The landscape around the small town of Seeley Lake is dotted with a ton of lakes, making this an incredible area to spot wildlife, camp, hike, and get out on the water. Glacier Lake is one of the popular hikes in this area of Montana because of the lake’s rugged beauty and fairly easy and short hike to reach it. But don’t stop there! Continue up the mountain to reach the beautiful Crescent and Heart Lakes. Between hiking through this pretty area, picking huckleberries, and relaxing on the shores of the lakes, this hike makes a great full-day adventure. Here are the trail details.

Getting to the Glacier Lake Trailhead

Seeley Lake is the nearest town to the Glacier Lake trailhead. It takes around an hour to reach the trailhead from town.

From Seeley Lake, head north on MT-83 for just over 22 miles. Turn left onto Kraft Creek Road. This road soon turns into a dirt forest road. It is fairly well-maintained, but there are some potholes here and there and the road is very narrow in spots with blind curves, so use a little extra caution. There are some turnoffs straying from the main road, but when in doubt, stick to the left. Google Maps doesn’t navigate to the trailhead properly and service is spotty, so we’d recommend downloading maps for the area just in case you need to find your way with the satellite view. But overall, there are some signs along the road and it isn’t too hard to find your way.

The road dead ends into a dirt lot with restrooms and some informational signs. On busy summer days, this lot can fill up, and you may have to park off the side of the road leading to the parking area.

Fees & Regulations

This trail sits in Flathead National Forest. There are no fees to park or hike here.

Pets are permitted. This is a popular area to backcountry camp – know all fire and food storage regulations before you head out, respect restoration signs, and note that camping is not permitted within 1/4mi of Glacier Lake.

Check out the Forest Service page for the area for updates and more info.

Hiking to Glacier Lake, Crescent Lake, & Heart Lake

Hike Overview

Hike Type: Moderate out-and-back trail

Distance: 9.2 miles (14.8km) – including the detour to Glacier Lake

Duration: 3-4.5 hours

The Hike

From the Glacier Lake trailhead, the path winded through a wooded area and along a creek. Soon, we crossed a river via a wooden bridge and there was another creek crossing soon after. The second crossing doesn’t have a bridge, so you’ll have to make your way across by hopping from stone to stone or walk through shin-high water if it’s deeper. Other times, it’s mostly dry.

In less than a mile, we reached a trail junction. If you want to visit Glacier Lake, head down the left fork. You’ll reach the lake in 0.3 miles. We chose to visit Glacier Lake first before many people arrived. The trails are well-marked.

The view from where the trail meets the shore was truly beautiful with tall peaks towering over the lake and a rocky face with water running down it across the way. This is a great spot for a swim, just use caution on the sunken trees near the shore.

After relaxing at Glacier Lake, we made our way back to the junction with the Heart Lake Trail and continued. From here, the trail goes up the hillside. It’s not too steep, but the switchbacks are a steady incline for a while. This is the most difficult part of the hike, but there were pretty viewpoints along the way to catch our breath at. During some parts of the year there are also tons of huckleberries along the trail too!

Towards the top of the switchbacks, the trail became narrow with thick brush on either side. As we neared Crescent Lake, the mosquitoes were swarming us. Crescent Lake is tucked in a small valley with woods surrounding it. There are some rocky viewpoints along the trail, but we didn’t stop at any of them for too long because of the bugs.

We hustled through this section of trail, and the bugs seemed to lessen as we left the thicker trees. The trail continued up the basin for just a little while longer before running into Heart Lake. This lake is also incredibly stunning with rugged peaks jutting up across the lake. There was still a bit of snow dotting the cliffsides.

After eating our lunch and hanging out at Heart Lake for a while, we headed back down to the car the way we came.

What to Bring

Water

Food: Snacks to refuel during your hike. There are many beautiful spots to enjoy a packed lunch as well! Please pack out all your trash.

Bear Spray: This is bear country! Bring your bear spray and know how to use it.

Bug Spray: We encountered some flies along the entirety of the hike both times we’ve hiked this trail. But they weren’t too bad. However, the mosquitoes near Crescent Lake were horrible, so bring along the bug spray!

Hiking Shoes: This trail is rocky in some sections, so bring along comfortable hiking shoes with good tread. There are also river crossings, so be prepared to take off your shoes or wear shoes that can get wet if the water level is too high to hop over on the rocks.

Mini First Aid Kit: An item we always bring along just in case.

Camera: In case you want to capture your adventure or any of the wildlife you may see.

Additional Gear: For if you want to camp in the backcountry or fish or swim at the various lakes.

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