Glacier National Park - Grinnell Glacier Trail

No doubt our National Parks contain some of the most jaw-dropping landscapes on Planet Earth.  I have been blessed to view some of them.  This post from NatGeo highlights Glacier National Park and its wonders.  It sounds like a wonderful hike, but the part about the grizzly gives me pause!  While "seeing a grizzly" would be an exhilarating experience, I do not care to be on his menu...

Great Outdoors Month: Best Hikes in the Parks: Glacier's Grinnell Glacier Trail

By Robert Earle Howells; Photograph by M. Scott Brauer, Alamy

Celebrating Great Outdoors Month With 35 Great Hikes

Grinnell Glacier Trail

When to Go: June to September
Round-Trip: 11 Miles
Level: Moderate Day Hike

See the Trail Map

View many of Glacier’s most iconic features—big, clear, glacial valley lakes, alpine meadows filled with wildflowers; the omnipresent possibility of seeing a grizzly—en route to a glorious view from the maw of Grinnell, one of the park’s signature glaciers. The trail skirts Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes (opt for a tour boat if you want to knock 3.8 miles off the approach) before ascending 1,600 feet to the narrow, fissured glacier hanging high above milky blue Grinnell Lake.

Insider Tip: Push on past the glacier’s outflow for a jaw-dropping view of Grinnell Lake and a host of alpine summits. The incredible vistas are worth the 1,200-foot climb, first to the saddle between Mount Gould and Angel Wing, and then up to the ridge just below the summit of Angel Wing.

See All 20 Best Parks Hikes, Photos, and Maps >>