Full disclosure - I only hiked like 5 mins of this trail, but that's because it was closed for the…read morewinter still despite being Sunday June 29! The trail actually opened in full that Wednesday, so I came just slightly too early. That said, I hiked the loop trail up to the intersection of the highline trail, and walked along to near glacier junction. You can see the continuation of the trail in the distance and it is obviously a gorgeous trail - and quite challenging given the distance, although I'm told the incline is actually fairly gradual. Overall: I'm planning a trip back to glacier next summer a little bit later specifically to do this trail out to grinnell glacier overlook along the garden wall. My trip along the loop was absolutely stunning, so I want to make it out to granite peak chalet again another way. And while it likely won't come as a surprise to anyone planning to hike this trail, do bear in mind the warnings about safety including taking enough water/food, bear spray, and ideally going with someone else (particularly given doing this trail takes pretty much all day).

Difficult but great trail. We did the 3.5 mile each way stretch starting at Logan Pass and ending…read moreat Haystack pass, where we stopped for a picnic lunch. Lots of people made it more difficult, but the reviews were amazing. We even saw our first marmots too. I'd highly recommend this one while at Glacier.

We were able to hike the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead through Many Glacier on the last day it was…read moreopen for the season (9/19/21) but unfortunately the weather wasn't on our side. It was a constant mist/rain the entire hike and then getting into Grinnell Glacier it was snowing! We arrived at the parking lot by 7AM and there were already 10 cars parked and we started the hike around 7:30. By the time we got back, around 1PM, the lot was full but the rain started coming down more so people were leaving. It's about a 10-11 mile hike RT. During the summer, you can opt to pay to take a boat across Lake Josephine to shorten the hike, but that was the easiest part. The part of the hike where you walk above Lake Josephine is probably the most picturesque - so gorgeous but a little foggy. When you finally get to the Glacier you're greeted with the bluest water bend and snow covered mountains. For this hike, the way back is easier and we were happy about that because we were cold and starting to feel miserable. Would love to do this hike again with better weather but it was still a beautiful one to do! We drove Going-to-the-Sun road and round the Rising Sun Boat Deck parking lot (which was empty during this time) and it was the perfect spot for a nap.

My friends and I hiked to Grinnell Overlook via the Granite park trail. The whole trail was out and…read moreback and a total of about 11.4 miles with around 3500 ft of elevation. Not gonna lie, the last stretch (the Garden Wall) was pretty rough as the trail was very narrow and incredibly rocky, and the wind was constantly screaming and whipping your face (definitely bring a windbreaker and protect your hats!!!). But despite the difficulty for us average hikers and the sad state of our feet afterwards, my friends and I absolutely loved the experience. It wasn't just about the view at the top for us. The entire trail was stunning and since we hiked late September, the red and golden foliage all around us made us feel like we were in another world. We saw various wildlife as well - mostly deer and chipmunks!

