Glacier National Park, MT
A remote 25-mile return through forest to Grace Lake
Overview
This is a remote out-and-back on the Logging Lake Trail from Inside North Fork Road to Grace Lake. The mapped route is about 12.4 miles each way, or 24.9 miles round trip, through long stretches of forest to two quiet lakes. Choose it if you want a serious North Fork walk and can handle a full day on your feet; allow about 11 to 12 hours with stops. An overnight can make more sense. For a shorter taste, turn around at the foot of Logging Lake for about 8.8 miles round trip.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?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
Logging Creek and Logging Lake“Up ahead is the Logging Creek area, with a seven-site primitive campground and the trail access for Logging Lake. The campground has no drinking water, and RVs and trailers aren’t permitted.”
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
The trail climbs to a forested plateau, then stays fairly level for several miles. Logging Creek appears below the trail now and then. A patch burned in the mid-2000s opens a view toward the Livingston Range; otherwise, the early miles are mostly about the old conifers and the quiet of the North Fork.
At 4.4 miles you reach the foot of Logging Lake. The trail follows its north shore through dense forest toward the far end. Near mile 4.9, a short spur leads about a third of a mile to the Logging Lake Patrol Cabin, built in 1930 and still used by backcountry rangers. Another short spur near mile 5 reaches the Logging Lake Foot Campground; it is about a third of a mile off the main trail and offers one of the best looks across the lake. That lakeshore is the best place to pause for the mountain reflections.
Adair Campground is around mile 9.8, the head of Logging Lake around mile 11.4, and the Grace Lake area around mile 12.4. These are backcountry sites, not roadside stops. If you plan to stay overnight, you need a wilderness camping permit; check the current reservation process before you build your itinerary. Turn back on the same trail for the return.
The trailhead is on the Inside North Fork Road, about seven road miles south of Polebridge Ranger Station. This is a remote gravel-road approach, so check current road conditions before leaving. Pets are not allowed on Glacier trails. Restrooms and potable water at the trailhead were not confirmed in the information available, so do not plan around finding either there.
The mapped line here ends in the Grace Lake area. Some descriptions continue about another mile to the head of Grace Lake; that adds roughly two miles to the round trip, so be clear about your turnaround before you start.
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
ModerateLogging Lake Trail8.8 mi · 4.5 hr · At the trailheadA gentle forest walk to a remote lake beneath mountain peaks.
ChallengingQuartz Creek Trail13.8 mi · 6 hr · 2.4 mi awayA long forest walk to Lower Quartz Lake and back.
EasyHidden Meadow Trail3 mi · 1.6 hr · 4.3 mi awayA young forest walk that opens at a homestead pond.
EasyForest and Fire Nature Trail1.1 mi · 45 min · 5.9 mi awayA short loop through the forest growing back after fire.
ChallengingDutch Lakes Trail18.8 mi · 11 hr · 6.4 mi awayA long, rough route to a remote alpine basin.
EasyCovey Meadow Loop Trail1.6 mi · 45 min · 6.6 mi awayA short meadow loop with Livingston Range views and homestead history.
ChallengingQuartz Lake Loop Trail13.1 mi · 7.5 hr · 8.9 mi awayThree secluded lakes, a high ridge, and a full day on foot.
ChallengingBrown Pass Trail via Bowman Lake27.6 mi · 13 hr · 9 mi awayA long lakeshore walk climbs to open views at Brown Pass.
Campground · 0.1 mi awayLogging Creek CampgroundSeven primitive creekside sites near the Logging Lake trail.
Campground · 2.1 mi awayQuartz Creek CampgroundA primitive North Fork base camp near the Lower Quartz Lake trail.
Store · 6.2 mi awayPolebridge Mercantile & BakeryA 1914 North Fork mercantile with huckleberry bear claws.
Ranger station · 7.1 mi awayPolebridge Ranger StationRanger advice and boat checks before you head into the North Fork.
Sight · 9 mi awayBowman LakeA broad mountain lake reached by a slow North Fork backroad.
Campground · 9 mi awayBowman Lake CampgroundA pine-shaded lake base, if you can handle the long, rough road.Parkwolf’s Glacier ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
