Glacier National Park, MT
A 114-mile pass-to-border traverse over the Continental Divide.
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 trailhead
Marias Pass and Three Bears Lake“You’re approaching Summit Trailhead at Marias Pass, where a short out-and-back to Three Bears Lake is the simplest walking option.”
Plays as you drive up to this 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
This is the Glacier National Park section of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail: a 114-mile, one-way route from Marias Pass north to the Goat Haunt/Waterton Lakes boundary. The mapped line measures about 114.16 miles; many descriptions round the corridor to roughly 110 miles. It crosses Two Medicine, St. Mary and Many Glacier country. Plan on a multi-night backpacking trip, roughly eight to ten days at a steady pace, rather than a day hike.
From Marias Pass the route climbs through Firebrand Pass and Two Medicine, then links the park’s St. Mary and Many Glacier valleys over high Continental Divide passes, including Triple Divide and Swiftcurrent. Expect a long point-to-point traverse with substantial climbing and changing trail and connector sections. This record follows the Waterton/Goat Haunt end of the route. Glacier also recognizes a distinct Chief Mountain alternate that meets the main line near Many Glacier; it is not included in these miles.
Overnight travel in Glacier requires a wilderness permit, and campers must use designated backcountry sites. Plan the permitted campsites before locking in daily mileage or transport. The route does not return to its start: begin at Marias Pass on US 2 and arrange a pickup or shuttle for the northern end. Confirm border access requirements for the direction you plan to travel.
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
ModerateAutumn Creek Trail8.6 mi · 4.5 hr · At the trailheadA wooded traverse past Three Bears Lake to the Lubec access.
ChallengingElk Mountain Trail6.8 mi · 6.5 hr · 4.9 mi awayA punishing climb to an old lookout site above Marias Pass.
ChallengingFirebrand Pass Trail10.2 mi · 7 hr · 5 mi awayA long climb to big views over remote Ole Creek country.
ChallengingOle Creek Trail25 mi · 16 hr · 5 mi awayCross Firebrand Pass into Ole Creek's remote mountain valley.
EasyGoat Lick Overlook Trail0.2 mi · 20 min · 11 mi awayA short paved walk to mountain-goat country above the river.
ChallengingCobalt Lake Trail11.6 mi · 7 hr · 11.3 mi awayWaterfalls and beaver ponds lead to a high alpine lake.
ChallengingTwo Medicine Pass Trail16 mi · 10 hr · 11.3 mi awayA long climb from waterfalls and lake into a windy alpine pass.
EasyParadise Point Trail1.2 mi · 45 min · 11.3 mi awayA short forest walk to a small beach on Two Medicine Lake.Parkwolf’s Glacier ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
