Medicine Grizzly Lake Trail

Medicine Grizzly Lake Trail is a 12.9-mile out-and-back from Cut Bank Trailhead, about 6.4 miles each way, ending at the lake below Razoredge Mountain. Allow about seven to eight hours with a stop at the shore. The walk is mostly gentle, with a couple of short climbs; the distance and backcountry setting are the real commitment. If you want a high, waterfall-framed lake and have a full day, this one earns its miles. The park's six-mile figure is one way and rounded; the mapped route measures a little over six miles each way.

The trail starts in an open meadow with Bad Marriage Mountain to the south, then settles into a long valley walk beside North Fork Cut Bank Creek. Conifer forest and open parks alternate, with willow flats in the creek valley. The grade is mostly easy, though a couple of short climbs break up the level stretches. The willows are moose habitat, so keep an eye on the edges of the valley without counting on a sighting.

Around four miles in, take the branch toward Medicine Grizzly rather than the route toward Morning Star and Pitamakan. Cross Atlantic Creek and pass its backcountry campground. At the next junction, take the lake branch instead of continuing uphill toward Triple Divide Pass. Those forks lead to very different days, so check the signs before you keep walking.

Near mile 5.5, the forest opens into a broad meadow and the lake basin comes into view. The trail reaches the lake's northeastern shore below the Continental Divide. Razoredge Mountain rises above the basin, and at least five waterfalls spill down the surrounding cliffs. From the shore, frame the lake with the falls and headwall; from higher ground, the lake sits small in the much larger valley.

A local account links the lake's name to the legendary Medicine Grizzly, a bear from Cut Bank Valley. It says Chance Beebe, a Columbia Falls hunter who became one of Glacier's early rangers, killed it. Nearby Triple Divide Peak is a watershed landmark; the familiar three-ocean description has a wrinkle because hydrologists debate whether Hudson Bay drains chiefly to the Arctic or Atlantic basin.

Start at Cut Bank Trailhead beside Cut Bank Campground. From US 89 between Two Medicine and St. Mary, Cut Bank Road runs about five miles west to a small roadside parking area near the ranger residence; the last stretch is gravel. No food or potable-water stop is documented along this backcountry route. Pets are not allowed on Glacier trails, in the backcountry, or along undeveloped lake shores.