Grinnell Glacier

Grinnell Glacier is one of the most famous and accessible glaciers in Glacier National Park — a great sheet of ice cradled in a rocky cirque high above the Many Glacier valley on the east side of the park, reached by one of the most spectacular day hikes in the Northern Rockies. Named for the conservationist George Bird Grinnell, who helped establish the park, it has become a vivid symbol of the park’s vanishing ice.

The trail to the glacier climbs past the brilliant turquoise waters of Lake Josephine and Grinnell Lake, through wildflower meadows and along cliffs with sweeping views, to a milky, iceberg-dotted meltwater lake at the foot of the glacier itself, beneath the towering Garden Wall. Once far larger, Grinnell Glacier has shrunk dramatically over the past century as the climate warms — a poignant draw for visitors. A breathtaking and meaningful destination, Grinnell Glacier is a treasured icon of Glacier National Park and Montana.

Grinnell Glacier is reached by a celebrated day hike from the Many Glacier valley — about 11 miles round trip (shortened by taking the boat shuttles across Swiftcurrent and Josephine lakes), climbing past turquoise lakes, waterfalls and wildflower meadows to the iceberg-dotted lake at the glacier’s foot. The hike is the signature experience, prized for its turquoise lakes, sweeping views and the glacier itself. The Many Glacier area also offers other great hikes (Iceberg Lake, Cracker Lake), boat tours, horseback riding and wildlife watching. The combination of the spectacular trail, the turquoise lakes and the famous shrinking glacier makes this one of the premier hikes in the park.

Mid-to-late summer (mid-July through September) is the season, when the high trail is clear of snow, the glacier’s meltwater lake is dotted with icebergs, the wildflowers bloom and the boat shuttles run — earlier, snow blocks the upper trail. The turquoise lakes are most vivid in summer light, and September brings crisp air and fewer crowds. The Many Glacier road and services are summer-only. Mid-to-late summer for the clear trail and the icebergs is the highlight; start early to beat the crowds and afternoon storms, and check that the upper trail is snow-free before setting out.

Grinnell Glacier is named for George Bird Grinnell, the naturalist, explorer and conservationist who explored the region, championed its protection, and helped lead the campaign that created Glacier National Park in 1910. The Many Glacier valley, sacred to the Blackfeet whose reservation borders it, became one of the park’s grand destinations, anchored by the historic Many Glacier Hotel. Over the past century, repeat photographs have documented the glacier’s dramatic retreat, making it one of the most studied and symbolic glaciers in the country. Grinnell Glacier preserves both natural grandeur and a record of a changing climate, a treasured icon of Glacier.

Grinnell Glacier sits in a cirque carved into the ancient Belt Supergroup sedimentary rock of the Garden Wall, the knife-edged arête along the Continental Divide. Like the park’s other glaciers, it is a remnant of the much larger ice of the Little Ice Age (not the great Ice Age glaciers that carved the park’s major valleys). The glacier grinds rock into fine ‘glacial flour’ that tints its meltwater lakes the famous turquoise and milky colors. As the climate warms, the glacier has shrunk by most of its area in a century. The cirque, the ancient rock, the glacial flour and the warming climate shape this vivid, vanishing glacier.

The Many Glacier valley around Grinnell Glacier is among the best wildlife areas in the park — famous for grizzly and black bears on the slopes, mountain goats and bighorn sheep in the high country, moose in the wetlands, and marmots and pikas in the rocks, with golden eagles and a rich birdlife. The hike to the glacier passes through prime habitat across forest, meadow and alpine zones. This is grizzly country, so carry bear spray, make noise and keep your distance. Many Glacier and the Grinnell trail offer some of the finest wildlife watching in Glacier National Park.

Grinnell Glacier and its trail span Glacier’s high-country ecosystems — from subalpine forest and the turquoise glacial lakes, through wildflower meadows, to the fragile alpine zone and the glacier’s cold meltwater at the foot of the Garden Wall. The glacier’s meltwater feeds the lakes and streams below, and the fine glacial flour gives them their famous color. The shrinking glacier is a sensitive indicator of climate change affecting the whole park. Protecting the fragile meadows and alpine zone, the clear waters and the wildlife sustains both the ecology and the spectacular beauty of this iconic and vanishing glacier.

