South of Glacier National Park in Montana is a vast roadless area called the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex consisting of three contiguous federally designated wilderness areas: Great Bear, Bob Marshall, and Scapegoat.
Often referred to as “The Bob,” this massive roadless area and Glacier together make up some of the wildest, most rugged, and most remote terrain in the Lower 48. Multi-day backpacking trips are necessary to see much of the best that’s out there, but you, fortunately, do have several great opportunities for day hikes into this amazing backcountry.
The 13 here won’t disappoint.
Images here are for illustrative purposes only.
Iceberg Lake (Glacier)
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This is one of the most beautiful hikes you’ll ever go on, and the scenery is beautiful from start to finish. The highlight at the end is Iceberg Lake, which freezes over every winter. As the ice breaks up and melts in the summer, icebergs float about the lake and sometimes remain well into August.
Upper Grinnell Lake (Glacier)
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This one is close to the Iceberg Lake Trail, so you should do both during a trip if you can. The trail climbs moderately steeply into the alpine zone and ends at Grinnell Glacier, one of the park’s largest. There, icebergs float in the silty waters of the lake and sheer mountain walls tower in the background.
Hidden Lake Overlook (Glacier)
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This short trail may be the busiest in the park, and you need to get there very early for a parking spot or use the free shuttle system. Much of the trail is on boardwalks that protect the delicate alpine tundra beneath. At the overlook, you’ll see a beautiful mountain lake while being surrounded by rugged, colorful peaks.
Highline Trail and the Loop (Glacier)
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From Logan Pass, where the Hidden Lake trail takes off, the Highline Trail goes the other direction, hugging mountain walls for nearly 8 miles to a historic chalet. Then you take the Loop Trail, sometimes very steep, down to the road and use the shuttle to get back to Logan Pass.
Siyeh Pass Loop (Glacier)
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Siyeh Pass is the highest point any maintained trail reaches in the park. After a somewhat dull start in heavy tree cover, the scenery opens up as you pass “parks” and unnamed tarns to the pass, where the scenery is magnificent. On the descent, you’ll pass close to a glacier and will go through a dramatic red-rock gorge as well.
Pitamakan-Dawson Loop (Glacier)
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This is a long, strenuous hike, and may do it as an overnighter if they can snag a permit for one of the backcountry campsites along the way. It reaches two high passesand spends several miles above the trees, where views are sweeping and staggering.
Great Northern Mountain (Great Bear)
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This impressive peak just south of Glacier isn’t easy to get to. It’s a long drive on dirt roads and then a very steep (but pretty short) hike to the top. Up there, you’ll look down on a glacier and look across to the speaks of southern Glacier National Park.
Blackleaf Canyon (Bob Marshall)
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Blackleaf Canyon isn’t that well-known outside the region. Dirt roads passable to most cars get you there, and then it’s a short hike through an impressive canyon into an open mountain valley. You can keep it short or make a longer day by pairing it with other trails for a loop around Volcano Reef, the formation on your right as you enter the canyon.
Mount Wright (Bob Marshall)
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Mount Wright once had a fire lookout up top, but it’s in ruins now. However, the 360-degree views of some of the wildest mountain country in the nation are as striking as ever. It’s only about 3.5 miles to the summit, but the trail is very steep and strenuous, almost never letting up.
Our Lake (Bob Marshall)
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“The Bob” isn’t that known for its backcountry lakes, and Our Lake is a lovely exception. This deep-blue gem sits just at timberline surrounded on three sides by peaks and ridges. The stream draining it creates a spectacular waterfall you’ll pass just below the lake. An unmaintained trail continues past the lake to a ridge with views deep into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. With a sense of adventure and some climbing skills, you can follow that ridge over a peak and down to the next place on this list, making a loop that ends at the same trailhead.
Headquarters Creek Pass (Bob Marshall)
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This pass sees a lot of traffic from people heading out on long wilderness journeys, but it’s also a fine day-hike destination. The pass sits at the feet of Rocky Mountain, the highest peak in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. There’s no trail to the summit, but a moderately challenging scramble and some good route-finding skills will get you there, and you’ll never forget the views.
Upper Holland Loop (Bob Marshall)
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The western side of Bob Marshall Country isn’t known for having a lot of great day hikes, but the Holland Lake area in the Swan Range is a notable exception. The Upper Holland Loop starts from the lake and climbs steeply to Upper Holland Lake, the Sapphire Lakes, and ultimately its highest point before descending even more steeply back to the trailhead. You’ll get a workout, but the views are worth it.
Devils Glen (Scapegoat)
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This trail is actually a major route for trips deep into the wilderness, but the hike of 3.5 mostly easy miles to Devils Glen is a nice day outing. Devils Glen is an open area with many rugged rock formations, and the trail itself is a pretty journey through Dearborn River Canyon.
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There’s no way you could ever come up with a definitive list of the world’s most beautiful places. However, if you ask around, some places come up a lot more frequently than others do.
The following are some of the places that people mention over and over again, not in any particular order.
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The Two Best Scenic Wonders in Each of the Mountain States
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The Mountain States– Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico– have some of the wildest and most rugged landscapes in the United States. Because they’re so big, it can take a lot of time to visit them, so it helps to be able to plan for some specific destinations.
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