Although Montana’s Glacier National Park does have glaciers, its name actually refers to the glaciation that shaped the landscape here ages ago. One of the results of that glaciation is an abundance of lakes formed when advancing ice carved out depressions that filled with water when the ice retreated.
Today, the park glistens with stunning lakes both large and small. Some are easily seen from roads, some require short or modest hikes, and others can involve epic backcountry outings. Following are some of the best you can see from roads and trails. From the road:
Lake McDonald
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If you enter the park from West Glacier, then Lake McDonald will be one of the first major features you see. It’s the largest, longest, and deepest lake in the park, and there are many roadside access points to it. Additionally, you can stay at Lake McDonald Lodge, which also has boat rentals.
St. Mary Lake
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St. Mary Lake is at the eastern end of Going-to-the-Sun Road, and it’s probably the most spectacular of the park’s large lakes. As with Lake McDonald, there are many roadside access points. Boat tours and rentals are available and provide a different perspective of the lake.
Two Medicine Lake
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Two Medicine Lake is at the end of the road into Two Medicine Valley. It beautifully frames surrounding peaks, and the beach there is popular with sightseers, sunbathers, and waders and swimmers. A classic way to enjoy this lake is to take the boat tour across it, get out and hike to Twin Falls, and then take the boat back across.
Swiftcurrent Lake
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1111 Swiftcurrent Lake is the only human-made lake in this article, but it’s still a beauty as it frames notable peaks such as Mount Gould, Grinnell Point, and Mount Wilbur. This lake, too, has boat rentals and tours available. From the Trail:
Iceberg Lake
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The Iceberg Lake hike is one of the most scenic in all the national parks. Although the scenery along the way is great, the finish is even better: a beautiful blue alpine lake surrounded by 3000’-high cliffs where the breakup of the winter freeze results in icebergs floating in its waters well into the summer.
Grinnell Lake
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Grinnell Lake is pretty when you hike the trail to it, but to really appreciate its beauty, you have to hike the trail to our next destination. The higher vantage points better reveal the lake’s deep turquoise color, the result of sunlight and “glacial flour” that drains into the lake from above.
Upper Grinnell Lake
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Directly fed by runoff from the adjacent Grinnell Glacier, Upper Grinnell Lake has so much glacial flour, also called glacial milk, in it that its color is strikingly different from that of Grinnell Lake. Like Iceberg Lake, this lake has floating ice for all or most of the summer. In this case, though, it’s from both the breakup of winter ice and calving from Grinnell Glacier.
Cracker Lake
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Another stunning turquoise-colored lake, Cracker Lake is, like Iceberg Lake and the Grinnell Lakes, in Many Glacier Valley. The Cracker Glacier is mostly responsible for the color, and although it has receded to the point of not being considered a true glacier anymore, a strenuous off-trail journey up to it will reveal that it does indeed still have ice and that the “glacier” is active.
Hidden Lake
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After the roadside lakes, Hidden Lake is probably the most-seen lake in the park. A system of trails and boardwalks leads across alpine tundra from Logan Pass on the Continental Divide to an overlook of the lake. You do have the option of continuing to the lake itself, but that involves several hundred feet of elevation loss, which you have to regain on the return hike.
Avalanche Lake
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More people may lay eyes on Hidden Lake, but more people stand on the actual shore of Avalanche Lake. That’s because this beautiful mountain lake requires just a fairly short, easy hike from Going-to-the-Sun Road near Lake McDonald to reach it.
Oldman Lake
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Oldman Lake is accessible via a spur from the absolutely spectacular Pitamakan-Dawson Loop in the Two Medicine area. Some visit it as a day hike, but most probably just enjoy views of it from higher up as they do the aforementioned loop hike. If you’re lucky, you can snag a backcountry camping site there.
Margaret Lake
Image Credit: Robert Sihler.
Many people who really know Glacier’s backcountry and its lakes contend that Margaret is the most beautiful lake in the park. It’s not easy to get to, though; you’ll have to hike over a dozen miles in the northern part of the park to get to it, which for most people will require getting backcountry camping reservations, which aren’t easy. And that’s not all– there’s not an official trail to the lake, and even at the end of the unofficial one, you have to make a water crossing that might be too deep and swift depending on current conditions. But if you can manage all that, you’ll be simply amazed by this lake fed by a waterfall that drains a glacier on the plateau above.
Ipasha Lake
Image Credit: Robert Sihler.
If you’ve made it all the way to Margaret, you might as well press on to Ipasha. After all, it’s only about a mile more, and, from maps, the path is simple: just follow the stream connecting the two lakes. Unfortunately, the terrain is actually much more difficult than that, but if you get there, you’ll be glad you did.
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