Glacier National Park: Grinnell Glacier
With the Going to the Sun Road closed for the season, we decided to make the two-hour drive around the southeastern edge of the park to the Many Glacier entrance. We left before dawn and drove through thick fog on winding mountain roads until we reached Browning, the headquarters for the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. By then, the sun had risen, the day was clear and cold, and the quaking golden aspen seemed to glow in the morning light. We reached the trailhead around 9 a.m. and saw only a few other cars in the parking lot.
Grinnell Lake and Lake Josephine
In autumn, bears are in a state of hyperphagia – the biological need to fatten up. Although the chance of an unpleasant encounter is rare, we carried bear spray just in case. The trail to the glacier is almost 6 miles long, and we enjoyed views of four lakes along the way. Each lake had a distinctive shade of blue, depending on the content of pulverized rock from the glacier above. Most of the trail is exposed, and the vistas are stunning. As we traversed the side of Grinnell Mountain toward the glacier, the aptly named Angel Wing towered on the other side of Grinnell Lake.
Angel Wing casting its shadow across Lake Grinnell
The ascent is fairly moderate until the last half mile, which is very steep. The trail terminates at Upper Grinnell Lake. Grinnell Glacier is on the far side of the lake, nestled against the flank of Mount Gould. Small icebergs dot the lake, and large shards of ice congregate at the base of the cliff, possibly blown there by the legendarily windy conditions. On the way back down, the lakes were dappled in shadows from the clouds and surrounding peaks. We agreed that the Grinnell Glacier Trail counted among the most incredible spectacles we had ever seen.
Floating glacial ice in Upper Grinnell Lake
