The 6 Best Hikes In Glacier National Park

With over 1,000,000 acres of pristine wilderness, forests, alpine meadows and lakes, it's no wonder Glacier National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the country.

This park is home to over 700 miles of maintained trails, making it one of the best national parks for hiking. Some of their best hikes include the Swiftcurrent Pass, Grinnell Glacier and Cracker Lake.

*Related: Glacier National Park: 6 things to do and see

Make sure you get out and visit this park soon; its glaciers are slowly disappearing. Glacier National Park started with 150 active glaciers; today it only has about 25. Sperry Glacier specifically is one of the largest glaciers in the park; it has withdrawn about 75 percent since the mid-18th century.

Hike in this park for stunning views. Admire spectacular waterfalls, spot a variety of wildlife and observe tons of wildflowers. According to National Park Service, "there are 20 different tree species, 93 woody shrubs or vines, 88 annual or biennial plant species, and 804 types of perennial herbs."

These are 6 of the best hikes in Glacier National Park.

 

1. Grinnell Glacier- Begin this 9.8 mile moderate hike at the Grinnell Glacier trailhead. Enjoy the scenery as you pass by beautiful alpine meadows, tons of wildflowers and spectacular waterfalls. Visitors primarily use this trail for hiking, camping and fishing.

2. Iceberg Lake Trail- This is a 9.6 mile hike. The trail passes through open terrain and waterfalls. It ends at the beautiful Iceberg lake; named after the icebergs that float in the lake year-round, according to alltrails.com. Look out for wildlife, grizzly bears have been known to make an appearance. A review on alltrails.com says: "Incredible views throughout the entire trail, but the lake at the end is truly spectacular!"

3. Highline Loop- This is one of the most famous and most strenuous hikes in the park. It's an 11.8 mile round trip trail located in Logan Pass. Begin your hike from the north side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. View tons of wildlife, wildflowers, alpine meadows and incredible scenery.

4. Swiftcurrent Pass- This is a one-way route that traces the Continental Divide and then a glacial stream, backpacker.com explains. "From Logan Pass trailhead, take the Highline Trail and connect to Swiftcurrent Pass, then descend through Many Glacier Valley, past turquoise icemelt pools." You will cross fields of glacier lilies and have the opportunity to view a variety of wildlife.

5. Cracker Lake- Cracker Lake is known as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. The Cracker Lake hike is 12.6 miles round trip and reaches the elevation of 6035 feet. This trail is rated strenuous by hikinginglacier.com, but your effort will be rewarded. Visitors like this hike because of its outstanding views of deep canyons and the breathtaking turquoise Cracker Lake.

6. Hidden Falls- This is an easy hike, perfect for people of all ages. It's 2.5 miles round trip and only gains an elevation of 250 feet. This forest hike will lead you to Hidden Falls – the stunning "25-foot waterfall, "hidden" in a deep gorge cut by Cataract Creek," hikinginglacier.com explains. "Hikers will have the option of taking the easy stroll over to Grinnell Lake. This would add only another half-mile to your total roundtrip mileage."

 

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