We planned to hike Grinnell Glacier Trail while staying at Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park. The trail provides up-close views of three lakes and three glaciers. While you can hike the entire way from Many Glacier Hotel (11.8 mi) or the nearby trailhead (10.2 miles), another option is to take a boat from the foot of Swiftcurrent Lake, just outside the hotel. We chose the latter option, which shortens the hike to 6.9 miles, while providing another unique view of the area.

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, we booked our boat tickets about four months in advance. There are two morning boats to choose from. The 8:30 option was already full, so we opted for the 9 a.m. There are later boats, but we wanted plenty of time to hike. If you miss the return boat, you can always walk back to Many Glacier Hotel. I can’t overstate the importance of planning ahead when visiting a popular park like Glacier.

The trail and surrounding area are named for American naturalist and writer George Bird Grinnell (1849 – 1938). In 1885, he visited the area, including the glacier that now bears his name. He was also influential in the establishment of Glacier as a national park in 1910. Mount Grinnell, Grinnell Lake, and Upper Grinnell Lake are also named for him.

The day before our hike, we checked out of Fish Creek Campground in West Glacier. We had decided to take the day to whitewater raft along the Middle Fork Flathead River. It was a blast, and Travis only fell in once. Our raftmates were a family of three from Blacksburg, VA. Travis went to Virginia Tech, so we had some good conversation. They mentioned wanting to hike Grinnell Glacier Trail the next day as well, but they didn’t have boat tickets. So we parted ways, wondering if we’d see them on the trail.

Boat Tour Across Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes

After our rafting trip, we drove Going to the Sun Road and checked into Many Glacier Hotel. The next morning, we headed to the dock behind the hotel around 8:30 a.m. to get our tickets. There were people waiting for the boat, and others trying to buy last-minute tickets. About 10 minutes before our tour, they let us board the boat, Chief Two Guns. There were some no-shows, so a few people who were waiting got on as well. In all, there were 50 people including the captain onboard.

Two separate boat rides are included, first across Swiftcurrent Lake, and then across Lake Josephine. A short 0.2 mile hike over a hill connects the two. For the Swiftcurrent portion, our captain was Linnea, the daughter of two Glacier park rangers. She gave a talk about the history of the lodge, geology, and wildlife in the surrounding area, and even pointed out a beaver lodge. She was very knowledgeable, and it was nice to sit back, relax, and learn. During the tour, a few passengers at a time could go out on the bow of the boat to check out the view.

Along the way, the mountain and lake views are stunning. I could just make out Salamander Glacier from the boat. I spotted what I thought was a waterfall, and debated with the other passengers whether it was snow or in fact a waterfall (surprisingly, I was right). Before we knew it, we had docked at the opposite end of the lake.

After our quick five minute hike, we found ourselves on the shore of Lake Josephine. Our next boat, Morning Eagle, was waiting. It was a quick trip across the lake. Along the way we saw hikers on the trail adjacent to the lake, which reminded us that there are options if you aren’t able to get boat tickets. At the final dock near the head of Lake Josephine, we passed a shelter area where passengers can wait for the boat. There’s a pit toilet nearby too, but it was in poor shape (hopefully it’s been repaired by now).

Josephine Walk

It was time to officially start our hike. Our route first skirted the head of Lake Josephine. We passed an intersection with a trail that goes directly to Grinnell Lake. However, we took the more leisurely route along a narrow boardwalk in a boggy area. Travis spotted a frog and some orchids along this section. We then crossed a bridge over Cataract Creek, which flows into Lake Josephine.

The boardwalk continues after the bridge, and we came to an intersection with North Shore Josephine Lake Trail. We turned left, away from the lake, and shortly came to another intersection with Grinnell Glacier Trail. This is where the route joins the main trail.

Grinnell Glacier Trail

Here, the trail rapidly ascends up switchbacks. The tree cover becomes less dense as the elevation increases. This day would turn out to be the hottest that we experienced in the park, in the low 90s Fahrenheit. The heat, plus the lack of shade, made this one of the hardest hikes we did in Glacier.

We took a quick break in the shade of a pine tree, and the fresh fragrance lingered in the air. I had no idea it smelled so good – sweet and floral, nothing like artificial pine scent. There were panoramic views of Lake Josephine, and Grinnell Lake became visible as we continued on. Looking behind us, we could see Swiftcurrent Lake. We imagined how glaciers carved out the valleys over thousands of years. The views are unreal, and totally worth it even if you don’t hike all the way to Grinnell Glacier.

