Parking
Use Lake McDonald Lodge parking, across Going-to-the-Sun Road from Sperry Trailhead. Cross at the marked crosswalk and follow the path past the horse concession; parking can be tight during busy periods.
Overview
About Snyder Lakes Trail
Why go
- The climb changes from old forest to burn openings, talus, and meadows.
- Lower Snyder Lake sits in a dramatic mountain basin beneath Little Matterhorn.
Heads up
- A long uphill approach with more than 2,100 feet of climbing.
- The patchy burn has less shade and more sun exposure.
Snyder Lakes Trail is an 8.6-mile out-and-back from Sperry Trailhead to Lower Snyder Lake and back, with about 2,147 feet of climbing. Allow roughly five to six hours. It’s a moderate hike by trail rating, but the distance and steady climb make it a full day. The payoff is a lake tucked under Little Matterhorn, Mount Brown, and Edwards Mountain. Park near Lake McDonald Lodge, cross Going-to-the-Sun Road at the marked crosswalk, and follow the path past the horse concession to Sperry Trailhead; parking can be tight in busy periods. Leave pets behind: Glacier doesn’t allow them on trails.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Glacier map
Full mapElevation3,330–5,302 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 Snyder Lakes 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
Sperry Trailhead and Chalet0:00 / 0:31
“You're approaching Sperry Trailhead, across the road from Lake McDonald Lodge, where the long climb to Sperry Chalet begins.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Lake McDonald Lodge
- North Lake McDonald View
- Sprague Creek Picnic Area and Campground
- Johns Lake Loop Trailhead
- 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 Snyder Lakes Trail
Start through the burnThe trail climbs through western hemlock, red cedar, and larch, with short steeper pitches.
The trail climbs through western hemlock, red cedar, and larch, with short steeper pitches. Around a mile in, it enters the patchy burn left by the 2017 Sprague Fire. The open sections give you looks back toward Howe Ridge above Lake McDonald, but they also mean less shade and more sun.
Take the Snyder branchAt about 1.6 miles, turn left at the Mount Brown junction onto Snyder Lake Trail.
At about 1.6 miles, turn left at the Mount Brown junction onto Snyder Lake Trail. It follows Snyder Creek through dense vegetation, then climbs toward a talus slope below Mount Brown. Above the rocks, the trees thin into meadows; Little Matterhorn fills the end of the valley. The route has some ups and downs, so the return is not a straight downhill cruise.
Lower Snyder LakeA short descent brings you to the lake’s west shore, reached by a footbridge over Snyder Creek.
A short descent brings you to the lake’s west shore, reached by a footbridge over Snyder Creek. The maintained trail ends here. Lower Snyder sits below a high rocky basin, with Little Matterhorn ahead and waterfalls tracing the surrounding cliffs. Take a moment at the shore: framing the water with the mountain face gives the lake its sense of scale. Upper Snyder Lake is a separate off-trail scramble through brush and talus, not part of this hike.
The Snyder nameThe lake and creek are named for George Snyder, an early Lake McDonald hotelier.
The lake and creek are named for George Snyder, an early Lake McDonald hotelier. In 1895 he built a two-story hotel where Lake McDonald Lodge now stands and brought a 40-foot steamboat to the lake to carry visitors up to it. The trail’s start sits near that old lodge site, then quickly trades the lakeshore for a long climb into the basin.
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.