Grinnell Glacier holds a treasured and increasingly poignant place among the icons of Glacier National Park — one of its most beautiful and accessible glaciers, the goal of a beloved hike past turquoise lakes, named for a founding conservationist of the park, and now a vivid, widely photographed symbol of the world’s vanishing ice. Set in the spectacular Many Glacier valley sacred to the Blackfeet, the glacier embodies both the grandeur of the ‘Crown of the Continent’ and the reality of a changing climate. Grinnell Glacier is a cherished icon of Glacier National Park and Montana.

Grinnell Glacier is reached from the Many Glacier area on the east side of Glacier National Park, accessed via the Many Glacier Road from Babb (off U.S. 89, near the Blackfeet Reservation town of St. Mary). A park entrance fee applies, and the Many Glacier Road and services are summer-only (the road has had construction; check status). The trail begins near Many Glacier Hotel/Swiftcurrent; optional boat shuttles across Swiftcurrent and Josephine lakes shorten the hike. There are no services at the glacier. Check the National Park Service for the Many Glacier road and trail status, fees, boat shuttle and conditions before visiting.

The National Park Service protects Grinnell Glacier and the Many Glacier valley. Visitors help by staying on the trail to protect the fragile meadows and alpine plants, keeping a safe distance from wildlife and carrying bear spray (this is prime grizzly habitat), not walking on the glacier or its unstable edges, packing out everything, and following all regulations. The glacier’s documented retreat makes it a powerful place to witness climate change. Protecting the fragile high country, the clear glacial waters and the wildlife sustains both the ecology and the spectacular beauty of this iconic and vanishing glacier.

The hike to Grinnell Glacier is long and strenuous, with exposure on cliff-edge sections, lingering snowfields that can be dangerous into summer, and the constant possibility of fast-changing mountain weather and afternoon storms — carry layers, water, food and the essentials, and start early. This is prime grizzly country, so carry bear spray, make noise and travel in groups. Do not walk on the glacier or its unstable, crevassed edges or the steep snow. Keep back from cliff edges and the cold meltwater. Tell someone your plan, watch the weather, and respect the bears, the terrain and the mountain conditions.

A park entrance fee applies; the Many Glacier area is summer-only (check road and construction status, and any vehicle reservation requirement). Stay on the designated trail; do not walk on the glacier. Keep at least 100 yards from bears and 25 yards from other wildlife, and store food properly. Pets are not allowed on trails. Drones are prohibited. Camp only with a backcountry permit. Pack out all trash. Boat shuttles are operated by a concessioner (fee). Check the National Park Service for the Many Glacier road/trail status, reservations, fees and current rules before visiting.

The Many Glacier valley with its historic hotel, Swiftcurrent and Josephine lakes, and other great hikes (Iceberg Lake, Cracker Lake) surround the glacier, with the town of St. Mary and the Going-to-the-Sun Road to the south, the Blackfeet Reservation to the east, and the rest of Glacier National Park around. The peaks of the Continental Divide and the Many Glacier valley define the region. Grinnell Glacier anchors the spectacular Many Glacier area, a centerpiece of a Glacier National Park adventure, easily combined with the valley’s other hikes, the historic hotel and the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Hike to Grinnell Glacier on a clear mid-to-late-summer day — start early from Many Glacier to beat the crowds and afternoon storms, and consider the boat shuttles across Swiftcurrent and Josephine lakes to shorten the roughly 11-mile round trip. Carry bear spray (prime grizzly country), layers, water and food, and watch your footing on the cliff-edge and snowfield sections. Savor the turquoise lakes on the way and the icebergs on the glacier’s meltwater lake. Check the Many Glacier road and upper-trail snow status before you go, and base yourself at Many Glacier or St. Mary.