The views get even better as we ascended. Waterfalls and wildflowers were everywhere. Perhaps the most interesting plant we saw was bear grass, a distinctive puffy white wildflower. We crossed a few streams flowing across the trail. I was wearing a buff around my neck to prevent sunburn, so I dipped it in a stream and then draped it back around my neck to cool off. Highly recommend.

Not surprisingly, the trail was crowded. The vast majority of hikers greeted us, and were considerate, particularly where the trail was narrow. Conversely, there were a couple people who just plowed ahead.

Suddenly, we spotted some familiar faces: our friends from whitewater rafting the previous day! They were heading down while we were heading up. We were impressed since they had hiked the whole way, and clearly made it to Grinnell Glacier well before us. We said hi, and would have chatted further, but the trail was too narrow and crowded to hold an extended conversation.

As we hiked, snowmelt created many small waterfalls along the trail. One waterfall flowed directly onto the trail, so we were pretty much guaranteed to get wet. There was kind of a way to go around it, but most people didn’t bother, since it was a hot and sunny day. We stowed our camera gear, then we went for it. The water was very refreshing, but if it had been a cool or windy day, we would have tried to go around.

At this point, we were almost directly above Grinnell Lake, which was a gorgeous shade of aquamarine. A few patches of snow came into view as we gained elevation, and we spotted some glacial lilies nearby. The panoramic views along this trail showcase the mountains, lakes, glaciers, trees, and striking topography of the area.

After about 2.7 miles on Grinnell Glacier Trail, we arrived at Grinnell Glacier Picnic Area, which boasts benches, trees (yay shade), and two pit toilets. It’s the main stop before the climb to Upper Grinnell Lake and the glaciers, so it was unsurprisingly crowded. Some people were eating lunch here. We had planned to eat lunch by one of the glaciers, so we took a short break before continuing on.

Grinnell Glacier

From the picnic area, we quickly made it 0.4 miles to the top. We stood above Upper Grinnell Lake, enjoying the view. Looking up, we saw Salamander Glacier. To our left was Grinnell Glacier, or rather, what remained of it. Salamander used to be part of Grinnell Glacier, but they separated due to melting sometime before 1929. Between 1966 and 2015, Grinnell Glacier lost almost 45% of its area, which contributed to forming Upper Grinnell Lake. Salamander has lost about 23% in the same period. Currently, there are only 26 active glaciers left in the park (to be considered active, a glacier must to be larger than 25 acres).

We headed closer to the lake, which is a brilliant blue color due to glacial flour. Waterfalls ran down the side of the mountains into the lake, and large ice chunks floated on the water. To the south is Mount Gould, and to the north is Mount Grinnell. The Highline Trail runs on the other side of a rock feature called the Garden Wall. From the Highline Trail, hikers can take Garden Wall Trail to an overlook above Grinnell Glacier. Gem Glacier, the smallest named glacier in the park, is situated below Mount Gould and above Grinnell Glacier. In fact, it’s so small now at around 5 acres, that it’s no longer considered an active glacier.

It was pleasantly cool due to the lake and glaciers, so we took the opportunity to relax and eat lunch with a view. While we had reached the end of the official trail, there are plenty of social trails and viewing areas for a closer look. Visitors should avoid walking on Grinnell Glacier itself (or any glacier), as there are hidden crevices that you can fall into.

After soaking up views of the lake and glaciers, we started our journey back down. The three lakes we passed earlier – Grinnell, Josephine, and Swiftcurrent – aligned in the valley below as we descended. The view of these three lakes surrounded by mountains is perhaps one of Glacier’s most iconic.

On the way down, we talked to a hiker who mentioned a bear sighting on the trail ahead. Another hiker later on mentioned that a park ranger had scared it away, so we didn’t end up seeing it. It’s extremely helpful to share any relevant safety information with other hikers, and we found ourselves doing the same on other trails throughout our trip.

We completed our hike relatively quickly, since we planned to return before the last boat departed at 5:15 pm. We arrived at the dock around 4:50 pm, where there were a number of people waiting and enjoying the sun and scenery. Round-trip ticket holders (like us) have priority, though you can also get a one-way ticket. If the boat couldn’t accommodate everyone, it would return as necessary.

The boat pulled up at 5:15 pm. It was completely full, and only about 20 passengers got off. We were able to board, but some people had to wait for the boat to return. Now that I think about it, a boat ride to the head of Lake Josephine, followed by a 3.2 mile hike back to Many Glacier Hotel, would make for a nice afternoon excursion.

