Glacier National Park, MT
A remote traverse with long climbs and a serious river ford.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Glacier Tour Guide
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 Colder“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 0.5 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Coal–Fielding is a one-way point-to-point backcountry traverse from Coal Creek to the park boundary at Fielding. The mapped route is 21.4 miles; it connects five drainages and gains more than 5,000 feet. There is no loop, so arrange transport at both ends and budget roughly 12–14 or more hours for a very long day. Published distance estimates range from about 17 miles to over 23; the line here follows the full connected Coal–Fielding corridor.
Coal Creek access is along US 2 east of West Glacier. The approach reaches the Middle Fork before the trail continues on the park side. Finish at Fielding and arrange a separate pickup. The marked Fielding approach is described across private property and railroad tracks; follow current park access directions and do not improvise a shortcut.
The Middle Fork ford can be extremely dangerous in spring, and safe timing varies with snowpack. At least four more creek crossings are reported along the traverse, and some sections are poorly maintained. Do not cross if water is unsafe. Check current park status and water conditions before setting out.
The trail links the Bear, Ole, Park, Muir and Coal drainages, climbing over saddles between creek valleys. Open, burned slopes around Coal contrast with wooded sections near Muir and lodgepole forest with intermittent views toward Fielding.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ChallengingCoal Creek Trail15 mi · 12 hr · 0.1 mi awayA remote, ford-heavy route through Coal Creek's backcountry.
ChallengingLoneman Lookout Trail14.8 mi · 9 hr · 4 mi awayTwo fords, a burn shelf, and a rarely seen lookout above Nyack.
ChallengingNyack Creek–Coal Creek Loop42.4 mi · 1.3 days · 4 mi awayA rough 42-mile loop over Surprise Pass with repeated river fords.ChallengingNyack Creek Trail18.3 mi · 14 hr · 4.4 mi awayAn 18-mile backcountry corridor with serious river crossings.
ModerateHarrison Lake Trail9.8 mi · 6.5 hr · 8.3 mi awayA remote lake walk reached by an unbridged river ford.
ModerateMartha's Basin Trail4.4 mi · 3 hr · 8.7 mi awayTwo alpine lakes reward a serious backcountry approach.
ModeratePark Creek Trail11.5 mi · 7 hr · 8.8 mi awayA gradual creekside route into Glacier’s remote Park Creek valley.
ModerateLincoln Creek Trail6.7 mi · 4.5 hr · 9.6 mi awayA remote creek connector with three fords and open burn views.Parkwolf’s Glacier ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
