Glacier National Park, MT
A short, mostly level path through the woods to Fish Creek.
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
Fish Creek Picnic Area and Campground“You're nearing Fish Creek, where the day-use picnic area gives you Lake McDonald's rocky shoreline without a hike.”
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
Fish Creek Bike Path is a 1.2-mile one-way walk or ride on a mostly level dirt path from Grist Road to Fish Creek. It runs beneath conifers and makes a useful short forest connection, rather than a viewpoint or lakeshore outing. Walk back the same way for about 2.4 miles round trip.
Allow about 30 minutes each way on foot. The trail is a point-to-point shared-use path, so expect bicycles as well as walkers and plan to retrace the route or arrange a pickup. The surface is an unpaved dirt track, not smooth pavement.
From the Lower McDonald Creek Bridge, continue about 0.25 mile north on Camas Road and turn right for the Grist Road access. The park trail listing does not identify a separate parking lot, so confirm legal parking before leaving a car. Bicycles are allowed; the park charges an entrance fee when you enter by bicycle. Pets are not allowed on this trail.
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
EasyRocky Point Nature Trail1.8 mi · 1.3 hr · 1 mi awayA lakeside loop to Rocky Point and its mountain views.
EasyApgar Bike Path3 mi · 1.2 hr · 1 mi awayFlat, shaded pavement links Apgar Village with Park Headquarters.
ChallengingSnyder Ridge Trail12.6 mi · 9 hr · 1.4 mi awayHard miles in the trees, with Fish Lake waiting near the end.
ChallengingHowe Ridge Trail11.6 mi · 9 hr · 2.1 mi awayA rough ridge traverse where route-finding matters as much as climbing.
ChallengingApgar Lookout Trail7.2 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.7 mi awaySteep switchbacks through the 2003 burn climb to a fire lookout.
EasyBelton Bridge Trail1 mi · 30 min · 2.8 mi awayA level riverside walk to the old entrance bridge.
ChallengingSouth Boundary Trail11.5 mi · 5.3 hr · 3 mi awayFollow the Middle Fork through an old ranger route to Lincoln Creek.
EasyOld Flathead Ranger Station Trail6.9 mi · 3 hr · 3 mi awayA gentle old road leads to the Flathead River confluence.
Lodging · 0.7 mi awayVillage Inn at ApgarA 36-room lakeside inn where every room faces Lake McDonald.
Picnic area · 0.8 mi awayFish Creek Picnic AreaA short stop for Lake McDonald’s rocky shore and picnic tables
Campground · 0.8 mi awayFish Creek CampgroundA wooded west-side base with seasonal showers and Lake McDonald access.
Lodging · 0.8 mi awayApgar Village Lodge & CabinsSleep beside Lake McDonald in cabins or simple motel rooms.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayApgar VillageFood, boats and lake access share the west shore.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayApgar Nature CenterTouch animal pelts and build mountains in a 1929 Apgar cabin.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayApgar Wilderness Permit CenterA practical planning stop before a backcountry overnight trip.
Picnic area · 1.1 mi awayApgar Picnic AreaA shaded picnic stop with Lake McDonald in front.Parkwolf’s Glacier ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
