Grinnell Glacier Viewpoint

Grinnell Glacier Viewpoint is the high-country destination at the end of Grinnell Glacier Trail, above Upper Grinnell Lake in Many Glacier. The lake, glacier ice, and sheer Garden Wall make a distinctive basin. Keep it near the top of your plans if you want a major day hike; this is not a roadside stop.

From Grinnell Glacier Trailhead, plan for about five miles each way. The seasonal concession boat from Many Glacier Hotel crosses Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine, shortening the walk to roughly 3½ to 4 miles each way, but it still leaves a steep climb. Reserve boat seats ahead. In busy periods, hikers report that Many Glacier parking fills early, so an early start helps.

Much of the route is exposed, with little shade, narrow ledges above drop-offs, and a steep moraine climb near the destination. The trailhead has a seasonal restroom. No food service or potable water source was identified along the route; get food and fill water in Many Glacier, then carry what you need for the full hike. Snow, water, and weather conditions change, so check the park’s current trail status before setting out.

Grinnell Lake and Grinnell Falls appear below the trail on the way up. Higher on the moraine, the view opens over Lake Josephine and Sherburne Lake. At the end, Upper Grinnell Lake fills the foreground beneath the glacier and Mount Gould, with the serrated Garden Wall along the rim of the basin.

Upper Grinnell Lake formed between the glacier and its moraine as the ice retreated. The upper ice mass called The Salamander sits above the main Grinnell Glacier, separated from it by a rocky ledge. The glacier has shrunk substantially since early observations.

George Bird Grinnell first visited the area in 1885. He, James W. Schultz, and Lt. J. H. Beacon first visited the glacier in 1887. Both Schultz and Beacon claimed to have named it for Grinnell; a later historical account credited Beacon.

At the basin, keep Upper Grinnell Lake in the foreground and include the glacier high on the Garden Wall; the wide view shows how the ice sits within the cirque. The lower and upper Grinnell ridge viewpoints used for repeat glacier photographs are separate routes, not this trail-end view.

Wildflowers line parts of the trail, and mountain goats and bighorn sheep are sometimes reported on the ledges. Treat wildlife as a possible bonus, not a promise.