I’m in for a full day hike in Glacier National Park

Last Updated on September 10, 2023 by

As previously discussed, there are over 700 miles of trails within the park, many of them full day or longer. Sadly, many of the highly rated full day trails also start out from Many Glacier (remember the two and a half to three hour drive?). Actually, we had determined to hike Grinnell Glacier and just deal with the drive when I happened to check the trail status before we went to bed. CLOSED – GRIZZLY ACTIVITY. Once again, planning and patience. Fortunately, we had two other full day hikes planned, Siyeh Pass and Highline Trail, so we just adjusted schedule and soldiered on. For my money, either of these two trails will provide a great full day hike, and although Highline will likely be crowded at the outset, Rule #1 (the average tourist rarely ventures beyond 1/2 mile) still applies.

When you come off of either of these trails, you will definitely have earned your food for the day. And really, isn’t that the reason we hike at our age? Why not treat yourself to a little wine and possibly some BBQ from White Raven Winery? White Raven Winery is absolutely one of my favorite places in west Glacier. There aren’t enough good things to say about this little hole in the wall in Columbia Falls. The owner is one of the nicest people you will ever meet with all the time in the world to tell you about not just his wine, but wine in general. They also have live music regularly. While we were there, we had the chance to see Miller Campbell. She was even better than the wine (even if her genre is country)! Hard to believe a Grammy nominated artist was playing before an audience of 10 in a hole in the wall winery. Such is the insanity of COVID.

Siyeh Pass

This may be one of my favorite trails in any national park so far. It was long for us, but again, it had all of the elements of a great day. You are already at 5800 feet before you begin and you are right in the heart of the glacial range. The guidebook says this trail is an excellent alternative for those who don’t want to brave the Highline trail.

We started off the day early (as usual) and were rewarded with broody landscape as the clouds moved through the mountains on the climb up to Logan Pass. Pretty striking show. When we finally arrived at the parking pull off for the trail and got out of the car, the cold hit me right in the face. To say it was brisk is an understatement. People may look at us a little crazy with the size of pack we carry, but layers are a necessity out here. Definitely a good wakeup call after being in the car for an hour and a half.

Much like Yellowstone, you have a bit of a drive to get anywhere in the park. Coolest thing we saw so far this morning – The view winding up the mountain to Logan Pass. By coming up the mountain in the dark, you get the full view of the headlights from the cars below as they also come up the mountain. Up until now, I didn’t really have any perspective on how far up we had climbed and how amazing the Army Corp of Engineers was in the building of the Going to the Sun Road. It took 20 years. Amazing!

You start out this hike with a pretty steady climb through forest with some fantastic views of Piegan Glacier. From there you eventually end up in a meadow with commanding views of Going-to-the-Sun Mountain and Matahpi Peak. Then the hard works begins with a steep ascent along the ridgeline of Matahpi to get to Siyeh Pass.

Amazing views of the glaciers. They looked like you could reach right out and touch them. Though I had been thinking there were way more glaciers out here than advertised, I finally read a placard that glaciers have to be a certain size to be considered a glacier. ”While there is no global standard for what size a body of ice must be to be considered a glacier, USGS scientists in Glacier National Park use the commonly accepted guideline of 0.1 square kilometers (about 25 acres) as the minimum size of a glacier’. That being said, I had to remind myself to stop and look around to take it all in. If you don’t look backward, you miss 50% of the show. Pine forest, glaciers, meadows, streams, ponds and lakes – what more could you want?

The only ‘complaint’ I have about this trail is that it is point to point – like so many others in the park. It makes your turnaround point somewhat arbitrary, but in the end, you simply decide ‘Is this spectacular view spectacular enough?’ That is when you turn around.

If you are confused as to why I am talking about turning around on a point to point trail, it is because the shuttles were not available to us on this hike. So, we could either hike the 14.9 mile trail from Point A to Point B and then figure out how to get back to the car, or execute the aforementioned arbitrary turnaround. For us, it was more happy coincidence than anything else.

Once you reach the first saddle of the pass, you have absolutely incredible views of the valley in one direction, and the rest of mountain range in the other. There is one switchback that has some rocks placed in front of what is obviously another path that we walked past before continuing upwards on the sharp ascent for a couple hundred yards. Once we had decided there was little to be gained by continuing on, we came back to the ‘blocked’ path and walked towards a nice big flat rock that looked perfect to have lunch on. Lo and behold, as soon as we passed over a little tiny rise on path, we came upon a huge portion of the glacier right in front of us that we would never have even noticed had we not ventured onto this path. Like I said, happy coincidence.

Let’s just admit that the turn around point is never really arbitrary. It usually goes something like this, “I can’t go another step or I’m going to die. This spot looks good.” That’s pretty much what happened after I started to climb the shale laden path rising straight up the mountain side with no scenery whatsoever looking up. When I slid on the shale the first time, I was like, “You can dooo it!” With the second slide of shale on that goat path (two steps later), I decided, “Nope, that’s it. Time for tea and treat. That big flat rock down there is perfect.” Once we got back down to it, you get a view of a glacier that you really could reach out and touch.

