4 Amazing Hikes at Glacier National Park in Montana

Today I want to review 4 Amazing Hikes at Glacier National Park that we did on our mini vacation in Montana.
My initial decision to join this trip was met with a lot of reluctance.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll think about it – I’ll figure out my schedule and get back to you.” I would said.

I really didn’t want to break up the rhythm of my wedding season and go off on a personal trip. For a person who prefers staying at home more than traveling, a staycation – rather – catching up on work always sounds like a fantastic idea.

It was one of my friend’s enthusiasm and persuasion for the few planned hikes that got me. Or maybe it was the few beers that aided in the purchasing of the flights that night. He has always been good at peer pressure and for the majority of the decisions they have been for good reasons.

On one of the hikes, I struck a brief conversation with a grandmother along with her two children. Long story short, she volunteered for the park services for 12 years and recently lost her husband. As a way to honor his life, they decided to take a family trip there and hike up to the glacier.

And I think that was something I needed to hear. On the wider outlook on life, what will I remember? What kind of memories am I creating?

In retrospect, I needed this. A little bit of nature, a little bit of adventure, a little bit of photography, a little bit of away time from the screen, and a lot of love, smiles, laughter, and friendship.

As I head back into a very intense fall and winter wedding season, I hope to be able to continue making good memories with you all.

About Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is a 1,583-sq.-mi. wilderness area in Montana’s Rocky Mountains, with glacier-carved peaks and valleys running to the Canadian border.
It’s crossed by the mountainous Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Website: https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm

General Plan:

With this being a national park trip, our main goal was to get out on the trails.

The hikes my friend had picked out are all highly recommended and offer a wide variety of different things to see.

Overall, we picked one activity / hike per day.

Avalanche Lake Trail (5.7 miles)

I got off the plane, got picked up by my friends, dropped off my bags at the cabin (took a poo too lol), and went out onto this mini hike.

Avalanche Lake Trail is a half-day hike starting with the Trail of the Cedars then along the Avalanche Creek gorge. From there wind upwards through the forest for 2 miles to Avalanche lake. The lake is rimmed with steep cliffs on three sides with numerous cascading waterfalls. You can continue the hike for 0.7 miles around to the other end of the lake.

Don’t give up – the end is the most beautiful~!

Highline Trail/The Garden Wall (11.6 miles: 6 Hours)

Woke up at sunrise, got ready, took an hour or so to drive from out cabin to Logan Pass.
Parking will always be a struggle so get there early~!
We got extremely lucky~!

The Highline Trail is an extremely popular hike; and for good reason.
At every step, and every turn, hikers will enjoy spectacular scenery as the Highline follows along the Continental Divide, also known as the Garden Wall throughout this section of Glacier National Park.
The exceptionally beautiful views, the excellent opportunities for spotting wildlife, and the wildflowers, all combine to make this a hike you’ll remember the rest of your life.
If you’re looking for solitude, however, you won’t find it on this trail.

We took the Logan Pass – Granite Park Chalet – “The Loop” Trail