We just got home from backpacking in Glacier National Park and I can’t wait to share it with you
Why am I so excited?
Because it was one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen in the entire world!
If you’re looking for a 3-4 day backpacking trip in Glacier, you’ve come to the right place.
We had an incredible time hiking 3 days and 2 nights near Many Glacier. We hiked from the Iceberg/Ptarmigan Trailhead -> Elizabeth Lake (Foot) -> Poia Lake -> Apikuni Trailhead.
Read on to learn all the details about the route and why it should be on your backpacking bucketlist.
Words can’t describe the beauty of our experience. But I’m going to give it a try.
We saw insane mountains, beautiful glaciers, stunning views, clear lakes perfect for cooling off, bright red rocks, unique critters, and so much more.
I’ve broken down the route into sections below (plus some must-know info about permits and parking). They’re followed by some notes about things we would change and things we were glad we did.
Perhaps it will convince you to do this route. It may help you plan your trip to the park. Or maybe you’ll be more prepared for a trip you already have planned.
Either way, we hope you enjoy our account of this incredible adventure.
Pro Tip: Use this NPS Glacier Backcountry Site Map to plan your trip.
Getting a Permit
Getting a permit is the single hardest part of this entire journey. But don’t let that deter you – it’s 100% worth it!
I entered the backcountry lottery on March 15. And I won a ticket that allowed me to book a spot before backcountry reservations went on sale to the public.
Note: winning a spot in the lottery does not guarantee you a permit. It simply allows you to book something before everyone else.Â
If you don’t get a lottery spot, you’ll have to rely on the availability of booking after general public release day or getting a walk-up permit.
A walk-up permit means getting to the local Ranger Station early the day before and hoping for the best.
Prepare and research multiple itineraries in case you don’t get your first choice.
But fingers crossed you do!
For more information about Glacier National Park Wilderness Permits, see these two pages: Wilderness Camping Advance Reservations and Recreation.Gov.
Getting There (And Back)
There aren’t many ways to get to the Many Glacier area. But before you get there you may need to plan ahead.
Reservations are required to enter Many Glacier. This could be a campground or lodging reservation, a backcountry permit, an activity reservation (like a boat tour), or a road reservation. OR you can enter before 6am or after 3pm without any reservation.
We camped at Many Glacier Campground the day before we started, so we had a reservation that allowed us access.
We drove to the trailhead the morning of our hike. There’s lots of overflow parking at Swiftcurrent Inn, but you should still get there early to secure a spot.
After our hike, we came out 2 miles away from the start point. We started walking along the road with our thumbs out and got picked up within the first 10 minutes.
There are no shuttles in Many Glacier, so plant a car before the hike or hitchhike back to your vehicle.
Ptarmigan Trailhead -> Ptarmigan Tunnel (Day 1 Ascent)
Distance: 5.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,353
You’ll start your hike at the Iceberg/Ptarmigan Tunnel Trailhead (assuming you’re hiking clockwise like we did – but you can go either way!)
It’s a little steep at first, but it quickly flattens out into a gradual incline that’s very manageable.
This portion of the trail is shared with Iceberg Lake, so there will be many day hikers. But don’t worry, most of them won’t be around after the split (which is about 2 miles from the trailhead).
I loved how the views started almost immediately! The morning light was stunning as it hit the surrounding mountains and wildflowers.
Pretty early on, the trail becomes densely forested. There will be a pit toilet – it was surprisingly clean and smelled like cleaning products.
Then there’s Ptarmigan Falls. The falls are beautiful but they are hard to photograph.
The split in the trail appears soon after the toilet and the waterfall.
The trail stays heavily forested after the split.
There will be a steep incline pretty soon – apparently this portion of the trail didn’t qualify for switchbacks because it’s STRAIGHT UP.
It will flatten out again and give you a break up until the push for Ptarmigan Lake.
We stopped at Ptarmigan Lake for snacks and some stretching before the final push to Ptarmigan Tunnel.
These final switchbacks look very intimidating from below, but we flew up them with no trouble. Just make sure you turn around and soak in the view.
This view gave me my first true “jaw-drop” moment on the trail – but believe me when I say there’s more to come.
