How to hike to Grinnell Glacier [+ Many Glacier Boat Rides] in Glacier National Park

Many Glacier is one of the most popular valleys to visit in Glacier National Park! In this video, Linnea explains how to hike to Grinnell Glacier, which you can do two ways: by hiking only, or by combining a boat ride with a hike.
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Chapters:
0:00 Welcome
0:44 Intro & Overview
1:27 Grinnell Glacier Trail
2:19 Boat Tour
4:33 Boat Tour Times & Prices
5:21 Step-by-Step Boat Instructions
7:23 Grinnell Lake Hike
9:20 Alternative One-Way Ticket
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[@pavansingrajput999]

This video just saved me tons of research. Such detailed info and precise at the same time.

[@WereintheRockies]

Thanks. Have a great time.

[@bethd961]

That was fantastic information! She was a great guest speaker that was so well spoken. What a fun job she has. Thank you!!

[@WereintheRockies]

Yes, she did a wonderful job. I’m sure she will love reading your comments. Thanks!

[@ColleenLucas]

We will be there in July and have already reserved our morning boat reservation. So excited to do this incredibly hike! Thanks for the info!

[@margaretwilloughby5329]

Excellent, detailed info. Thank you so much!

[@wanda8027able]

SO helpful. She did a great job. Thanks so much for the information

[@WereintheRockies]

Yes she did! Thanks for letting her know. :)

[@rachelbeck1079]

So helpful! Thank you

[@WereintheRockies]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jenniferholmes8944]

Thanks so much. We’re planning to do this hike and this was super helpful

[@WereintheRockies]

You're welcome!

[@tboiflex]

I would love to go there it sounds awesome

[@misfireendurance]

This is a really helpful video of how hitching a ride on the boat works with this hike! Thank you for the map image as well!

[@WereintheRockies]

Glad it was helpful!

[@timbillings6884]

👍👍 Been there it is Awesome !!!

[@lisadee1623]

Thanks! We’re heading to Glacier (followed by Yellowstone) in September, this was very helpful. I’d love to see more Glacier videos in the future.

[@WereintheRockies]

We have plans to do more! Enjoy your trip.

[@shufangchiang2614]

Great job!!! Tickets booked.

[@WereintheRockies]

Awesome! Have a great time!

[@oatleyt1]

Matt, Cheryl, and Lanay. Great video on the boat option for Grinnell Trail. My wife and I did it last year and walked as far as we could above Grinnell Lake. We certainly would have loved to use the boats (at least on the way back). We can wait to use the boat and hike as far as we can up to Grinnell Glacier. We really hope we get to meet Lanay.

[@WereintheRockies]

Thank you! Best of luck.

[@nicolegilleland1032]

This was EXACTLY the information I’ve been trying to find. Thank you!! I’m trying to book my reservation can anyone answer a question 😃 If I’m planning to hike after the boat ride I don’t have to select the “scenic tour+hike” option do I? Is this a guided hike? We’re just planning on hiking on our own but taking boat short cut. Thank you!

[@WereintheRockies]

Hi Nicole. Glad you found this helpful. I’m sorry I don’t know the answer to your question

[@meganswartout523]

Thank you for info! If we are unable to get a vehicle pass for going to the sun road, are we still able to use the shuttle system??

[@WereintheRockies]

Great question!!! To use the shuttle system, you need to buy a $1 ticket. That ticket is also good for entry into the park. For more, see www.nps.gov/glac/learn/news/media-21-9.htm

[@beachmom19]

How long does it take just to do the Grinnell Lake hike? Just trying to figure out what time to reserve the boat? Thanks for your info.

[@WereintheRockies]

It’s only two miles so usually you can go to the lake and make it back for the next boat, which is usually 2 hours later

[@johnnykost]

I want to do the hike to Grinnell glacier, however, I only want to go far enough to see that nice view down at Grinnell lake that I see in so many pictures. Can you tell me how far I would need to go to see that?

[@WereintheRockies]

That view is available for much of the hike. You probably need to be into the hike about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way to see it.

