Best Backpacking Trips in Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park offers some of the most incredibly beautiful scenery in the country and backpacking is the best way to immerse yourself in the deep valleys and wildflower filled meadows and enjoy the endless lakes, waterfalls, towering rock walls and panoramic ridge trails. We rounded up five of our favorite backpacking trails in Montana’s Glacier National Park.
Cracker Lake
Cracker Lake has to be one of the prettiest lakes in the country, if not the entire world. The lake is located at the end of a gorgeous canyon and luckily enough, it is home to three backcountry campsites. The dazzling turquoise lake is the kind of destination that makes your heart skip a beat upon first glance. The trek to the lake is 12.4 miles round trip with 1,565 feet of elevation gain. The distance, moderate difficulty and beauty make it a perfect overnight backpacking trip for those who score coveted permits. The trail leads through densely wooded forest and alongside creeks to a gorgeous basin bursting with aqua blue waters, lush meadows, a glacier and a backdrop of granite walls that tower 4000 feet above the lake.
Highline Trail
The Highline is the trail Glacier National Park is most well-known for. The most popular section of trail runs from Logan Pass on the Continental Divide past the Grinnell Glacier Overlook Trail to Granite Park Chalet. This section can be backpacked over two days, staying the night at the Granite Park Chalet or campsite and completing the hike at Loop Trailhead. This is a 15 mile point to point trip with 2,500 feet of elevation gain which requires shuttling back to your starting point and vehicle. The trip can be extended to add a loop up to Fifty Mountain campsite which makes the trip 31 miles with 5,280 feet of elevation gain. An iconic trail that is worth exploring over multiple days instead of just a day hike!
Getty Images | Kelly van Dellen
North Circle
The North Circle Loop is a longer backpacking route that offers panoramic views of glacier carved valleys and a dozen dazzling lakes. The trip is 50 miles with 10,700 feet of elevation gain and is best completed over 5-6 days. Many sections of this loop are much less travelled and offer more solitude than popular day hiking trails in the park. The trail sets off from the Many Glacier area following Ptarmigan Trail to Stoney Indian Pass Trail to Waterton Valley Traill and Highline Trail before heading back to the trailhead on the Swift Current Pass Trail. An extended variation can be completed starting and ending from Logan Pass forming a lollipop shaped route.
Gunsight Pass
Gunsight pass can be completed as a point to point backpacking trip from Lake McDonald to the Jackson Glacier Overlook or as an out and back trip from Lake McDonald to Lake Ellen Wilson. Both routes are 20 miles with ~5,800 feet of climbing. The point to point route visits both Lake Ellen Wilson and Gunsight Lake but requires taking a shuttle at the end of the trip. Either trip can be completed overnight or enjoyed over 2-3 nights at multiple campsites along the trail. The trail features towering peaks, turquoise lakes, lush meadows and sweeping views from the pass. A quintessential Glacier backpacking trip!
Boulder Pass
This beautiful and remote out and back backpacking trip traverses through northern Glacier. The route follows the shoreline of Kintla Lake and Upper Kintla Lake before climbing up the west side of Boulder Pass to majestic views of some of the wildest areas in the park and the country. The trip is 32 miles with 4,730 feet of elevation but can be extended to include Hole in the Wall and Brown Pass. Boulder Pass can also be completed on a horseshoe shaped point to point hike from Kintla Lakes to Bowman Lake, although this route requires more logistics.