Do I really need bear spray?

Yes. Glacier and the Bob have grizzlies and they kill people most decades. Carry it on your hip. Practice deploying it.

When does Going-to-the-Sun Road open?

Typical full opening is around July 1, sometimes earlier. NPS posts daily clearance updates in May/June.

Vehicle reservations for Glacier?

Yes — required for Many Glacier and the West side May–Sep. Book on recreation.gov 4 months out.

Turquoise alpine lake below a jagged peak with patches of snow, surrounded by dense conifer forest under a cloudy sky.

Best Hiking Trails in Montana

Glacier, the Bob Marshall, the Beartooth Plateau — Montana hiking is about scale. Our team's picks, with permit and bear-country prep.

Montana is the state our team picks when we want to feel small. Rae spent two summers as a fire-lookout caretaker outside Whitefish and rates Glacier above any park in the lower 48 on a fall-day sample size of one. Owen rode the Whitefish bike park, then talked Mia and Jake into doing the entire Highline Trail in late September — they got snow on day two and now we always pack microspikes for September Glacier. Lesson learned in person.

Montana's hiking season is shorter than you think. The Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass usually doesn't open until mid-June; some of the high traverses don't clear out until July. Plan for July through mid-September unless you actively want winter conditions.

By region

Glacier National Park

Highline Trail, Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake. Bear country — bear spray on the hip, no exceptions. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is the access spine.

Beartooth Plateau

Above 10,000 ft for tens of miles. Beartooth Pass scenic byway is the launch point for some of the wildest above-treeline hiking in the lower 48.

Bob Marshall Wilderness

1.5M acres, no roads. The Chinese Wall is the long-distance objective. Pack-train country.

Bitterroots / Selway

Idaho border. Granite alpine basins, deep valleys. Quieter than Glacier; not by accident.

When to go

jan

feb

mar

apr

may

jun

jul

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sep

oct

nov

dec

best good ok poor

Plan a hike in Montana

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More hikes in Montana

Highline Trail (Glacier National Park)
moderate · 18.50km · 6.0h

Common questions

Do I really need bear spray?: Yes. Glacier and the Bob have grizzlies and they kill people most decades. Carry it on your hip. Practice deploying it.
When does Going-to-the-Sun Road open?: Typical full opening is around July 1, sometimes earlier. NPS posts daily clearance updates in May/June.
Vehicle reservations for Glacier?: Yes — required for Many Glacier and the West side May–Sep. Book on recreation.gov 4 months out.