Definitely harder on the knees, but we actually enjoyed it. Be prepared and have fun out there! Jennifer Lutman, a spokeswoman for Glacier Park, said climbing, scrambling and peak bagging are recognized as activities inside the park but are not recommended. It is about three miles round trip and can be a bit strenuous due to some elevation. This is a great trail, but like so many in Glacier, you must go early. The park has 175 mountains and 25 named glaciers. And just 3 days after we did this hike, the Highline Trail closed due to increased grizzly bear activity. Roughly three miles from Logan Pass, take a break at the large boulders just before the final climb to Haystack Pass. Hiking the Highline Trail at Glacier National Park (Routes + tips!) Is this something you see people doing in national parks?? Glacier has risks unique to national parks, the records show. Hiking the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park 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. I love your website and have used it to plan several other successful trips! We have just returned from Kalispell and Glacier. Be sure to check Glacier National Parks Postings and Closures and Trail Status Reports before you go. (this trail begins at the Logan Pass Visitor's Center. With fields of colorful wildflowers, its easy to see how it gets this name. You can do this hike, but I dont think the views are going to be worth the effort to hike up to the Chalet. The Highline Trail has not yet opened for the summer because of the snow danger. From the Granite Park Chalet, it is a 4-mile hike to get to the Loop. Your email address will not be published. Some people hike just the first few miles for the views over Going-to-the-Sun Road, which will create two-way traffic on the first cliff section of the hike. If you get there at 7 AM and have a GTTS pass. The park just came out three days ago saying shuttle access would be very limited and the loop is one of the stops NOT being serviced this year. The shuttles are small and they leave two available seats for people getting on at the Loop. "Many of these are very preventable.". You will likely pass and be passed by other hikers many times on this hike. This trail is crazy fun, very narrow in parts with a steep drop off, not for the faint of heart, especially since it can get a little windy. From the Grinnell Glacier detour, its less than one mile of hiking to get to Granite Park Chalet. The 20-year-old man, identified as Josh Yarrow, was attempting. Rather, they involve visitors who hike up a mountain peak without the aid of equipment, in exposed terrain, a method known as "scrambling," Gabriel said. 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. In 1999, a 74-year-old man stepped over a retaining wall on Going-to-the-Sun Road to take a picture, lost his balance and fell 500 feet to his death. Most of the climbing accidents in Glacier don't involve technical climbing using ropes and other equipment. It felt great to reach Going-to-the-Sun Road. The trial is so narrow in places youll have to go single file while holding onto a cable bolted to the side of the cliff. Get to know the winter safety gear you need in your pack. "Overnight backpackers, if they have a problem they have most everything on their back to take care of their situation as opposed to day hikers who may be ill-prepared," says Phillips, the branch chief of Search and Rescue for the National Park Service. However, it remains one of our favorite hikes due to its spectacular views and the high chance of seeing wildlife. One thought I had was to show up bright & early to Logan Pass, have my husband drop all of us off, then he could drive back to the Loop parking lot and hope there's other people there driving back to Logan Pass he could catch a ride with, perhaps offer $20 for a ride??? Do you have any thoughts on that? If you park here, you will hike to the Loop and then take the shuttle back to your car at Logan Pass. Tools to make a fire and shelter, and the ability to use them, also should be in the backpack, he adds. Will be there in a cpl of weeks. I dont have a favorite because they were both very good for different reasons. 2023 Flathead Beacon, All Rights Reserved. When Jeff Larson and Gerald Buzz Cobell looked down at the dead bison, they saw two very different things. If you can get lodging in the Many Glacier area of the park, do it. Dragon's Tail/Mt. Reynolds Questions : r/GlacierNationalPark This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. Take advantage of the free park shuttle to get back to your car. ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. It seems like the hike up from Logan pass is closed because of snow. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. Quick question can we do the hike from the loop to the Chalet or the overlook for grinnell and come back to the loop? A century later, "climbing accidents" have claimed 34 lives. Your email address will not be published. Its crazy how late things are opening in Glacier NP this summer because of the snow. Highline Trail Glacier National Park | List | AllTrails Hiking on the narrow path above Going to the Sun Road was awesome and Kara and I were blown away by the views on this one too. Gabriel says it's often seemingly benign oversights that contribute to trouble, such as forgetting a life vest, not checking the forecast, being unprepared for the difficulty of a hike or setting off into the wilds alone. Gabriel said Search and Rescue agencies, including the National Park Service, rely on data sets to assess levels of risk and urgency when responding to an emergency, and age is one set of criteria. Re: Death on Highline Trail 9 years ago Save OK folks as Todd mentions hiking on a closed trail can EASILY be fatal! Its about personally evaluating each risk that is presented, then managing it, mitigating it, or going home, Gabriel said. "You always want to have it in the forefront in your mind that turning around could be a good decision could be a great decision," Gabriel said. Mid September is a great time to be taking that hike. Parkgoers tried to warn the hiker from North Carolina he wasn't alone on the Highline. Park rangers said witnesses reported that the man was hiking alone on the Highline Trail, when he slipped and fell. From there, you will head across the alpine meadows with short stints into trees. The 8 miles at