1 active Glacier alert
- ClosureTwo Medicine Campground closed for 2026 constructionTwo Medicine Campground is closed throughout 2026 because of construction in the Two Medicine developed area.Official details
Overview
About Rocky Point
Why stop
- A short route reaches the rocky Lake McDonald shore
- The fire scar gives the walk a distinct forest story
Heads up
- The rocky shoreline is uneven and close to the water
Map
Where it is
Loading the Glacier map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Glacier Tour Guide
Your drive to Rocky Point, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Glacier National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Glacier audio tourRecorded for this place
Rocky Point Trailhead0:00 / 0:25
“Rocky Point's trailhead is coming up, a good choice for a short hike to Lake McDonald's rocky shore. From this roadside start, the loop is about one point eight miles and takes an hour to an hour and a half.”
Plays as you drive up to Rocky Point in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Fish Creek Picnic Area and Campground
- A Pika's Winter Pantry
- A Forest Growing on a Fallen Tree
- Howe Ridge Trailhead
- 204 audio storiesacross Glacier’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Wolverine, Mountain Goat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 157 trails, 91 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Our first time to glacier and we used the audio portion for Going to the Sun Road. Wonderful information with perfect advice of what to see and do along the road.”
Guide
More about Rocky Point
A quick walk to the lakeRocky Point is a rocky shoreline viewpoint on the west side of Lake McDonald, reached by a…
Rocky Point is a rocky shoreline viewpoint on the west side of Lake McDonald, reached by a short walk near Fish Creek Campground. It’s a good choice if you want to get down to the water without taking on a long hike: the point opens onto the lake and the mountains toward the Sperry Glacier area.
Pick the right starting pointThe short loop from the trailhead near Fish Creek Campground is about 0.
The short loop from the trailhead near Fish Creek Campground is about 0.7 mile, with 224 feet of climbing. The trailhead is on the Inside North Fork Road, and a small gravel lot serves this start. A longer approach from a trailhead farther north is listed at 1.1 miles one way, so check where you’re starting before you head out. The rocky shore is uneven and close to the water; take care as you go down to the lake.
Frame the lake from the pointA short side path leads from the main trail down to the shore on the west side of Rocky Point.
A short side path leads from the main trail down to the shore on the west side of Rocky Point. From there, Lake McDonald stretches toward the northeast with mountains near Sperry Glacier beyond it. For a photo, use the angular rocks as foreground and frame the lake with the ridge behind them; that shows the point itself instead of another open-water view.
A forest recovering from fireThe trail crosses the Roberts Fire burn scar.
The trail crosses the Roberts Fire burn scar. That 2003 fire reshaped this part of the shoreline, and the forest has been growing back among the open stretches. Look for Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, western larch, and ponderosa pine along the walk.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Glacier
404 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
11 sightingsWolverineMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
1,173 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
1,000 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
395 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
506 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Glacier. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
