Logan Pass Accessible Loop

The Logan Pass Accessible Loop at Glacier National Park near Saint Mary, Montana is an easy 0.4-mile paved trail that features stunning views of Glacier's alpine mountains from the continental divide.

Exploring Logan Pass

This short trail begins at the Logan Pass Visitor Center where you'll find a paved and universally-accessible trail that begins on the north side of the parking lot. The trail leads uphill before following a loop that provides visitors first with views of the glacial arête of the Garden Wall that separates West Glacier from the Many Glacier (East Glacier) part of the park. Looking northward along the Garden Wall, you might be able to spot small specs of color moving along the lush green mountain sides -- these are hikers along the Highline Trail. The trail then swoops around with views of Clements Mountain which sits just west of the visitor center and generally adorns a wide band of red rock and large snowfields that don't rarely melt during the summer. Don't confuse these snowfields with glaciers, however, as there is a difference.

The trail then passes the visitor center where you'll find several information kiosks about climate change, the glaciers, plants, and animals. Along the southern part of the trail, you'll find views that overlook the parking lot and include tunnel-like views from Logan Pass that face east toward Saint Mary Lake with towering ramparts of alpine mountains that shape the tunnel view. To the south are more views of neighboring mountains such as the plateau-like Heavy Runner Mountain and jagged alpine slopes of Reynolds Mountain. Reynolds Mountain can be easily spotted with its snowfields, similar to that of Clements Mountain.

The trail then loops back around to reach the visitor center, passing more information kiosks along the way. Hikers will also find the trailhead for the Hidden Lake Overlook (Hidden Lake Trail) here as well. The universally-accessible path then leads down a steep ramp before heading back down the same path you followed-up to reach the parking lot.

Universal Access

As of September 2024, this trail is paved and universally-accessible from the parking lot and throughout.

Vehicle Reservations

Depending on what time of year you visit, you may need to reserve a vehicle entrance pass to get into the park, in addition to a park entry fee (or annual National Parks pass). Before planning this hike, ensure you've checked the NPS website for when and where Glacier NP vehicle reservations are required.

Parking

Visitors will find a large parking lot at the Logan Pass Visitor Center, located at the coordinates provided. The lot is large enough to fit many dozens of vehicles as of September 2024. Parking here, however, can be challenging depending on what time of year you arrive -- during vehicle reservation season, you may still find the parking lot is a challenge to park in but you may not need to arrive too early in the morning. After vehicle reservation season is over, this parking lot fills up extremely fast. During our visit here in mid-to-late September 2024, the parking lot was mostly-full by 6:45AM on a weekday. When the temperatures fell further, the parking lot was much quieter. Note that depending on when you arrive, you may need to wait around for a parking space to open up.

Pets

Dogs are not allowed on any trails at Glacier National Park.

Wildlife

This trail is great for possible wildlife viewing opportunities including mountain goats and longhorn sheep high in the cliffs. While most visitors are "almost guaranteed" to see mountain goat or longhorn sheep at Logan Pass, during our 1-week trip and driving by Logan Pass ~10 times, we only saw longhorn sheep.