Though Shawn saw the look in my eyes and said, “No”, quite definitively. My reply? “Are you kidding me? I’m this close to that glacier and you think I’m not going to touch it?” It’s like he doesn’t know me at all. Most interesting thing to notice – glaciers up here are dirty. Not like those pretty blue sheets of ice you see in the media. (It must be true, it’s on the internet.) We also got to watch the clouds move through the pass in the Lewis Mountain Range over Cracker Lake. (Again with the names. Gotta love the NPS). God is good.

Highline Trail

[Side Note – Today in Millennial Insanity – Not really… because this one falls one hundred percent on me. So… Today in Old People Insanity – I have been complaining that my Sirius has been crackling in and out (mostly out) because of the mountain ranges we are driving through in the park. Muttering that I have no radio coverage and my car doesn’t even have a CD player when it finally occurred to me (two weeks in) that I also have AM/FM radio in my car. You may just have to scan a little more to find a station. When did I turn old??? You really shouldn’t let technology beat you. Especially when it comes to the old school stuff. It seems I should have so much to say except that I have been driving with her for the same length of time, complaining about the same problem. Almost thirty years of doing this technical thing for a living and it never occurred to me. It pains me to admit technology has been beating me on a regular basis as of late. Fortunately, staying current is not a requisite for retirement and I can just call my son to do things for me when I decide to completely throw in the towel – possibly as soon as tomorrow. I, on the other hand, was pretty impressed that it finally occurred to me to use the FM even though it took two weeks.]

Back to the day – We got about half way up to Logan Pass and low and behold – a traffic jam. Go figure. There was an old car driving up the pass at about 10-20 miles an hour with his lights off (speed limit is 40). Yes, it was still dark at this point. But, since I now had radio, I was good. Just enjoying some morning tunes with the sun coming up over the mountains. Shawn, on the other hand, almost lost his mind. There are so many pull outs that said gentleman could have slid into and let the rest of us pass him. Alas, he did not. It’s his park, too. Once again, Darwin disappointed as this jack wagon made it safely to Logan Pass. RUDE! But I could feel the crazy waves coming off of Shawn, out of the truck and rolling down to me in the Roo. Messing with his early morning Zen. This was confirmed when we got to the first parking lot to drop my car off and I got into the truck to make the rest of the drive up to the LPVC. Where we caught right back up to Mr. I Don’t Know How Headlights Work. Good thing I was able to join him and calm him down before we got on the trail. Woo saw. Woo saw. A little snack didn’t hurt Betty White either.

This trail is Absolutely Remarkable! There is some information out there suggesting much of the scenery from this trail is also visible from Going to the Sun Road. I’m here to tell you that is patently FALSE. Having driven the road almost a dozen times now, we saw new waterfalls for the first time, entire glaciers we hadn’t noticed, and a view of the valley that simply escapes my limited vocabulary.

To be sure, this trail is pretty hairy at times, and if you are afraid of heights I would consider a pass. (Not me anymore. Thank you Inca Trail.) That’s not easy to say for a guy who thought it was low risk to take his mom rappelling for the first time down a waterfall and nearly drowned her. So if I’m telling you it’s too much, it’s definitely too much.

The first quarter mile is along a cliff face with the path about 3 feet wide and at least a 100 foot straight drop to the bottom. But there’s a rope to hang on to…. I have two theories about the rope – one, it’s there to let you know if you need it now, it’s not too late to turn back because it’s only going to get worse. Two, this is the only spot that would drop you right onto the road, and that’s bad for tourism. I’m leaning toward option 2.

They start out with that rope, but I think it’s just a warning to let you know what you’re getting yourself into because there is no more safety line after that first 100 yards. Sorry Kath, I don’t know if this is a trail for you even though it’s only 11.2 miles long and follows a mountain rim for most of it. This trail has LOTS of little waterfalls cascading over it indiscriminately. Dirt, rock face, it didn’t matter – cascading water ensued. You had to make your way carefully across large, slippery rock slabs. Or fall to your likely demise. We haven’t mentioned it before, but there are a huge slabs of rock everywhere out here. Trails, rivers, you name it. Huge, beautifully colored slabs of rock. Plus, there was frost on everything because we were up so early. Not to mention, you’re right up on the rock face in several areas with very little actual trail. Definitely treacherous. And exhilarating. It was bad enough Shawn having to keep an eye on me. Can you imagine if he had to keep and eye on me and his mom at the same time??!! Retirement might not have looked so good to him.

You have nothing to fear but fear itself. And altitude sickness. And lightning. And falling off the mountain. ~ Anonymous

There are several spots (to me) far more adrenaline inducing than the first quarter mile. Namely, all of the spots you need to cross over an inch or two of running water over slick boulders. There are also several other cliff faces to navigate as the entire trail is cut into the side of the mountain range and never gets wider than 4 or 5 feet. None of this is to dissuade you from hiking the trail, it is more to inform. If you can walk upright without falling, and can put aside your irrational fear, it’s just another trail with some incredible scenery.

