Parking
Apgar Village has several path entrances and auto parking. Start at the Apgar Visitor Center end to match the mapped 1.5-mile one-way distance.
Overview
About Apgar Bike Path
Why go
- Paved, level and mostly shaded
- Works for a walk or bike ride
Heads up
- Most of the route is a wooded connector; the Oxbow spur is the main view
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Glacier map
Full mapElevation3,205–3,251 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Glacier Tour Guide
Your drive to Apgar Bike Path, 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 trailhead
Apgar Village0:00 / 0:33
“You’re coming up on Apgar Village, a handy place to combine Lake McDonald’s shoreline with a meal or a break. Walk to the public beach for the lake and mountain view, or rent a boat if you want more time on the water.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Apgar Visitor Center
- How Ice Sharpens a Skyline
- A Forest Growing on a Fallen Tree
- Fish Creek Picnic Area and Campground
- 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Apgar Bike Path
An easy Apgar outingApgar Bike Path is the paved, nearly level shared-use route between Apgar Village and the Park…
Apgar Bike Path is the paved, nearly level shared-use route between Apgar Village and the Park Headquarters end in West Glacier. The mapped stretch is 1.5 miles one way, so plan for 3 miles out and back from the Apgar Visitor Center end. There are several entrances in the village; starting by the visitor center matches this distance. Milo Apgar came to Lake McDonald in the 1890s intending to farm, then joined other homesteaders in serving tourists when that proved a better livelihood.
Share the path and watch the crossingsThe path is shaded and easy underfoot, but it crosses Going-to-the-Sun Road, so stop and check…
The path is shaded and easy underfoot, but it crosses Going-to-the-Sun Road, so stop and check for traffic at each crossing. Walkers and bicycles share the pavement. Leashed dogs are allowed when the Apgar–West Glacier path is free of snow. A seasonal restroom is at the trailhead, with coffee, a convenience store and a restaurant back in Apgar Village.
Add the Oxbow spurA roughly 50-yard spur reaches an overlook of a broad bend in McDonald Creek.
A roughly 50-yard spur reaches an overlook of a broad bend in McDonald Creek. It is the route’s main view, but the detour is optional and not included in the 3-mile figure. The rest of the walk is a straightforward wooded connector.
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.
