Grinnell Glacier Trail

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Distance:
12.2 Miles / 19.6 km
Type:
Out-and-Back
Difficulty:
Strenuous
Time to Hike:
6 hours, ~6 minutes
Features:
Surface Type:
Dirt
Park:
Glacier National Park
Town:
Browning, Montana
Directions:
48.795688, -113.656045
Added:
October 08, 2015
Updated:
July 21, 2018
By:
Admin user profile picture
Admin (David Miller)
1,625 '

Total Change
2,208 '

Ascent
2,207 '

Descent
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The Grinnell Glacier Trail in Glacier National Park is by far one of the best hiking trails in the park. It's a 12.2 mile out-and-back hike that leads up to Grinnell Glacier - one of the last glaciers in the lower 48 US states. This day hike can be strenuous, especially at these elevations.

The trail brings you past 3 large lakes, which are formed from snow melt and glacier runoff from high above in the mountains. Just before you reach Grinnell Glacier, you'll see the beautiful waterfall glacial runoff waterfall that descends to the lakes below. 

There are numerous lookout points and photo-ops along the trail and you may even see wildlife like mountain goats (including longhorns), moose, and even bear. It's recommended to bring bear mace and a bear bell just in case.

  1. Parking

    48.795688, -113.656045
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  2. Main Trailhead

    48.795182, -113.65682
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  3. Grinnell Lake

    48.773478, -113.701548
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    Grinnell Lake

  4. Salamander Glacier sitting above Grinnell Glacier's lake

    48.76027, -113.729401
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    Salamander Glacier sitting above Grinnell Glacier's lake

  5. Grinnell Glacier

    48.752507, -113.724534
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    Grinnell Glacier

  6. Lake Josephine

    48.787604, -113.670296
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    Lake Josephine

  7. Split in the trail - stay right

    48.777787, -113.684564
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    Split in the trail - stay right
No community routes found. To add your own hike as a Community Route for this Trail guide, leave a Trip Report with an attached GPX file.

Seasons

Summer, Fall
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Photo Albums

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Grinnell Glacier Trail - Grinnell Glacier album
51

1 Trip Report

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Write-up by:
Admin user profile picture
Admin (David Miller)
12.2 miles / 19.6 km
Trail added
October 08, 2015
Hiked on
October 08, 2015
Updated on
July 21, 2018
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