Parking
Use the Coal Creek access on the south side of US 2 between mile markers 169 and 170. An old dirt road leads toward the Middle Fork; park without blocking the road or railroad access.
Overview
About Coal Creek Trail
Why go
- Remote creek valley with a documented Mount Saint Nicholas view
- Connects the US 2 access to upper wilderness routes
Heads up
- Repeated unbridged fords make water level a critical factor
- Long, brushy backcountry route with sparse maintenance
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Glacier map
Full mapElevation3,494–5,469 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 Coal Creek Trail, 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 area
When the Valley Is Colder0:00 / 0:34
“A valley can be colder than the slopes above it, especially after a clear, calm night. The ground loses heat, cooling the air touching it.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- How a River Drills a Pothole
- When a Lake Mixes from Top to Bottom
- A Nest Behind the Waterfall
- The Insect That Dents the Water
- 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 Coal Creek Trail
What this route isCoal Creek Trail is a 15-mile point-to-point wilderness route from the US 2 access, through…
Coal Creek Trail is a 15-mile point-to-point wilderness route from the US 2 access, through Coal Creek valley, to the upper backcountry trail network. It gains about 2,700 feet and drops about 600. Plan around 12 hours on foot, or split the route into a backcountry overnight. This is a hard, remote trail, not a quick day hike. It does not return to the highway: from the upper junction you need to continue on another route or retrace the full distance.
Start at the riverThe route begins with a ford of the Middle Fork Flathead River, then enters Coal Creek's valley.
The route begins with a ford of the Middle Fork Flathead River, then enters Coal Creek's valley. The river crossing is unbridged, and the trail keeps crossing Coal Creek as it climbs. The valley floor keeps the grade manageable for stretches, but wet crossings and long distance make the day much harder than the elevation profile alone suggests.
A cabin and a mountain viewThe route passes Coal Creek Campground and the old Coal Creek Patrol Cabin, a useful landmark…
The route passes Coal Creek Campground and the old Coal Creek Patrol Cabin, a useful landmark in this remote valley. Talus slopes near the campground open a view of Mount Saint Nicholas above the trees. If you stop for a photo, keep some of the conifers in the frame; they give the peak a sense of scale.
Fords and brush set the termsThere are at least five significant Coal Creek fords before the campground, with many more…
There are at least five significant Coal Creek fords before the campground, with many more farther along. The lower valley is brushy, and some stretches have sparse maintenance and old trail markers. Early-season snowmelt can make crossings deep, swift, and cold. If you can't find a safe crossing, turn back.
A shorter option and backcountry rulesCoal Creek Campground is about 5.
Coal Creek Campground is about 5.7 miles from the US 2 access, making it a clear turnaround for an 11.4-mile out-and-back. That still includes the Middle Fork ford and several creek crossings. Overnight camping in Glacier requires a wilderness permit; the Nyack/Coal Creek zone has designated and at-large camping under park rules. Dogs are not permitted on Glacier trails or in the backcountry.
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.
