Hike Location: Glacier National Park
Geographic Location: west of Babb, MT (48.79725, -113.66832)
Length: 2.6 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: July 2018
Overview: A fairly flat circumnavigation of Swiftcurrent
Lake.
Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm
Directions to the trailhead: This hike is located in
Glacier National Park’s Many Glacier section.
From US 89 in Babb, drive Many Glacier Road west for 13.5 miles to reach
the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead, where this hike begins. The parking at this trailhead can fill
quickly during peak season, so you may need to park anywhere you can find a
space in the park’s Many Glacier section and walk to the trailhead.
The hike: For my
general comments on Glacier National Park, see my forthcoming hike that starts at Logan Pass. Most people enter Glacier
National Park on the park’s famous Going-to-the-Sun Road, which may be the most
scenic drive in the United States. My visit
started with the park’s more remote Many Glacier section mainly due its
location in the northern part of the park; I came to Glacier after visiting
Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park to the north.
Some people
think the Many Glacier valley is Glacier National Park’s most scenic area. While it is hard to pick one valley as the
park’s most scenic, Many Glacier’s tight dimensions and multi-colored rocks
make for an impressive sight. Many hikes
start at Many Glacier, but the short hike around Swiftcurrent Lake described
here allows you to see much of the valley’s scenery without taking on much
difficulty.
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| Grinnell Glacier Trailhead |
There are
several places where you could start the Swiftcurrent Nature Trail, but this
trail description starts at the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead. Named for George Grinnell, the cofounder of
the Audubon Society who was instrumental in establishing Glacier National Park,
the 5.3 mile one-way hike to Grinnell Glacier that begins here is one of Many
Glacier’s most popular hikes. The
glacier viewpoint is worth the trip if you have the time and energy to make the
journey.
The
combined Grinnell Glacier and Swiftcurrent Nature Trails head south from the
trailhead on a packed gravel treadway. Small
black interpretive signs identify common plants along the trail. Dense pine and birch forest line either side
of the trail, and Many Glacier provides prime habitat for moose and bear. I did not see any moose on this hike, but I
did see a black bear just a few feet off of the trail further around the loop.
 |
| View up Swiftcurrent Creek |
At 0.3
miles, you cross Swiftcurrent Creek on a nice wooden footbridge. The water in Montana’s streams is extremely
clear and reflective, and a nice view of Mount Wilbur opens up to the right as
you look upstream from the bridge. The
trail surface now turns to dirt, and soon you reach the shore of Swiftcurrent
Lake. The pine tree-lined shore and the
foothills of Mount Allen across the lake can be seen from here, and a family of
ducks was enjoying its day on the lake.
0.7 miles
into the hike, you reach the park shuttle boat dock at the south end of
Swiftcurrent Lake. For a fee you can
start at Many Glacier Hotel, ride one boat to here, get off and walk a short
distance to nearby Lake Josephine, and then ride another concession boat across
Lake Josephine to reduce the hiking distance required to reach Grinnell
Glacier. Immediately after passing the
boat dock, the Grinnell Glacier and Swiftcurrent Nature Trails part ways at a
signed trail intersection. Turn left to continue
the Swiftcurrent Nature Trail.
 |
| Altyn Peak |
As you
round the south end of Swiftcurrent Lake, fantastic northward views open up
across the lake. Many Glacier Hotel gets
dwarfed by colorful Altyn Peak behind it.
Just shy of 0.9 miles, you cross the creek that feeds water from Lake
Josephine into Swiftcurrent Lake. Like
the creek you crossed earlier, this creek is a beautiful, pine tree-lined,
clear-flowing waterway.
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| Grinnell Point |
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| Grinnell Point and continental divide |
Now heading
northeast, the trail stays close to the east shore of Swiftcurrent Lake. Fantastic views emerge across the lake of
stark, rocky Grinnell Point and the continental divide beyond. The trail surface turns to asphalt just
before you reach Many Glacier Hotel at 1.7 miles. Stay between the building and the lake and
walk through a gravel employee parking lot.
A snack shop and gift shop in the hotel’s lower lobby invite you to stop
and have a snack while admiring the hotel’s scenic location.
 |
| Many Glacier Hotel |
Past the
hotel, use the park road bridge to cross Swiftcurrent Lake’s outflow, and note
that a rocky waterfall called Swiftcurrent Falls sits to the right here. After crossing the bridge, angle left to
begin the final trail segment. The
Continental Divide Trail also uses this segment of trail. Now heading west along the lake’s north shore,
more nice views of Many Glacier Hotel emerge and a kayak launch ramp is passed
before you return to the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead to complete the hike.
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