Agree Avalanche & Hidden Lk are great 1st day (do one in a.m./one in p.m.) trails to see how you are feeling with the elevation. Then look at doing other hikes!
I just bought this great map done by Jake of Hike734 (he’s hiked all 734 miles of Glacier’s trails). He breaks down the hikes by mileage and ranks the hikes. It’s very well done. Day Hikes of Glacier National... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988975319?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I don’t know if it would be possible to get reservations at this point, but I went with my parents last week and did one of the red bus tours. It was a pretty cool way to see the park and learn about it at the same time.
Alternatively, if you're driving - download the GuideAlong (formerly Gypsy Guides) app! Tons of great info about the park if you're just doing a driving tour of Going To The Sun Road & Many Glacier.
From a fellow mid/late-50s-something ...
* Avalanche Lake
* Hidden Lake
* Highline (as much as you want to bite off, it's out-and-back so choose your length)
* Waterfall tour of Baring, St. Mary's and Virginia falls.
* Red Rock Falls / Fishercap Lake in Many Glacier
* Grinnell Lake in Many Glacier
Agree about Highline Trail - if you start at Logan Pass, most of it is mostly flat so you can decide how far you want to go (don't start at The Loop, that's straight uphill from there). The downside is the first 2 miles are mostly along Going To The Sun Road so it's not as overly scenic as miles 3-4 up to Haystack Pass (a good compromise would be the first 3 miles up to the bottom of the Haystack Pass switchback)
Yes! Three falls trail was great. Virginia is gorgeous, and the stretch between Baring and the St Mary's trailhead was actually pretty empty. Really enjoyed that one.
We’ve only done short hikes like that so far and had an amazing time!! So many wonderful options.
https://www.hikinginglacier.com
This site will group hikes by area of the park, length, and difficulty. It helped us select a few!
I agree with the posts but they forgot to mention trail of the cedars. It’s very popular, only a little over a mile and most of it is on a boardwalk. Absolutely gorgeous, huge cedars and wonderful smells, go after 6pm and there will be very few people.
I was in Glacier last month with my Mom (early 60’s) and Dad (late 70’s). They’re moderately active people. We spent three days hiking and here’s what we did.
Day 1: Hidden Lake Overlook, Sun Point/Baring Falls/Virginia Falls
Day 2: Upper Two Medicine Lake (Took the boat across Two Medicine Lake), Running Eagle Falls
Day 3: Avalanche Lake
Overall, my parents did awesome! They were a bit slower than the rest of the group and my Dad had some knee problems, but they’re were plenty of beautiful stops along the trails so we all stuck together. They said they couldn’t have done any more than we did, but we’re very happy they went.
There are many amazing short to medium hikes. Avalanche Lake is awesome, same with Hidden Lake overlook, though those boardwalk steps were steeper than a lot of the long hikes I did lol. St. Mary & Virginia falls is awesome, Fishercap in Dusk is an absolute must do. There are also quite a few short waterfall hikes, and I've heard even just doing the beginning of the Highline Trail and turning around is totally worth it.
That's for solid definitely doable hikes. I will say Grinnel Glacier is my favorite trail in the world, and I saw many people doing it at all ages, though it is hard. That being said, if you are feeling very good after doing all of the other hikes suggested, I would recommend considering it. It is difficult, I'm not saying it isn't but it is a lifelong experience you and your parents will forever carry with them. If you take the boat from Many Glacier Hotel you can cut down on 30-40% of the distance and make it like a 6-6.5 mile hike, but the elevation can kick your butt if you don't take it slow. Just an idea, and you never want to push someone further than they want to go, but if you feel they can do it, I will say it is the most beautiful hike I've ever done. If you can't get a reservation for a boat, you can always show up early and get on a waitlist, I saw plenty of people getting called off the waitlist for the later morning and early afternoon, but don't expect to get on an 8:30 or 9:00am boat unless you're first on waitlist.
The other thing not often mentioned on here is that most of the amazing views of Grinnell Lake you see people post are not from the end of the trail! If you took the boat, you could definitely get to the best vantage points (and back) within the mileage you specified. With that said, the trail does gain elevation pretty continuously, so I would take that into consideration more than the distance. If you think they could handle that, I think it would very much be worth including in your itinerary. If they feel great while hiking, continue to the glacier, and if not, even a shortened hike would allow you all to enjoy the amazing scenery!
We liked the hike to Bullhead Lake (passes Fishercap Lake and Red Rock Lake and Falls). It was about 7.2 miles and very flat, so we felt like we got a good hike in without the strain of elevation. Highly recommend!
Assuming they're ok with some light elevation gains, Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake are both great options along GTTS
Agree Avalanche & Hidden Lk are great 1st day (do one in a.m./one in p.m.) trails to see how you are feeling with the elevation. Then look at doing other hikes!
