The 10 Best Dayhikes in Glacier National Park

By Michael Lanza

Glacier National Park sprawls over a million acres of rugged, glaciated mountains sprinkled with alpine lakes in the northern Rockies—most of it remote wilderness seen only by backpackers willing to hike into the backcountry for multiple days. Nonetheless, you can reach some of the best scenery in America’s 10th national park on dayhikes.

This story describes the 10 best dayhikes in Glacier, from popular hikes like Grinnell Glacier, the Highline Trail, Iceberg Lake, and Hidden Lake Overlook to some trails and mountain passes you may not have heard of but which reach areas of this iconic national park that are just as mind-blowing as the popular hikes—but not as busy.

I’ve created this list based on numerous trips dayhiking and backpacking all over the park for more than 30 years, including the 10 years I spent as a field editor for Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog. Use this story as your guide and you will see the best of Glacier that’s accessible on a moderate to full day on foot.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

A view from the Highline Trail looking toward Logan Pass and Mount Clements in Glacier National Park.
” data-image-caption=”A view from the Highline Trail looking toward Logan Pass and Mount Clements in Glacier National Park.
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gla4-115-Going-to-the-Sun-Road-near-Logan-Pass-copy.jpg?fit=300%2C199&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gla4-115-Going-to-the-Sun-Road-near-Logan-Pass-copy.jpg?fit=900%2C598&ssl=1″ width=”900″ height=”598″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gla4-115-Going-to-the-Sun-Road-near-Logan-Pass-copy.jpg?resize=900%2C598&ssl=1″ alt=”A view from the Highline Trail looking toward Logan Pass and Mount Clements in Glacier National Park.” class=”wp-image-51533″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gla4-115-Going-to-the-Sun-Road-near-Logan-Pass-copy.jpg?resize=1024%2C680&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gla4-115-Going-to-the-Sun-Road-near-Logan-Pass-copy.jpg?resize=300%2C199&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gla4-115-Going-to-the-Sun-Road-near-Logan-Pass-copy.jpg?resize=768%2C510&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gla4-115-Going-to-the-Sun-Road-near-Logan-Pass-copy.jpg?resize=150%2C100&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gla4-115-Going-to-the-Sun-Road-near-Logan-Pass-copy.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w” sizes=”(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px” data-recalc-dims=”1″ />A view from the Highline Trail looking toward Logan Pass and Mount Clements in Glacier National Park.

Key planning step: To drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road between 6am and 5pm or to drive into the park’s North Fork area via the Polebridge entrance between 6am and 6pm, from May 27, 2022, through Sept. 11, 2022, you must purchase a timed ticket at recreation.gov/timed-entry/10087086. See more info at nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/gtsrticketedentry.htm. This is separate from a park entrance pass, which can be purchased
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