We arrived back at the hotel ravenous and tired, but happy. We immediately hopped in the car and drove about 5 minutes to Nell’s at Swiftcurrent to grab some dinner. Despite the crowds, the hike to Grinnell Glacier was a great opportunity to see and learn a lot. It’s arguably the easiest glacier to access in the park, and the boat ride adds another element of interest. Even if you’re only in the park for a short time, I highly recommend this dayhike.

Grinnell Glacier Trail

Date: Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Type: Dayhike Out and Back
Total Distance: 6.9 miles (11.2 km) from the boat dock. 10.2 miles (16.4 km) from trailhead.
Cumulative Elevation Gain/Loss: 1824 feet (556 m) from Boat Dock. 1969 feet (600 meters) from trailhead.
Time: 9 hours total, including boat and hiking. Active hiking time was 7 hours. The boat ride from Many Glacier to Lake Josephine (including both legs plus the short hike) is about an hour, each way.
Trail Markings: Intersection signs
Difficulty: Strenuous
Crowds: High
Water: Lakes, streams, and waterfalls
Highlights: Views, wildlife, glaciers, water features, boardwalk, marsh, wildflowers, lakes
Directions to Trailhead: Grinnell Glacier Trailhead
Notes: We recommend taking the boat if you can, but the longer hike from Grinnell Glacier Trailhead is also a good option

Trail Directions – From Lake Josephine Boat Dock

• 0.0 mi – From the boat dock on Lake Josephine, walk 150 feet on Josephine Walk Trail. Keep right to stay on Josephine Walk Trail at the intersection with Grinnell Lake Horse Trail. After another 150 feet, continue straight to stay on Josephine Walk Trail at the intersection with Grinnell Lake Foot Trail. The trail will transition to a boardwalk temporarily. Follow signs for Grinnell Glacier.
• 0.2 mi – Cross over Cataract Creek on a bridge that flows into Lake Josephine
• 0.3 mi – At the intersection with North Shore Josephine Lake Trail, keep left on Josephine Walk Trail
• 0.4 mi – Turn left onto Grinnell Glacier Trail
• 3.1 mi – Arrive at Grinnell Glacier Picnic Area
• 3.5 mi – Arrive at Grinnell Glacier. When done exploring, head back down the way you came.
• 3.8 mi – Arrive back at Grinnell Glacier Picnic Area
• 6.5 mi – Turn right onto Josephine Walk Trail
• 6.6 mi – At the intersection with North Shore Josephine Lake Trail, keep right to stay on Josephine Walk Trail
• 6.7 mi – Cross the bridge over Cataract Creek
• 6.9 mi – At the intersection with Grinnell Lake Foot Trail, continue straight to stay on Josephine Walk Trail. After 150 feet, turn left to stay on Josephine Walk Trail at the intersection with Grinnell Lake Horse Trail. Go another 150 feet to reach Lake Josephine Dock, where you can wait for the boat.

Trail Directions – From Grinnell Glacier Trailhead

• 0.0 mi – From the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead, head south on Swiftcurrent Lake Trail
• 0.8 mi – Pass the dock at the south end of Swiftcurrent Lake, then turn left onto North Shore Josephine Lake Trail
• 1.7 mi – At the fork, keep right to go onto Grinnell Glacier Trail
• 2.0 mi – Continue straight at the intersection with Josephine Walk Trail
• 4.8 mi – Arrive at Grinnell Glacier Picnic Area
• 5.1 mi – Arrive at Grinnell Glacier. When done exploring, head back down the way you came.
• 5.4 mi – Arrive back at Grinnell Glacier Picnic Area
• 8.2 mi – Continue straight at the intersection with Josephine Walk Trail
• 8.5 mi – Continue straight onto North Shore Josephine Walk Trail
• 9.4 mi – Turn left onto Swiftcurrent Lake Trail. Pass the dock at the south end of Swiftcurrent Lake.
• 10.2 mi – Back at the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead

Maps

• Grinnell Glacier Trail Map (KTNP)
• Many Glacier Trail Map (NPS)

Links

• Grinnell Glacier Trailhead (NPS)
• Grinnell Glacier Historical Photos (NPS)
• USGS Glacier Status

Elevation Graph – From Lake Josephine Boat Dock

Elevation Graph – From Grinnell Glacier Trailhead

Interactive Map