FUN FACT: Ptarmigan Tunnel was completed in 1930 and is on the National Register of History Places.
Ptarmigan Tunnel -> Elizabeth Lake Foot (Day 1 Descent)
Distance: 4.7 miles
Elevation Loss: 2,636 ft
Coming down from Ptarmigan Tunnel to Elizabeth Lake was one of the biggest highlights of the entire trip.
Not only are the rocks a stunning shade of dark red, but you come around the corner into one of the most stunning views in all of Glacier National Park (see photo below).
To your left is the bright turquoise Helen Lake. It sits in a massive glacial basin with near vertical cliffs on three sides.Â
Moving down the valley you have two glaciers – Ahern Glacier and Old Sun Glacier. The lake you see below is Elizabeth Lake (which is where we camped).
And next, you have the gateway to Belly River on the far right side of the valley below.
This portion of the trail offers incredible views for long periods. It’s a general decline but nothing too steep.
This section gets VERY hot in the afternoon and has ZERO tree cover – we highly recommend avoiding ending up here in the middle of the afternoon, especially if you’re hiking uphill.
The last couple of miles into Elizabeth Lake Foot (ELF) is a little more steep and heavily forested. The brush can be thick at times, and I enjoyed having pants on for this section.
Once the trail finally flattens out, you’ve finally made it to Elizabeth Lake Foot (ELF).
Camping at Elizabeth Lake Foot (ELF) Backcountry Campground
Elizabeth Lake Foot may be one of the top places to camp in the United States (in my humble opinion).
The campground itself isn’t anything to write home about – there’s a dirty vault toilet (BYO TP and LOTS hand sanitizer), a cooking/food prep area with a bear box, and four campsites.
The four campsites weren’t SUPER level or spacious, but we fit two 2-person tents just fine.
The best part of this campground is being right on the shore of Elizabeth Lake. It’s truly a spectacular place!
The colorful rocks rival the famous photos of Lake McDonald (see the photo below – YES the rocks really did look like that), but you get unparalleled seclusion and quiet.
Bald Eagles and Osprey swooped down for fish, elk called to each other in the valley above, and a beaver swam along the shore with fresh willow in its mouth.
Derek fly-fished and caught his first Greyling, along with several other trout that enthusiastically rose to dry flies.
It was one of the most peaceful and recharging backpacking nights of my entire life.
Elizabeth Lake Foot -> Red Gap Pass (Day 2 Ascent)
Distance: 4.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,653 ft
We started the climb by retracing our steps toward Ptarmigan Tunnel for about 2 miles. There is a split in the trail with a sign pointing towards Red Gap Pass and Poia Lake.
Technically, there’s more elevation gain in the first half of this ascent than in the second half, but it felt pretty moderate throughout the day.
The first half was through forest, and the second half was exposed rock that should be avoided in the heat of the summer afternoon.
The switchbacks in the final push to Red Gap Pass gave us a run for our money, but it was some of the most beautiful views of the whole trip.
It was hard to decide what to look at between all the alpine wildflowers, turquoise lakes, mountain goats, and endless steep mountain peaks.
The picture below shows two glaciers behind us (Old Sun on the right and Ahern on the left). You can see why this pass is called “RED” Gap.
Red Gap Pass -> Poia Lake (Day 2 Descent)Â
Distance: 5.6 miles
Elevation Loss: 1,731 ft.
We spent our Day 2 afternoon descending from Red Gap Pass down to Poia Lake.
I would separate this section into three parts:
1) Downhill switchbacks above treeline. There are a couple of stream crossings where you could stock up on water. This is where we encountered a territorial grouse that didn’t want to let us pass.
2) Relatively flat section through a forest. The trees provided great relief from the afternoon sun and we covered good ground. The rest of the trail follows Kennedy Creek, so there are lots of water options here.
3) Open fields similar to the Belly River region. You’re exposed to the sun and there are tall grasses (beware of ticks). This portion is relatively flat as you make the final descent to Poia Lake.
The trail goes alongside and across the foot of the lake before arriving at the campground on the southeast corner.