For me, Grinnell Lake gets 4.5 stars. The ONLY REASON why I didn't give it 5 stars is because when…read moreI visited in the afternoon, the magnificent backdrop was set against the sun....and admiring this setting against the sun prevented me from capturing the perfect photos. This was quite frustrating! I had read and heard wonderful reviews about this place...the lake and the hike to get here in general. Unfortunately, when I arrived about 3pm, you could pretty much say the sun was a huge obstacle and quite a hindrance on my memories from here. Ultimately, I had to wait for clouds and or move myself to different spots to avoid the sun's beams. Regardless.....everything about this hike was pretty good. Grinnell Lake is located in the more secluded section of the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park. When I visited last month, I had to wait in a line of cars just to gain access to Many Glacier. Because this popular part of Glacier NP is quite small in circumference....park rangers were only permitting a limited amount of visitors. Wow, that was quite annoying. Fortunately for me, since I planned my itinerary ahead of time, I was spending the evening here in Many Glacier and told the park ranger that I was sleeping the night at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, (which was the actual truth)...so he allowed me to pass. The trail for Grinnell Lake starts right next door on the grounds of Many Glacier Hotel. You can park wherever...on the side of the streets or in the parking lot. If you have a free moment, absolutely venture inside Many Glacier Hotel and along the grounds as the hotel exudes a rustic/European style - Swiss chalet - certainly lending itself to the heart of this outdoorsy - natural - setting along Josephine Lake. For Grinnell Lake, look for signs for the Swiftcurrent Lake Loop Trail. Here is where you want to go. It's situated towards the rear of Many Glacier Hotel. Ask someone inside the lodge if you need assistance finding the trailhead. From the Swiftcurrent Foot Trail, Grinnell Lake is 3.4 miles EACH WAY! Yes...that's almost 7 miles round trip! And, you could venture further towards Grinnell Glacier....another fantastically recommended trail, but....to Grinnell Glacier, it's 5.9 miles EACH WAY, - and for me....this was too far and took too much time out of the day. Also, it's mentioned in your park's map guide that Grinnell Glacier is a STRENUOUS TRAIL....where - as just hiking to Grinnell Lake is a moderately navigated passageway. Upon trekking beside Josephine Lake making my way towards Grinnell Lake, there were plenty of photo opportunities as the lake was quite picturesque, especially when the sun was at my back. Past Josephine Lake, the surroundings were just alright. Please understand though, this trail is great for those looking to get away and immerse themselves in the back country woods. You can find an easier way to arrive at Grinnell Lake by taking a boat towards the other end of Josephine Lake, getting out and then trekking the remaining distance on. For me, I was okay simply hiking as I didn't want to pay a fee and then wait for a boat to launch. Finally coming upon Grinnell Lake, yes...the hike was worth it. The calm waters here were immaculate. Absolutely perfect....colorful blue/green and turquoise. Along with the majestic and scenic background....you're confronted with a lush green mountain carved away with a running waterfall centered in the heart of it all. This spot and panoramic view was worth it all! All the time spent hiking and traversing my way, coming here made for witnessing this grand view. I was totally impressed! Yeah...leisurely, unobtrusively sitting down and appreciating this landscape is the reason why you come here. I spent a good 45 minutes just relaxing, taking photos and reflecting on how beautiful this place was. And like I mentioned earlier, had it not been for the sun in my way, Grinnell Lake absolutely would have been 5 stars. Lol....so when all is said and done....I HAVE TO RECOMMEND TO ANYONE WHO READS THIS....HIKE TO GRINNELL LAKE IN THE MORNING!!! And although from here, it's only a couple more miles along towards Grinnell Glacier (which was highly recommended), I was satisfied that I had explored enough and ventured back towards the Many Glacier Lodge. In all, I spent about 4 - 5 hours hiking over to Grinnell Lake. If you're spending time in this Many Glacier section of Glacier National Park, Grinnell Lake is quite the highlight and should not be missed.

This is an average trail, 1hr 30 mins two way. View is…read morefantastic. You can also see mountain goats if you are lucky. Beautiful mountain flowers and glacier view.

About 2.5 miles round trip. It's not particularly difficult. The view at the end is incredible. The…read moreparking lot at the Logan pass visitor's center is very very crowded. I've never seen a more jammed up parking lot in my life. Either get there very very early or take a shuttle to avoid frustration. We actually parked in the 30 minute parking and were fine after a hour half. This is after circling the parking lot for 45 minute We saw a bunch of wildlife including Big Horned Sheep on the way.

REDROCK FALLS can be reached by a trail that starts at the parking lot by Swiftcurrent Inn. The…read moretrail is 2 miles, each way. On the way, you can see strange trees where the trunk has a U-shape, and where the U-shape occurs at about five feet above the ground. I posted two photographs of these strange trees, where each has the U-shape in the tree trunk. During the hike, and also at Redrock Falls, you can see Mount Grinnell, which is south of the trail, and Mount Wilbur, which is north of the trail. Redrock Falls is actually a series of small cascades, and it is not comparable to the iconic Yosemite Falls in California, or to the drop-dead gorgeous North Falls at Silver Falls State Park in Oregon. During my family's hike, I was treated to a "dance-of-the-clouds" where the wind-blown movements of the clouds resulted in intermittent illumination of various regions of Mount Grinnell and of Mount Wilbur. Your hike to Redrock Falls will provide motivation to learn about the Grinnell Formation. Grinnell formation is colored red, and it consists of something called, "shaly argillites. The shaly argillites lies on top of something called the "Appekunny." Mingled with the red argillites are thin white layers of quartzite, a former sandstone which has been converted by pressure into an extraordinarily hard, dense rock. The red color is due to iron oxide occurring as a cement between the sand and mud grains (info from, The Geologic Story of Glacier National Park, Special Bulletin No. 3, Glacier Natural History Association). PHOTOGRAPHS. Please click on each of my photographs so that you can see the entire image. VISITOR CENTERS. Glacier National Park has several visitor centers. This is a warning. If you fail to buy at least fifty dollars worth of souvenirs during your visit to Glacier National Park, you will regret it for many years. Your regret will build up more and more, with every passing decade. What I recommend most, is buying the model of the red bus that is used for transporting tourists up and down Going-To-The-Sun Road. What I also recommend is buying a plush moose. The word "plush" is used to refer to toy animals such as birds and dogs that are made of soft fluffy cloth.

