Grinnell Glacier Trail

On our family trip to Glacier National Park, we planned one big family hike during the day we were at Many Glacier. This area of the park is accessed from the east side of the park. Outside of the park things are much more rural than over on the west side, which has much more in the way of hotels, campgrounds, restaurants and amusement. On the east side, the land immediately becomes prairie and it is sparse.

Amanda booked us a little cabin which was a bit of a chance as it wasn't yet finished when we made the reservation in the spring. But it was done only a few weeks before our trip and was a very cute, very new place to stay. It was also only 10 minutes from the Many Glacier entrance which was a nice change from the longer drive we dealt with on the west side. The morning started off great when a big black bear crossed in front of us on the way in. Many Glacier requires road reservations like Going-to-the-Sun, but whereas GTTS reservations are good for three days, Many Glacier road reservations are only good for one. And we actually weren't able to get it on the day we planned to go. Luckily, if you have other reservations (boat/horse/lodging) that also allows you access to the road. So we book a boat tour which served multiple purposes. It got us into Many Glacier, it provided enjoyment on its own and it also cut 2.5 miles off our hike.

We would actually take two separate boats (with a 1/4 hike between them) over two lakes (Swiftcurrent and Josephine). The first boat wasn't until 11 which gave us plenty of time to get into the park and check out the fancy Many Glacier Hotel. But it also meant we'd be hiking at midday and it would be another hot one. As we began to climb, the trail offered little shade and the thermometer was reading 85 degrees. Unlike my Gunsight Pass Trail hike where I enjoyed a lot of solitude, we knew this one would be a different story. There were tons of people on this hike, and unlike here in New England where the forest gives the illusion of solitude, out there in the open expanse you could see people all along the trail.

Being midday there were just as many people coming down as up but it wasn't an issue. Everyone was in good spirits and the trail climbed very easily throughout with few steep or technical sections. It was mostly an easy dirt path. My daughter pushed on ahead while my wife was behind going at her own pace. On another hike I'd have wanted us to stick close together (being bear country and all) but with a hike this congested the danger felt minimal. The view is spectacular throughout, just getting better and better as you climb. Animal sightings were mostly relegated to squirrels and chipmunks, though we did briefly spy big horn sheep high up on the hillside through our binoculars.

After 3.8 miles we reached Upper Grinnell Lake and Grinnell Glacier. Truly unlike any other place I've been. Large (or I guess small depending on your perspective) chunks of ice floated in the lake while waterfalls lined the cliffs on the far side. That water was cold. People were relaxing and picnicking everywhere and a few brave souls ventured in for a quick dunk. I didn't because, uh, I was wearing my kilt and it would have been heavy had it gotten waterlogged. Yeah, that's it.

After a half hour or so, it was time to leave. We had a boat to catch. The nice thing about the boat reservation is that it entitles you to one trip each way, so you can go off and hike and then take a later boat. The last one being at 5 PM. I had a feeling there would be a line but the boat folks assure everyone that they'll take as many trips as necessary to bring everyone back. Still, I'm an antsy man and the line was pretty deep when we arrived. Ultimately Amanda decided to wait with Ezri's bag and Ezri and I jogged the trail back to the hotel. I was surprised Ezri wanted to run. And it was going well until she tripped and got laid out. Always a danger when you trail run - this was her first digger and she got pretty bloodied but she bore it well. We cleaned her up in the lake, cleaned her up some more in the hotel and Amanda arrived not long after showing us that patience arrives not long after impatience. We enjoyed a fancy dinner in the hotel (marred by the amount of flies that swarmed during our meal - gross. But a common occurrence we would find in these old buildings) and then returned to our cabin. A great day, though Ezri's wounds would annoy her for the rest of the trip.