the top was fairly easy, not much elevation change. NATIONAL PARKS: In our Guide to the US National Parks, get the full list of national parks with important travel planning information, such as things to do in the parks and sample itineraries. His body was recovered below the Sun Road at The Loop on July 12, and the suspicious circumstances prompted an investigation by the FBI. Trailhead coordinates: 48.696343, -113.7176 (48 41 46.83N 113 43 03.35W) View Glacier National Park in a larger map. Any advice is welcome! And you will be missing the best part of the trail, which is the part from Logan Pass to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook. Since I posted this question, I've found several other posts regarding this issue. All of those elements can contribute to an accident.. I was really confused on how the Highline Loop worked with the shuttle system and this answered all of my questions perfectly. "Not only would it force the county attorney to prosecute that person, but it would also force the judge as well," the bill's supporter said Thursday. Climbing deaths are not uncommon. The day hiking category represented the highest percentage of SAR calls. The lessons of Glacier tragedies - Great Falls Tribune Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 7 h 13 min to complete. The Highline Trail is a point-to-point hike. Planning our first trip to GNP in early Sept 2019 (after Labor Day). Loved this trail! The Highline Trail is one of the most popular hikes in the national park, so don't expect much solitude. The valley below is a classic U-shape, formed by glaciers starting two million years ago during the Pleistocene Ice Age. The hiking trail is in blue and Going-to-the-Sun Road is white. If you still have energy left, you can also hike out to Hidden Lake once you ride the shuttle back to Logan Pass. WEST GLACIER A Washington state man hiking alone on Glacier National Park's Highline Trail apparently fell to his death Wednesday afternoon. The adjusted death rate 1.85 for every 100,000 visitors was still higher than the rate of 1.09 for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, according to the analysis. Expect high traffic here, especially on the first section, all day long. Overnight hikers typically plan better and are more prepared for sudden turns in the weather or injuries, Phillips says. If you dont think you could get there by 6 or 6:30, you could plan on using the shuttle. Germann said more details on the accident will be shared once park officials complete their investigation. This makes a great place to take a break and have lunch. All rights reserved. You will traverse a little shelf on the cliff that has been carved for the road, with a cable to grab hold of if needed. Logan Pass is the crown jewel of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which is where the Highline Trail begins. The man's next of kin was being notified on Wednesday evening, Germann said. If youd like to go on the Highline Trail in Glacier with an interpretive guide, wed love to take you! "Why is that?" Logan Pass is the epicenter of Glacier National Park, sitting at the highest point of the Going To The Sun Road at 6,647 ft. Attendance has been lower this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a very popular trail in Glacier NP. Helmets are often taken to protect your head from any Rockwall that can come when climbing Reynolds. This trail is characterized by gentle ups and down, until the final steep switchback up to Haystack Pass. A helicopter search crew found his body in an inaccessible area and the cause of death was not known, but animal attack was not suspected, the statement said. PRO TRAVEL TIP: In 2021, I heard reports that the parking lots are filling as early as 6 am. Hiking Time (estimate): Allow 2 -3 hours to reach Haystack Pass, 1 hour for lunch, and 2- 2 hours to return. This is a five star attraction with two huge caveats. "It's not typically one mistake that ends in a catastrophic event," Gabriel says. A Warner Bros. Budget at least 90-120 minutes each way. Highline Trail: Logan Pass to the Loop, Glacier National Park Bring plenty of fluids: I drank 2 liters from my camelback, plus 2 Gatorade bottles. You can also learn more about the national parks and get a FREE printable checklist in our US National Parks Checklist. Highline Trail (Glacier National Park) - Wikipedia He says visitors should be ready to spend the unexpected night out by carrying extra water and food. View full map. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. A hiker narrowly avoided a grizzly bear on a narrow trail in Glacier National Parkand photographer Philip Granrud caught the whole thing on film. Twelve miles may sound like a long way to hike, but these miles tick by fast. There are often some of the first of the Fall/Winter snows at high elevations at that time of year. Other than the bear encounter, it was a monotonous hike from the Granite Park Chalet to the Loop. This wait can be as long as one hour during peak times (midday to early afternoon). In Glacier, those who prepare and work their way up to more complex climbs do well, Gabriel said. Its also possible to see black bear or grizzly bear. Even at this relatively early hour, there were only a handful of parking spaces still available. The search was akin to a looking for a needle in a haystack because nobody knew where Rigby was headed, Gabriel said. If you prefer to keep your hikes short and sweet, read our guide to the Best Short Hikes in the National Parks. Sex can't always be determined in the park's list of deaths and missing persons because only initials are used in some of the entries. You're all set. This was our second bear encounter in two days in Glacier National Park. Technology, he says, should not be relied upon because batteries die and cell service often isn't available. Highline Trail Hard 4.7 (2287) Glacier National Park Photos (5,157) Directions Print/PDF map Length 14.9 miElevation gain 2,578 ftRoute type Out & back Explore this 14.9-mile out-and-back trail near Siyeh Bend, Montana. With only 800 feet of elevation gain over 12 miles, this hike is relatively flat and fast. Charles Fred Huseman, 64, of Packwood, Wash., died June 26 while hiking the Highline Trail, which was closed at the time due to snow hazards. We arrived this week at Logan Pass to park at 815a, in summer you want to be earlier.