The Best Views in Glacier National Park: The Highline Trail to Grinnell Overlook

A 9-mile hike from Logan Pass will bring you to this perch, overlooking Grinnell Glacier.

What started as a stressful morning (due to parking issues at busy Logan Pass) quickly turned into an invigorating hike with breathtaking views.

The crowds in Glacier National Park are larger than ever, so at the height of the season, you really do need to get into the park before dawn to arrive at the Logan Pass Visitor Center along Going to the Sun Road by 6:00am. As we prepared for our hike, the lot filled, and was completely full by 6:30am.

This hike is commonly referred to as the “Highline Trail to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook.” Check the latest posts on AllTrails.com in the days leading up to your hike, for information on smoke, parking, bear sightings, etc.

Bring bear spray, a lot of food, and more water than you think you'll need. We each went through four liters over the hours.

You'll almost certainly run into wildlife right away at the trailhead. Mountain goats roam the hillside, and seem to be used to the tourists taking their photos. Rams can be seen higher up, and often wander down, too.

Within the first half-mile, you'll arrive at the rocky ledge which scares some hikers, because of the narrow path and steep drop-off. There are ropes to help you along your way. Unless you have a fear of heights, it's easily passable.

Ropes can help guide you along the narrowest part of the Highline Trail.

The Highline Trail takes you along the cliffs of what's known as the Garden Wall, offering some of the most stunning views I've ever scene. You’ll pass wildflowers in June and July, plus beautiful rock formations and boulders. A few miles in, you'll reach Haystack Pass, which might be a good place to pause for a snack.

Wildflowers in full bloom, during the month of July

Around six miles in, you'll see the Granite Park chalet off in the distance. This is when you know you're closing in on the path to the top of the Continental Divide, and the Grinnell Glacier overlook.

The trail (the Garden Wall Trail) appears at mile seven, and is the steepest part of the trip. I hike all the time, and this took the wind out of me! It's almost a full mile of rock and gravel, and the incline is intense. We stopped several times to catch our breath.

You'll forget about your exhaustion at the top of the Continental Divide. Looking east, you'll see Upper Grinnell Lake, Lake Josephine, Swiftcurrent Lake, Mount Gould, Many Glacier, and other parts of the park.

Looking east from the overlook through Glacier National Park.

From the main overlook, keep climbing up the rocks for even better views. We spent a good hour up there, relaxing, eating, and taking photos. Plus, be on the lookout for more mountain goats, feeding and roaming the rocks.

Honestly, the hike back to Logan Pass was beautiful, but brutal. Brace yourself for achy knees, feet, and legs. The entire trek was about 17 to 18 miles, so be prepared for some aches and pains, but amazing views, photos, and memories. Not naming names… but one of the members of our party was sore and limping for days :)