GLACIER NATIONAL PARK: Check out our Glacier National Park Travel Guide for important travel information, sample itineraries, and how to plan your visit. If you have any questions about hiking the Highline Trail or if you want to share your experience, comment below! More Information about Glacier National Park & the USA And just 3 days after we did this hike, the Highline Trail closed due to increased grizzly bear activity. This was our second bear encounter in two days in Glacier National Park. While hiking, I was constantly scanning not only the trail in front of us, but also the trees and brush along the sides of the trail. Once it was a good thirty feet away from the trail, Kara and I continued on our way. After waiting about 30 seconds, the bear moved further into the brush. We did not back up because I did not want to lose sight of it. At this point, there was about 30 feet between us and the black bear. We came to a stop, I kept talking, calmly voicing my thoughts to Kara, so the bear could hear us and so that Kara knew what I was thinking. I guess it heard our voices because it ran off the trail and went a few feet into the brush. Kara and I had been keeping up a conversation…we played A LOT of rounds of 20 questions while hiking the Highline trail.Īs we came around a bend, I saw a black bear on the trail in front of us. We were on our own at this point with no hikers nearby. It was at this part of the hike where Kara and I encountered a lone black bear on the trail. This part of the hike is monotonous and on a sunny day, it can feel very warm. It doesn’t take long until you leave the shade of the trees and enter what remains of an old forest fire. The first part of this trail is through a shady, cool forest. This part of the hike is a steep downhill walk in and out of a forest. The trail to Haystack Pass, which is off in distance.įrom the Granite Park Chalet, it is a 4-mile hike to get to the Loop. Once here, the views are amazing and it’s a mostly downhill walk to Granite Park Chalet. It’s a short, switchback trail to the top of the pass. This is the biggest climb of the day, unless you take the detour to the Grinnell Glacier overlook. Three miles past Logan Pass, you will come to Haystack Pass. In fact, locals call bear bells “dinner bells,” since studies show that they can actually make bears more curious and want to investigate the sound of the bells. Carry bear spray and keep a conversation going with fellow hikers in order to alert bear of your presence.Ībout those bear bells: We were told by a park ranger to leave those bear bells at home. Both of these bear sightings were between Granite Park Chalet and the Loop. A black bear crossed the trail in front of us (keep reading to learn more) and several other hikers told us that they spotted a grizzly bear. It’s also possible to see black bear or grizzly bear. Since we finished earlier than the main crowd, we did not have to wait in line for the shuttle to Logan Pass. But Kara and I hike fast, so within a few miles, we passed many of the hikers and were almost on our own. At first, the hiking trail was a crowded. Even at this relatively early hour, there were only a handful of parking spaces still available. We parked at Logan Pass, hiked to the Loop, and took the shuttle back to Logan Pass. There are no bathrooms or potable water at the Loop. However, the advantage of parking here is that once you are done your hike, you do not have to wait for the shuttle to take you back to your car. The drive takes about 15 minutes to get to Logan Pass, so the earliest you will start the hike will be just after 9 am. However, the first shuttle does not arrive at the Loop until 8:47 am, so you will have to wait quite some time to get to Logan Pass. To get a parking spot, you will need to arrive early (before 7:30 am). The Loop has a smaller parking lot that can accommodate roughly 20 cars. Doing it in this direction makes it a more enjoyable, overall downhill hike. Most people start at Logan Pass and end at the Loop. This hike can be done in either direction. Take advantage of the free park shuttle to get back to your car. The Highline Trail is a point-to-point hike. If you will be visiting the park during the spring and summer months, you will need a timed entry ticket to drive Going-to-the-Sun Road. When to go: This hike is open when Going-to-the-Sun Road is open, usually late June/early July to the middle of October. These hiking stats are for the Highline Trail, starting at Logan Pass and ending at the Loop, without any detours. If you want to hike a trail with unbeatable alpine views without having to hike up a massive mountain, you won’t find a better hike than the Highline Trail. With only 800 feet of elevation gain over 12 miles, this hike is relatively flat and fast. Twelve miles may sound like a long way to hike, but these miles tick by fast.
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