Glacier National Park, MT
A remote lake walk reached by an unbridged 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 Lobby Was a Nature Classroom“Glacier's early nature guides brought the outdoors into hotel lobbies, with displays of cut flowers.”
Plays on the road 0.6 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
Harrison Lake Trail is a 9.8-mile out-and-back from the Lincoln Creek/Harrison Lake north-bank start to the foot of the lake. The mapped South Boundary and Harrison Creek corridor runs about 4.9 miles each way and climbs roughly 400 feet. This route stops at the lake foot; the longer West Glacier approach and the separate short crossing approach are different starts with different mileage.
The U.S. 2 access requires reaching the north-bank trail by an unbridged ford of the Middle Fork Flathead. Get the current National Park Service ford map before setting out, and do not cross if water is swift or too deep. The ford approach is not drawn in the route or included in the 9.8-mile trail distance, so allow extra time and distance for it.
The path follows the creek through a wooded backcountry valley, gradually climbing toward Harrison Lake. At the lake, Mount Jackson and Blackfoot Mountain rise above the valley; Harrison Glacier on Mount Jackson's southeast face feeds the lake. The trail's remote setting and the lake are the payoff for a long day out.
This route ends where the trail reaches the foot of the lake. A backcountry campground lies about two miles farther along the north shore; the established tread fades roughly half a mile beyond it, and travel farther toward the lake's head becomes a bushwhack. Pets are not allowed on Glacier trails or in the backcountry.
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
ModerateLincoln Creek Trail6.7 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA remote creek connector with three fords and open burn views.
ChallengingNyack Creek Trail18.3 mi · 14 hr · 4 mi awayAn 18-mile backcountry corridor with serious river crossings.
ChallengingLoneman Lookout Trail14.8 mi · 9 hr · 4.7 mi awayTwo fords, a burn shelf, and a rarely seen lookout above Nyack.ChallengingNyack Creek–Coal Creek Loop42.4 mi · 1.3 days · 4.7 mi awayA rough 42-mile loop over Surprise Pass with repeated river fords.
ChallengingSouth Boundary Trail11.5 mi · 5.3 hr · 5.5 mi awayFollow the Middle Fork through an old ranger route to Lincoln Creek.
EasyBelton Bridge Trail1 mi · 30 min · 6 mi awayA level riverside walk to the old entrance bridge.
ChallengingSnyder Ridge Trail12.6 mi · 9 hr · 6.1 mi awayHard miles in the trees, with Fish Lake waiting near the end.
EasyApgar Bike Path3 mi · 1.2 hr · 7 mi awayFlat, shaded pavement links Apgar Village with Park Headquarters.
Lodging · 5.8 mi awayBelton ChaletA 1910 railway chalet still serving dinner beneath its timber gables.
Sight · 5.9 mi awayHistoric Belton DepotA 1910 rail depot turned bookstore, with park passport stamps.
Campground · 6.4 mi awayApgar CampgroundSleep in the pines, then walk to Lake McDonald for sunset.
Entrance station · 6.4 mi awayWest Entrance StationA CCC-built 1941 checkpoint with a distinctive rustic tollbooth design.
Picnic area · 6.4 mi awayApgar Picnic AreaA shaded picnic stop with Lake McDonald in front.
Visitor center · 6.7 mi awayApgar Visitor CenterSort out your west-side plan, then hop on the park shuttle.
Sight · 6.9 mi awayApgar Nature CenterTouch animal pelts and build mountains in a 1929 Apgar cabin.
Sight · 7 mi awayRocky PointA short shore walk opens broad views across Lake McDonald.Parkwolf’s Glacier ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