I would highly recommend doing the the trail early as it is exposed for it’s entirety, but it is also what allows you to have these incredible views of the range for the duration of your hike. Although one minor note for someone with an old guy bladder – all that exposure makes it extraordinarily difficult to find a pull off spot….. Everybody pees. Good thing I had my sheenus. It also appears that I have much less modesty than Shawn. When you gotta go, you gotta go.

We crested the final hill to the Chalet and entered into somewhat of a level clearing where we had the opportunity to observe a handful of bighorn sheep right up on the path about 50 feet away. Once we got to the chalet, there were 2 mule deer bucks just hanging out about ten feet off the path. Even though we have seen deer and bighorn plenty of times, there is just something about walking up on them with no fence between you. Makes me smile every time.

Forest bathing. Loving it! Though there wasn’t too much forest up here, it was just awesome being out there in God’s great green earth. And the people were pretty notable, too. Always willing to stop and chat and help each other out. With that long of a hike, you end up passing back and forth other couples/groups or end up stopping at the same spot for a breather. We met some interesting people on this hike. Of course, Shawn found the one Boston fan out there. It’s like there’s a magnet or something holding them all together. There was an older couple out with their son. Reminded me of our boy. (Have I said, if anyone wants to join us at anytime, just call. Or drop in. We’re always available and miss you all!) Plus, there are tons of old people out enjoying nature. I’m hoping we’re still out there at 75. That guy looked way younger than his years. Maybe he retired early too.

The Granite Park Chalet (you can read all about it on this link) is very basic and has been in operation since 1915, but if we didn’t have little dog, I would definitely consider a return trip to stay here. (The Granite Chalet is one of only two original back country structures still existing in this park. Neat.) Mostly because I would really like to tackle the 2 mile side trip up to Grinnell Lake. It is simply too steep and too far to add onto the 12 miles for us, but I heard several of the kids at the Chalet raving about it. It was a great stopping point for lunch and one of the very few times we’ve been able to sit down at an actual table which was nice. With no running water, they did gouge me a 15X markup for the bottled water, but considering it has to be hauled up by donkey once a week I really couldn’t complain (much).

Silly me. When the brochure said there was water at the Chalet, I imagined there would be a water spicket up on the top of the mountain that I could fill my water bladder back up with. Anyone who has hiked with us knows that I drink a lot of water on the trail (thus the sheenus). The two little bottles of water didn’t quite get it done on the way down, but that’s another story. We did join one of the young couple of girls we had leap frogged with up the trail at a table for lunch.

Grace and Frankie, who we found out work for the Wyoming CCC. (Okay… their names weren’t really Grace and Frankie. They were Grace and Jackie, but you know that’s how they will be now and forever known in my mind). Wicked cool. This was their one day off. We offered them a ride back up to the Logan Pass VC if they were hiking straight through. They had, coincidentally, been discussing what their next move was as they also did not have shuttle tickets and their car was parked up at the LPVC and didn’t quite know how they were going to get back if they through hiked. Happy circumstances.

The trip down from the Chalet was a grind to be honest. It’s basically four continuous miles of fairly steep descent mostly directly into the sun. We saw quite a few people on their way up and it still shocks me how many people start their hikes in the peak of the heat. None of them looked to be having a particularly enjoyable time except the one dude wearing shoes that should have been retired in 1990 on a 120 mile, 6 day loop. Him, he didn’t look to have a care in the world.

Most interesting dude on the trail by far. He was rail thin, about 6 feet tall, carrying a huge back pack (2x a big as the ones we carry), and yes, sneakers that were literally falling off his feet. We stopped for a minute or so to talk to him (really just an excuse because I was exhausted and needed to rest my knees) and found out he was doing a through hike of the park – 6 days, 72 miles (Shawn was a little off). Like this mornings fox, he was just mosy-ing up the mountain. Not a care in the world. Super impressed. Wished I had taken a picture of him. I told Shawn he should have traded shoes with that guy. He definitely needed them more than we did.

While we were surprised to see the two girls from the Chalet waiting at the parking lot, we happily collected them up and regaled them with stories of our travels while Angela pummeled them with questions about the CCC. Thankfully, not one question on whether or not they were single. (Again with the rude.) There was a moment I thought we were in a Progressive commercial (especially when we started talking about investing) until I realized that we are the parents those people turn into. And yet, I was able to conversate with two twenty somethings for the entire 30 minute car ride back to Logan Pass. Just goes to show, you can find commonality anywhere as long as you’re willing to look for it.

The High Line Trail was certainly the High Light of the park for me so far. It is truly spectacular. The cool thing is there are so many ways to do this trail. If you can’t hike the whole way you can hike 3.2 miles out to Haystack Bluff and back to the Logan Pass visitor center. Many people do it this way and you still get some great views. You can hike 7.4 miles to the Chalet and stay overnight then hike back to the LPVC or continue down to the Loop Trail parking lot (where we parked the Roo). Or you can hike it through like we did. If (when) we make it back this way, we’ll definitely have to hike to the Chalet and stay overnight. This takes a little more planning than we did this time around. But, there is so much more up here than we were able to do. You have the Grinnell Glacier, Many Glaciers area and Swift Current area. That would be super cool to do. And, can you imagine what the stars must be like up there at night? Not to mention the sunrise and sunset out there in that wide open expanse. Amazing.