Easy Hikes in Glacier National Park

You do not have to be a mountaineer to feel like you have earned the views in Glacier National Park. Some of the park's most jaw-dropping scenery sits at the end of short, gentle trails that families with young kids and casual walkers can finish in an afternoon. Here are seven of the easiest hikes in Glacier, with honest notes on distance, terrain, and when each one actually melts out.

Trail of the Cedars

This is the gentlest real hike in the park and the perfect warm-up. The Trail of the Cedars is a flat 0.9-mile loop along a boardwalk and paved path through an ancient western red cedar and hemlock grove near Avalanche Creek. It is fully wheelchair and stroller accessible, and the gorge where Avalanche Creek pours through pink Belt rock is a highlight. It usually opens by mid to late May, well before the high country.

Avalanche Lake

If your group is up for a little more, continue from Trail of the Cedars onto the Avalanche Lake trail. It is about 4.5 miles round trip with only 500 feet of gain, and it ends at a glacial lake ringed by waterfalls tumbling off Bearhat Mountain. Go early in the morning to find parking at the Avalanche trailhead, which fills fast all summer.

Hidden Lake Overlook

From the Logan Pass Visitor Center, the Hidden Lake Overlook trail climbs about 1.4 miles to a stunning viewpoint above Hidden Lake. Much of it is boardwalk built to protect the alpine meadows, and you will almost always see mountain goats and marmots. Note that this trail sits at 6,646 feet and is often snow-covered until early July, so it is a summer hike, not a spring one.

Running Eagle Falls

Over on the Two Medicine side, Running Eagle Falls (also called Trick Falls) is a flat 0.6-mile round trip to a unique double waterfall. In high water the falls pour over the top; later in summer the flow shifts to a lower opening in the rock. It is one of the best low-effort payoffs in the whole park.

St. Mary and Virginia Falls

On the east side near St. Mary Lake, this 3-mile round-trip walk visits two waterfalls. St. Mary Falls is a wide, turquoise cascade, and a short extra climb brings you to taller Virginia Falls. The trail passes through an area burned in the 2015 Reynolds Creek Fire, so you get wide open views and bright summer wildflowers.

Swiftcurrent Lake Loop

In the Many Glacier valley, the Swiftcurrent Lake nature trail is a flat 2.6-mile loop with constant views of Grinnell Point reflected in the water. It connects to the Lake Josephine trail if you want to extend it, and the Many Glacier area is one of the best places in the lower 48 to spot grizzly bears at a distance.

Apgar and Lake McDonald shoreline

Right at the west entrance, the easy paths around Apgar Village and the colorful pebble beach at Lake McDonald are perfect for a first evening in the park. There is almost no elevation gain, and the famous multicolored stones in the shallows are a hit with kids.

Planning your easy-hiking trip

A few things make these short hikes go smoothly:

• Start early. Trailhead lots at Avalanche, Logan Pass, and Many Glacier fill by 8 a.m. in peak season.
• Carry bear spray. Even on short, popular trails you are in grizzly country. Know how to use it.
• Check the road status. Many east-side trails depend on Going-to-the-Sun Road being plowed and open.
• Layer up. Mornings near the lakes can be in the 40s even in July.

If you are visiting in the shoulder season when the alpine trails are still buried in snow, the lower-elevation walks like Trail of the Cedars, Running Eagle Falls, and the Lake McDonald shoreline are your best bets. For a full day-by-day plan that works around early-season closures, see our Glacier National Park Memorial Day weekend itinerary, which is built specifically around the trails that are actually open in late May.