Camping at Poia Lake Campground
Bring a rope and know how to use it because Poia Lake Campground has a metal pole for hanging your food and smelly things.
And make sure you have a stuff sack for it all since there’s not enough room to hang your entire pack.
Poia Lake Campground has four campsites, a pit toilet, and a food prep/storage area. The four sites are large enough for two tents, but site #1 is more cramped than the others.
The sites are quite close to the lake but do not have a trail down to the water. You’ll retrace your steps on the trail to find the access point a short distance away.
I did go swimming and the water was beautiful and clear. And COLD. But super refreshing after a long 10 mile day.
Pro tip: Fill up water at the outlet of Poia Lake before going to the campground. We initially filled up at the lakeshore, but then we found a leech in our water filter. So we hiked back to the outlet for future refills.
Poia Lake -> Apikuni Falls Trailhead (Day 3)
Distance: 6.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 777 ft
Elevation Loss: 1649 ft
Day 3 on trail was a big uphill followed by a big downhill.
The uphill was mostly forested with nice shade coverage. The downhill was forested with intermittent spectacular wildflower meadows!
We highly recommend heavy-duty bug spray (and maybe even a bug net if you’re a slow poke) for this portion. It was the only time we struggled with biting insects.
It’s about 2.2 miles to the crest, then 4.3 miles downhill. Both the incline and the decline were gradual. So besides being tired from the previous two days, we didn’t ride the struggle bus.
We hitchhiked for the first time to get from Apikuni Falls Trailhead back to our vehicle at Iceberg/Ptarmigan.
It was one of the most beautiful places we could have chosen for losing our hitch-hiking virginity. We got picked up by a lovely couple from Big Fork who even gave us a cold beer! Thanks guys!
NOTE: Fill up with water BEFORE leaving Poia Lake. There are no water crossings and no access to Kennedy Creek after leaving the campground. There is a single water access point as you hike near Swiftcurrent Ridge Lake – but that is all for this entire day.
Things We’re Glad We Did
1) Wore Sun-Protective Long Sleeves and Pants: We were really happy to have good coverage for the overgrown forested portions of the trail, the biting flies, and the very exposed rocky bits. While we were hot at times, we ultimately appreciated the multi-level protection.
2) We collected water at most stream crossings: Even in early July, a lot of the seasonal creeks were hardly flowing (if they were flowing at all). This made it hard to predict our next water source, so we stopped and filled up whenever we had the opportunity. This kept our minds at peace instead of running low on water and stressing about the next water source.
3) We did NOT take the Sherburne Cutoff: We highly recommend avoiding the Sherberne Cutoff even if it may seem tempting. The ranger said they call that trail “The Luge” due to it being straight down and very rocky. She said it wouldn’t ultimately save much time because of the increased difficulty. Plus, the wildflowers near Apikuni TH were so pretty – don’t skip those!
4) I did lots of research: I am the Type-A planner of the relationship, so obviously I took it upon myself to learn as much as possible about the trail and Glacier NP. As with any backpacking trip, this is an essential part of the journey and should never be skipped.
5) Brought swimsuits and pack towels: I swam every day on this trip! So I loved having a swimsuit and towel that dried quickly each night. Life is short – swim in the cold water!
Things We Would Change
1) Add a day to Helen Lake: As we hiked down from Ptarmigan Tunnel, we saw the most incredible alpine lake tucked into the mountains below Ahern Glacier. There’s a backcountry site there, and it would be so awesome to add a day to your itinerary if you had that flexibility.
2) Start hiking earlier: We had a few late starts in the AM, leading to hot afternoons on exposed rocky trail. Start early so you can relax and swim at the lakes instead of suffering on hot rocks.
3) Pack more TP: We didn’t run out of food or water, but we did run out of toilet paper. Pit toilets at each campground made us a little less frugal when it came to spending our supply, leading to a bathroom trip with only 4 squares on the last day.
4 ) Pack more food: We didn’t run out of food, but we didn’t have much left either. If there’s ONE THING you can do to improve your enjoyment while hiking, it’s to fuel properly. So make sure you pack lots of snacks and performance gels/blocks to keep you hydrated and electrolyzed (is that even a word?).
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