Glacier National Park, MT
A steep climb to a small meadow on Boulder Ridge.
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
Why the Drivers Are Jammers“If you see one of Glacier's long red tour buses, you're looking at a design from the nineteen thirties. The historic fleet was built between nineteen thirty-six and nineteen thirty-nine.”
Plays on the road 0.3 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
Sherburne Boundary Trail is a 3.1-mile round trip from the Lake Sherburne Dam outlet to a small meadow at the top of Boulder Ridge. The mapped path is about 1.55 miles each way and climbs roughly 960 feet; allow about three hours to go up and return. It suits hikers looking for a hard, steep climb more than a big-view destination: the forested climb has no views, and the ridge-top views are limited.
The approach begins at the outlet side of the dam. Follow its base to the far side, then take the road east and north to the unsigned path heading southeast. Current legal access to this dam-side approach has not been confirmed; check with the park before setting out. This route’s actual start is unsigned, so do not expect a marked trailhead.
The path climbs through dense forest to the park boundary, follows it briefly, then continues south to the ridge meadow. The small meadow is the endpoint; it is not a broad overlook. Turn around there and retrace the same route to the dam.
Pets are not permitted on Glacier National Park trails. Bear spray is advised for this route; no trail-specific water or other facilities were confirmed, so plan to be self-sufficient.
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
ChallengingRed Gap Pass Trail24.3 mi · 16 hr · 5.4 mi awayRed rock and a high pass, earned over a very long hike
ModerateApikuni Falls Trail1.7 mi · 1.5 hr · 5.4 mi awayA steep short climb to a two-tier waterfall above Cracker FlatsChallengingPoia Lake Trail12.8 mi · 7 hr · 5.4 mi awayA ridge climb ends at Poia Lake tucked into a rocky basin.
ModerateCracker Lake Trail12.8 mi · 6.5 hr · 6.6 mi awayA long Many Glacier climb to a turquoise lake beneath sheer walls.
ChallengingNorth Circle Loop54.6 mi · 1.7 days · 6.6 mi awaySix-day loop over Ptarmigan Tunnel and Stoney Indian Pass
ChallengingGrinnell Glacier Trail10 mi · 6 hr · 7.1 mi awayA hard climb to an alpine lake beneath a shrinking glacier.
EasySwiftcurrent Lake Trail2.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 7.1 mi awayAn easy lake loop with mountain and historic lodge views.
EasyLake Josephine Loop Trail3.4 mi · 2 hr · 7.2 mi awayA mellow lakeside loop, with a beach detour facing Grinnell Falls
Entrance station · 2.7 mi awayMany Glacier Entrance StationThe entry to Many Glacier’s meeting of four major valleys.
Sight · 5.6 mi awayApikuni FallsA steep climb to a waterfall beneath Mount Altyn.
Sight · 6.4 mi awaySwiftcurrent FallsA tiered cascade with a tricky close approach and Mount Grinnell behind.
Campground · 6.5 mi awaySt. Mary CampgroundAn open hillside camp with wide St. Mary Lake views.
Lodging · 6.6 mi awayMany Glacier HotelHistoric hotel with a double-helix lobby stair beside Swiftcurrent Lake.
Visitor center · 6.9 mi awaySt. Mary Visitor CenterAn east-gate stop for ranger advice, exhibits, water, and the shuttle.
Entrance station · 6.9 mi awaySt. Mary Entrance StationGet your park pass sorted before you head west.
Ranger station · 7.3 mi awayMany Glacier Ranger StationGet local help before heading into Glacier’s backcountry.Parkwolf’s Glacier ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