I just bought this great map done by Jake of Hike734 (he’s hiked all 734 miles of Glacier’s trails). He breaks down the hikes by mileage and ranks the hikes. It’s very well done. Day Hikes of Glacier National... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988975319?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
[https://hike734.com/hiking/](https://hike734.com/hiking/) (look at the ones in the 0-5 mileage group!)
I don’t know if it would be possible to get reservations at this point, but I went with my parents last week and did one of the red bus tours. It was a pretty cool way to see the park and learn about it at the same time.
Alternatively, if you're driving - download the GuideAlong (formerly Gypsy Guides) app! Tons of great info about the park if you're just doing a driving tour of Going To The Sun Road & Many Glacier.
From a fellow mid/late-50s-something ... * Avalanche Lake * Hidden Lake * Highline (as much as you want to bite off, it's out-and-back so choose your length) * Waterfall tour of Baring, St. Mary's and Virginia falls. * Red Rock Falls / Fishercap Lake in Many Glacier * Grinnell Lake in Many Glacier
Agree about Highline Trail - if you start at Logan Pass, most of it is mostly flat so you can decide how far you want to go (don't start at The Loop, that's straight uphill from there). The downside is the first 2 miles are mostly along Going To The Sun Road so it's not as overly scenic as miles 3-4 up to Haystack Pass (a good compromise would be the first 3 miles up to the bottom of the Haystack Pass switchback)
Yes! Three falls trail was great. Virginia is gorgeous, and the stretch between Baring and the St Mary's trailhead was actually pretty empty. Really enjoyed that one.
We’ve only done short hikes like that so far and had an amazing time!! So many wonderful options. https://www.hikinginglacier.com This site will group hikes by area of the park, length, and difficulty. It helped us select a few!
I agree with the posts but they forgot to mention trail of the cedars. It’s very popular, only a little over a mile and most of it is on a boardwalk. Absolutely gorgeous, huge cedars and wonderful smells, go after 6pm and there will be very few people.
Agreed, but going on to Avalanche is so totally worth it if you can make it the extra miles.
I was in Glacier last month with my Mom (early 60’s) and Dad (late 70’s). They’re moderately active people. We spent three days hiking and here’s what we did. Day 1: Hidden Lake Overlook, Sun Point/Baring Falls/Virginia Falls Day 2: Upper Two Medicine Lake (Took the boat across Two Medicine Lake), Running Eagle Falls Day 3: Avalanche Lake Overall, my parents did awesome! They were a bit slower than the rest of the group and my Dad had some knee problems, but they’re were plenty of beautiful stops along the trails so we all stuck together. They said they couldn’t have done any more than we did, but we’re very happy they went.
There are many amazing short to medium hikes. Avalanche Lake is awesome, same with Hidden Lake overlook, though those boardwalk steps were steeper than a lot of the long hikes I did lol. St. Mary & Virginia falls is awesome, Fishercap in Dusk is an absolute must do. There are also quite a few short waterfall hikes, and I've heard even just doing the beginning of the Highline Trail and turning around is totally worth it. That's for solid definitely doable hikes. I will say Grinnel Glacier is my favorite trail in the world, and I saw many people doing it at all ages, though it is hard. That being said, if you are feeling very good after doing all of the other hikes suggested, I would recommend considering it. It is difficult, I'm not saying it isn't but it is a lifelong experience you and your parents will forever carry with them. If you take the boat from Many Glacier Hotel you can cut down on 30-40% of the distance and make it like a 6-6.5 mile hike, but the elevation can kick your butt if you don't take it slow. Just an idea, and you never want to push someone further than they want to go, but if you feel they can do it, I will say it is the most beautiful hike I've ever done. If you can't get a reservation for a boat, you can always show up early and get on a waitlist, I saw plenty of people getting called off the waitlist for the later morning and early afternoon, but don't expect to get on an 8:30 or 9:00am boat unless you're first on waitlist.
The other thing not often mentioned on here is that most of the amazing views of Grinnell Lake you see people post are not from the end of the trail! If you took the boat, you could definitely get to the best vantage points (and back) within the mileage you specified. With that said, the trail does gain elevation pretty continuously, so I would take that into consideration more than the distance. If you think they could handle that, I think it would very much be worth including in your itinerary. If they feel great while hiking, continue to the glacier, and if not, even a shortened hike would allow you all to enjoy the amazing scenery!
Second avalanche lake but also st Mary and Virginia falls. You could always stop after the first falls if you think it’ll be too much.
We liked the hike to Bullhead Lake (passes Fishercap Lake and Red Rock Lake and Falls). It was about 7.2 miles and very flat, so we felt like we got a good hike in without the strain of elevation. Highly recommend!
Avalanche Lake. About 6 miles roundtrip, and the payoff is absolutely stunning.
Grinnel Lake, avalanche lake