenery for your entire hike. Starting at the Logan Pass Trailhead also has less of an elevation gain compared to starting at the lower Siyeh Pass trailhead. Climbing down the summit is a long, windy trail that goes through wide-open alpine meadows and a forest fire area. This trail is also popular for spotting wildlife such as mountain goats, big horn sheep, marmots, and bears, so bring your bear spray!

Apgar Lookout

Going-to-the-Sun Road

• Difficulty: Easy-Medium
• Mileage: 7.2 miles
• Elevation Gain: 1,906 ft

Located less than three miles from the West Glacier entrance, this 7 mile hike winds through forest fire areas and open grasslands. The trail leads you to a fire lookout tower that overlooks Lake McDonald and the surrounding mountains. This hike is easy to access early in the season due to it’s proximity to Apgar and Lake McDonald Lodge. If you start early, you can finish the trail in the entire morning.

Cracker Lake

Going-to-the-Sun Road – East Glacier

• Difficulty: Medium
• Mileage: 12.6 miles
• Elevation Gain: 1,617 ft

This hike is one of the most beautiful and sought-after hikes in the whole park! A turquoise lake is nestled at the bottom of Mount Siyeh, surrounded by mountains on all sides. There are several creek crossings and log footbridges on this rout,e so watch your step. You can do this in one day, or make it an overnight at the Cracker Lake wilderness campground.

We hope this blog helps you plan your trip to Glacier National Park!

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