Then you begin the 1,840-foot climb to the turquoise waters of Grinnell Lake and three glaciers—Grinnell, Salamander, and Gem—in the distance. Starting your hike from the hotel, you should begin walking towards the north end of the lake. This picturesque horseback ride takes you down the first few miles of the Piegan Trail. Lake Josephine is located in the Many Glacier Area of Glacier National Park. However, you can shave off 3.4 miles by taking two shuttle boats with Glacier Park Boat Company, crossing Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. AIS such as lake trout have been extremely detrimental to native bull trout populations, replacing them as the top aquatic predator in the many of the large lakes on the west side of Glacier. Cross Swiftcurrent Lake, take a short 2/10 mile walk, then board another boat to the head of Lake Josephine. Guided walks also available to Grinnell Lake on 9:00am … This hike begins in the Many Glacier area of the national park. From this trailhead the path proceeds through a pleasant forest of lodgepole pine, spruce, fir and aspen trees, with views of Grinnell Point and Mt. Indeed, the only reason it is listed as a backcountry lake is because you can't drive to it. As you make your way back to the hotel there will be several short side trails that lead to small beach areas along the lake. This trail leads to close-up views of Grinnell Glacier, and is considered to be one of the premier hiking destinations in Glacier National Park. Since the views from the hotel area are simply spectacular, it would seem to make sense to take advantage of this by seeing them twice – at the beginning, and at the end of your hike. Many hikers take the Chief Two Guns shuttle boat across Swiftcurrent Lake, then board the Morning Eagle to shuttle across Lake Josephine before embarking on the 3.6-mile hike to Grinnell Glacier. We then crossed a swinging bridge (very calm and easy, about 5 feet above. To continue the loop hike you should turn right here and make the short climb up and over to the north dock on Lake Josephine. Early mornings and late afternoons are usually the best times for spotting bears in this area. Enjoy both lakes via a small hike linking the two boats in this two-part tour. Most of the repeat photography images available on this website are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. In this photo, "Morning Eagle" is picking up hikers who spent the day hiking on the Grinnell Glacier Trail and the Grinnell Lake Trail. Hikers will enjoy stunning views of Angel Wing, Mt. If you hike about a mile from the Many Glacier Lodge along Swiftcurrent Lake, you’ll come upon Lake Josephine. Several of the Park's larger glaciers can be seen from Many Glacier boat tour. more, Commonly searched for in Glacier National Park. Its beautiful anytime of the year. Lake Josephine, Glacier National Park: See 78 reviews, articles, and 85 photos of Lake Josephine, ranked No.23 on Tripadvisor among 57 attractions in Glacier National Park. This is a view of the Grinnell Glacier Complex from the South Shore Lake Josephine Trail in the Many Glacier Area of Glacier National Park. After soaking in the incredibly beautiful views from the dock, hikers should continue along the North Shore Josephine Lake Trail. As you ride along the heavily forested trail, you’ll catch glimpses of Swiftcurrent Lake, Josephine Lake and the Garden Wall. The scenery in Glacier National Park is so visually stunning, it often doesn’t even look real in photos. Soon after you start your climb you will get a view of Grinnell Lake in the distance. Ive seen many types of wildlife here including grizzly, mountain goats & Sheep and moose. At roughly 4.6 miles hikers will pass a side trail that leads to the Piegan Pass Trail, and at 4.8 miles will reach the trail that takes you back to Swiftcurrent Lake. CLOSED as part of general east side closure due to pandemic. Lake Josephine – 4.9mi / 7.8km The 3.4 mile trip around Lake Josephine is a lovely stroll. Glacier National Park Motels; Glacier National Park Campgrounds; Glacier National Park Family Hotels; Popular Glacier National Park Categories. Swiftcurrent Lake is immediately to the northeast of Lake Josephine and the two lakes are separated by a short (.3 miles (0.48 km)) stream. Please read this Disclaimer / Privacy Policy Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for the date(s) you selected. It starts either with a 0.8 mile walk from the Many Glacier Hotel around Swiftcurrent Lake, or with a boat ride on Swiftcurrent Lake. As already mentioned, the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead offers hikers another point of entry onto the Swiftcurrent Lake Nature Trail. At midpoint along the lake, a trail to Grinnell Glacier turns and climbs to the west. This is the Northeast section of the park, with the closest town being St Mary, Montana. Three gorgeous miles. 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Once in the Many Glacier area, the easiest and most direct route to Lake Josephine is from the Grinnell Glacier Trailhead (Coordinates: 48.7969827, -113.6685409). Although you can see moose almost anywhere along this loop, this area is especially good moose habitat. Lake Josephine with Grinnell Glacier and the Continental Divide, Glacier National Park, Montana Photographic Print by Jamie & Judy Wild. and we saw a moose! The following describes the hike starting from the Many Glacier Hotel and proceeding in a counter clockwise direction. ... you can take boats to shuttle you across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine for a fee and cut about 3.4 miles off of the hike. The beach offers stunning views of Grinnell Glacier and Grinnell Falls plummeting towards Grinnell Lake. To reach Lake Josephine requires either a very easy one mile hike to its shore from the Many Glacier Road or hopping aboard a boat to cross Swiftcurrent Lake followed by a easy 200 yard hike. We took the 2 pm tour that came with a free guided tour after the second lake, and our guide was really good! Grinnell Glacier is also visible along this stretch. Please choose a different date. Grinnell Lake is located directly below The Angel Wing. Lake Josephine is accessible via the Grinnell Glacier Trail which follows the west shoreline of the lake for 1 mile (1.6 km). When the trail to Grinnell Glacier opens, an 8:30am cruise is added for hikers to Grinnell Glacier. But this incredible place is as real as it gets, and the park is Montana’s pride and joy. The loop can be done in either direction. This is an outstanding spot for an extended break or a picnic lunch. Along with Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine, Grinnell Lake is one of a string of three lovely mountain lakes that stairstep gradually through the Many Glacier area on the park's eastern side. Best Easy Day Hikes Glacier & Waterton Lakes. It’s just over 3 miles, one way, to Grinnell Glacier from this point. Lake Josephine. It was only a 10-12 minute hike after the second boat ride. To continue on the loop you should stay to the left and head towards the south boat dock area, which is only a short distance away. Lake Josephine is probably the easiest of all the backcountry lakes in Glacier National Park to reach. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. To continue the loop and proceed towards the Many Glacier Hotel, you should turn right here. it takes about an hour to hike to to, We had reservations (an absolute must!) Swiftcurrent Lake is immediately to the northeast of Lake Josephine and … (If you go directly to the west from the trailhead, you’ll reach the smaller …