I can't comment on the service here, only the hike to reach this point. However, the views of the…read moreglacier national park vista from granite peak chalet are absolutely unmatched. Regardless of whether you take the loop trail, the highline, or an alternative to reach this point, it is a welcome sight. Apparently during summer there is a functional restaurant up there too - but when I came on 6/29/25, the seasonal staff member I met said they didn't open until tomorrow! They do NOT have any running water up there so bear it in mind as well - make sure you bring enough ESPECIALLY if you're staying the night in one of the cabins here. Overall - if on the loop trail or highline etc, would absolutely rec hitting the chalet for a photo op, or maybe a snack in summer when it's open.

Great place, Spectacular views, ... Breathtaking hikes, but…read morethey want you out of bed by 8:30 am at the latest. Even though quiet time is 10 pm, people stay up talking (Talking loud) well past that point. You can ask them to whisper, but that doesn't help. There are really no walls between the rooms, just half logs stacked together with an inch and a half of space between the two halve's. No, you can not see into the other room, but you can hear everything from the other room as if there were no walls. The chalet offers ear plugs but that only helps if the other people try to be quiet. Everyone should be told at check in about respect for other guests by being quiet between certain hours because of the walls. So, my point, if your not out of bed by 8:30, even though you have only slept a few hours because of the noise the other guests are making, you will be awakened by the staff going through the empty rooms with their music extremely loud (really dude, that's why they make the earbud). I did ask him to turn it down, the response was totally childish. The next few minutes were filled with multiple, yes multiple, doors slamming accompanied with loud music. He did make an effort to slam the doors. He went down the stairs, came back up, went into the room on the east side of mine, slammed both doors. Then, he went to the room on the west side and slammed those doors. And then he went back to the east room and slammed those doors again. All within a few minutes. I realize the staff gets their time off during the day, and they need that time, but at whose expense!? I really want to go back and hike the trails I didn't do and even spend more time on the trails already done. But that may not be possible, now. The socialities were great if you were face to face, but don't hinder their free time. Only one of the four staff didn't seem to worried about her free time. I guess she was had been there longer or she was having someone make the noise for her. Who knows. All I know, if we weren't on their schedule, ... Really, moving the hot water to the staff counter just because it's after 9:00 am. How subtle can you be, you already had breakfast. Overall, we had a great time at the Granite Park Chalet. I appreciate what this family is doing to make these places more accessible. Thank you (everyone at the office) for the accomodations you made. I could not have made this trip without you.

America needs more campgrounds like this one! I arrived at glacier national park and was looking…read morefor dispersed camping in the area and as I was in my way to a site I found this place. It far from a commercial campsite which I love. There are a lot of remote campsite and little cabins. I signed in on my site and dropped the money in the box and went I. My merry way. I will definitely refer to all my calling friends! Thank you!

Awesome campground! Very clean and tidy camping sites with a nice walking trail that leads right up…read moreto the river with mountain views. Hot showers, clean restroom, and good cell phone service. Highly recommend and would stay again!

Nice 5.5 mile out and back trail to the lake. Good workout with some elevation. Please note you…read morewill see logging which is a turn off for purist. The trail is smooth without major rocks. The creek is visible on the first section of the trail. If you want a short walk just hike to the overlook.

Our group ranged in age from 7-69 and everyone enjoyed this gentle loop which included a gorgeous…read morewaterfall and plenty of picture-worthy scenes. The youngest one among us enjoyed clambering up boulders and throwing walks into the river. If you're looking for a family-friendly hike in Glacier, this is it!

Trail is 5.9 miles out and back. Beautiful waterfalls on our way…read more End point is so mesmerizing.