[@Roaming.Pixels]

I am not getting early morning boat tours for my dates. Will 11am be good if we want to do Grinnell Glacier trail, is it easy to be back by 5.30pm to the boat dock?

[@WereintheRockies]

Average time to complete it is 5 1/2 hours but of course depends on the hiker 😉

[@krisgawarecki2773]

We are going in September 2022. We are driving 1000 miles and concerned about the first come first serve camping. We have a camper topper but would like electrical hook up. Is it really so busy after September 10th that we will not get a camp site? How much time before the trip should we book boat trip?

[@WereintheRockies]

I'm not as familiar with the campgrounds in the area, especially first come first serve. As for the boat rides, you should call the boat company -- crowds calm down a lot after Labor Day, but advanced reservations are always a good idea.

[@greta.anderson]

How far in advance should I book boat tour tickets for August 2024? Thanks for the great video!

[@WereintheRockies]

Reservations are open now. I'd suggest getting them as soon as you know this is something you want to do.

[@greta.anderson]

@@WereintheRockies thanks! I did notice that so we booked our family for the Many Glacier boat tour!

[@karenwall7858]

Sure cleared up some questions I had. Where can I find the article containing all this information that she mentions? Thanks

[@WereintheRockies]

Right here! wereintherockies.com/grinnell-glacier-hike/. See the description of the video for more articles

[@karenwall7858]

@@WereintheRockies Thank you!

[@Mivntxhaisy]

I got the tickets for boat tickets and wanted to know if you can provide an estimated time frame to hike the 7 mi round trip hike to grinnell glacier

[@WereintheRockies]

Everyone hikes at a different pace but it would probably be safe to plan for a 4-5 hour roundtrip hike.

[@benjaminrohrey6260]

If you could only do one hike, would you do the high line trail or the grinnell glacier trail?

[@WereintheRockies]

Grinnell Glacier! 😊

[@grasshopperjumpalot2962]

If you take the boats to the trail and you leave on the 2.30 boat trip will you get back in time after the hike to catch the last boat at 5.30?

[@WereintheRockies]

If you do the whole trail, the average time is 5 1/2 hours

[@grasshopperjumpalot2962]

@@WereintheRockies so if you get the 2.30 boat you wont have time to go to the glacier just glacier lake if you want to catch the last boat thanks

[@michaelw366]

Good video. But head’s up, as of June 2023, on the hike to the lower Grinnell Lake, the swinging bridge to cross a pretty swift and wide creek has washed away and you will need to follow it downstream and find some fallen trees to cross in order to make it to the lake. If you have mobility issues or a fear of crossing, you will not be able to complete this hike.

[@WereintheRockies]

Thanks for sharing. Hopefully they get something to replace the bridge soon.

[@brettbchapman]

When does the ticket office open up in the morning?

[@WereintheRockies]

The first tour is generally 8:30 am and they ask people to come at least 30 minutes early so I would imagine they open the ticket office by 8:00. Here is a link to their website: www.glacierparkboats.com/tours-rentals/many-glacier

[@hml1624]

How long is the lake josephine ride?

[@WereintheRockies]

To traverse both Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine (in one direction), takes 45 minutes, 1.5 hours round trip.

[@Sumipan786]

Trying to book the boat for 3 weeks from now and they are all booked :(((( We have little ones. Guess we wont be doing this hike :((((

[@WereintheRockies]

Darn! You can try to get "day of" tickets day-of but it's quite competitive.

[@rong9758]

Please turn up your master volume on your videos. Thank you in advance.

[@WereintheRockies]

Thank you @Ron G for letting me know!

[@WereintheRockies]

Sorry about that.

[@rong9758]

That was nice of her to do a 12 minute commercial for her boat service.

[@WereintheRockies]

Now now, no commercial needed; they already have a contract with NPS. She's just trying to help people understand their options.

[@johnriley7713]

What a terrific overview of the boat service and hike options - thanks Matt and Linnea . I visited in 2008 from Australia and we hiked to Swiftcurrent Lookout - it was a memorable day.