Parking
North access is 2.8 miles west on North Lake McDonald Road at Kelly Camp; south access is 0.2 miles north of Fish Creek Campground. No dedicated parking capacity or shuttle details were confirmed, so arrange a ride or plan to return on foot.
Overview
About Lake McDonald West Shore Trail
Why go
- A mostly level shoreline traverse with views north across the lake
- More shade returns around the Rocky Point cliffs
Heads up
- The point-to-point route requires a pickup or a long return walk
- The peninsula campground stretch has little shade
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Glacier map
Full mapElevation3,179–3,307 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Glacier alert
- ClosureTwo Medicine Campground closed for 2026 constructionTwo Medicine Campground is closed throughout 2026 because of construction in the Two Medicine developed area.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Glacier Tour Guide
Your drive to Lake McDonald West Shore Trail, narrated.
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
Lake McDonald West Shore Trailhead0:00 / 0:22
“Lake McDonald West Shore Trailhead is coming up, the start of a mostly level lakeside walk toward Fish Creek.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Trout Lake Trailhead
- Lake McDonald Lodge
- North Lake McDonald View
- Sperry Trailhead and Chalet
- 204 audio storiesacross Glacier’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Wolverine, Mountain Goat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 157 trails, 91 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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
Hiking Lake McDonald West Shore Trail
A long shore walkLake McDonald West Shore Trail follows the west side of the lake between the north access near…
Lake McDonald West Shore Trail follows the west side of the lake between the north access near Kelly Camp on North Lake McDonald Road and the Fish Creek access. It is a mostly level, 7.1-mile one-way point-to-point walk. Published distances vary from 7.1 to 7.4 miles one way, so plan for roughly seven to seven and a half each way. Allow about three and a half hours in one direction. Walking back the same way makes this a 14- to 15-mile day; arrange a pickup at the far end before you start.
Through the old burnThe northern end begins in woods, then passes through the area burned by the 2003 Moose Fire.
The northern end begins in woods, then passes through the area burned by the 2003 Moose Fire. The shoreline opens up, with views north across the lake. A spur reaches a campground on a peninsula a little over two miles from the north access. The burned section offers little shade, so carry water and plan for sun.
Rocky Point to Fish CreekFarther south, the route reaches the rocky shore cliffs around Rocky Point, where more shade…
Farther south, the route reaches the rocky shore cliffs around Rocky Point, where more shade returns before the Fish Creek end. The named walk finishes at the access just north of Fish Creek Campground. A path continues beyond toward Camas Creek Road; treat that as an extension and add its mileage only if you choose to continue.
Access and rulesThe north access is about 2.
The north access is about 2.8 miles west on North Lake McDonald Road at Kelly Camp; the south access is 0.2 miles north of Fish Creek Campground. Dedicated parking capacity and a shuttle were not confirmed. Pets are prohibited on this trail, and no drinking-water point along the route was confirmed.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Glacier
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.
