BEDH_GlacierWNP

The Hike

This trail visits a glacier-fed lake at the base of a stunning waterfall. Grinnell Lake is reached most easily by taking a tour boat across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine; hikers who take the tour boat can skip the next two paragraphs. More adventurous hikers can walk through a spectacular mountain landscape past these two lakes to reach the upper boat dock and hook up with the Grinnell Lake Trail. Rangers offer guided interpretive trips to Grinnell Lake via the tour boat on an occasional basis.

From the Many Glacier Hotel parking lot, follow the leg of the Swiftcurrent Nature Trail that crosses the road to the boat dock and then follows the southern shoreline of Swiftcurrent Lake. Subalpine firs form a loose woodland here, and many openings offer views of the surrounding peaks. Grinnell Point is the pyramid-shaped horn that guards the head of the lake, while to the left of it is the grand and bulky edifice of Mount Gould. Farther north, the graceful fin of Mount Wilbur rises above the Swiftcurrent Creek Valley. As the trail approaches the spot where Cataract Creek pours into the head of the lake, watch for the bulky massif of Altyn Peak to the northeast.

The path crosses a bridge over the inlet creek that descends from Lake Josephine to Swiftcurrent Lake to reach the Upper Swiftcurrent Boat Dock; turn left here for the short and modest climb through the trees that leads to the foot of Lake Josephine. The route now leads along the north shore of this long turquoise lake. Frequent avalanches from the slopes of Grinnell Point have cleared away the trees, leaving a lush growth of herbaceous plants. Superb views from the lakeshore are dominated by Mount Gould, with the much smaller summit of Angel Wing Mountain projecting from its west face like a flying buttress. Allen Mountain rises beyond the opposite shore, draped with slender waterfalls during early summer. After passing a junction with the Grinnell Glacier Trail, the main trail runs through a stand of spruce and then swings south to cross the marshy flats above the head of the lake.

At the southwestern corner of the lake, the path is joined by the trail from the boat dock; tour boat travelers begin the hike here. Turn right as the trail runs westward through the deep shade of a spruce woodland that is sheltered from winter gales by the surrounding ridges. The path ultimately makes a final crossing of Grinnell Creek to reach the shores of Grinnell Lake. The luminous aquamarine color of the water is derived from glacial flour, a finely pulverized rock sediment suspended in the lake. As sunlight enters the water, it is diffracted by the suspended silt so that only light in the blue and green parts of the spectrum can escape.

The lake occupies a natural amphitheater at the foot of Angel Wing. On the opposite shore, Grinnell Falls drops 1,000 feet across sheer cliffs, bringing meltwater from Grinnell Glacier into the lake. The pile of gravel above the head of the falls is a terminal moraine pushed into place by a surge of this glacier that took place in the late 1880s. Grinnell Glacier cannot be seen from this spot; the snowfield you see at the base of the peak above the falls is actually the tail of the Salamander Glacier.

Key Points

0.0 Start at Many Glacier Hotel parking lot.

0.2 Trail crosses access road to boat dock.

0.6 Trail crosses inlet stream.

0.7 Upper boat dock on Swiftcurrent Lake. Turn left, following signs for Lake Josephine.

0.8 Trail reaches south shore of Lake Josephine. Bear right.

1.8 Junction with Grinnell Glacier Trail. Stay left.

2.2 Junction with Grinnell Glacier cutoff. Bear left to cross Grinnell Creek.

2.5 Junction with boat dock trail. Turn right. Tour boat users start hike here.

3.4 Grinnell Lake. Turn around and return the way you came.

6.8 Arrive back at trailhead.