Parking
Start at the difficult-to-find roadside pullout east of Going-to-the-Sun Road, about 1.5 miles northeast of Apgar Village. Finish at Sperry Trailhead near Lake McDonald Lodge; arrange a second vehicle or other ride.
Overview
About Snyder Ridge Trail
Why go
- A genuine one-way ridge crossing with Fish Lake late in the walk.
- Creek crossings break up the long forest stretches.
Heads up
- About 12.6 miles one way; arrange transport between the ends.
- Long wooded stretches, rough tread and limited views for much of the route.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Glacier map
Full mapElevation3,150–4,757 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 Ridge 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 area
A Pika's Winter Pantry0:00 / 0:30
“On a high-country walk, a sharp squeak from a pile of broken rock is worth listening for. It may be a pika, a tiny relative of rabbits that lives among Glacier's rocky slopes.”
Plays on the road 0.2 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Fish Creek Picnic Area and Campground
- Rocky Point Trailhead
- Apgar Village
- Apgar Visitor Center
- 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 Ridge Trail
A one-way day, not an out-and-backSnyder Ridge Trail is a 12.
Snyder Ridge Trail is a 12.6-mile point-to-point route from an obscure Going-to-the-Sun Road pullout northeast of Apgar to the Sperry Trailhead by Lake McDonald Lodge. It follows the forested ridge along Lake McDonald’s south and east sides, then joins the Gunsight Pass Trail for the finish. The route gains about 2,800 feet. Allow 8–10 hours for the full traverse and arrange a pickup or second vehicle before setting out. Much of the walk stays under trees, so choose it for the long backcountry crossing and the late Fish Lake stop, not a steady chain of overlooks.
A ridge under the canopyThe climb starts through cedar rainforest stands and continues into lodgepole forest.
The climb starts through cedar rainforest stands and continues into lodgepole forest. The ridge rolls up and down, with few views for long stretches. The route is infrequently maintained; overgrown tread, fallen trees, washouts and route-finding are possible. Its current trail-specific condition has not been confirmed, so check before committing to the full traverse.
Small creeks, then Fish LakeCreek crossings break up the wooded miles.
Creek crossings break up the wooded miles. Fish Lake arrives in the later part of the walk and is a welcome change after the ridge. Spring and early-summer water can be deep, swift and cold, and seasonal bridges are not available year-round. Take time at Fish Lake; it is one of the route’s clearest pauses in an otherwise long forest walk.
Set up both endsThe start is a hard-to-spot pullout on the east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road about 1.
The start is a hard-to-spot pullout on the east side of Going-to-the-Sun Road about 1.5 miles northeast of Apgar Village. The mapped finish is the Sperry Trailhead beside Lake McDonald Lodge. Food, water and restrooms on the route were not documented, so carry what you need. Dogs are not allowed on park trails.
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.
