Glacier National Park: Scenic Point Trail & Trip to Bowman Lake

About Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park (GNP) is called the ‘crown of the continent’ for a reason. GNP is impossibly scenic, with every turn in the trail providing an amazing view of mountains, jagged peaks, waterfalls, glacier-carved valleys, lakes, wildlife, and, of course, glaciers. The 1.4 million acre park contains some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in the west. These are the views you will never forget! Of the estimated 150 glaciers which existed in the park during the mid-19th century, only 25 active glaciers remained by 2010. Scientists estimate that all the active glaciers may disappear by 2030 if current climate patterns persist.

Our September visit to the park coincided with the Howe Ridge wildfire, which closed portions of the Going-to-the-Sun Road for most of our trip, making travel to some sections of the park more challenging. The devastation of the fires is hard to describe. If you hike in the park for any period of time, you’ll come to a match stick forest ... the remnants of a previous fire.

As a result of the fire we had to make last minute changes to our plans resulting in earlier wake-up times, since hikes in the eastern section of the park now required and extra 2.5-hour drive. We also changed our accommodations, spending half the week in Columbia Falls, MT (west entrance) and the second half in Browning, MT (east entrance). Moving to Browning made it easier to hike the trails in the Saint Mary and Many Glaciers sections of the park.

As a final note, we're not sure whether GNP or Iceland is the most amazing place we've visited. We hiked over 40 miles and barely scratched the surface of GNP.

Howe Ridge Fire from Lake McDonald courtesy of the National Park Service

Activities included in this GNP blog:

• Hike the Scenic Point Trail

• Visit Polebridge Mercantile

• Explore Bowman Lake

Why Hike the Scenic Point Trail in the Two Medicine area

Hiking Scenic Point Trail in GNP offers a steady climb to a broad overlook with clear views of Two Medicine Valley, surrounding peaks, and open alpine terrain. The trail gains elevation gradually, making it a good option for hikers looking for a moderately challenging route without technical difficulty. Along the way, you’ll pass through forest, subalpine meadows, and exposed slopes shaped by glaciation. It’s a straightforward hike with consistent scenery and a rewarding vantage point at the top.

Hike Distance: 7.9 miles

Elevation Gain: 2,350 feet

TrailsNH Hiking Difficulty Calculator: 193 – Strenuous 

Click here to navigate to the TrailsNH website for a description of the hiking difficulty calculator

Let's Start Hiking

Our first hike in GNP offered absolutely breathtaking views. Photos truly don't do it justice, a sentiment we repeated all trip long! The trailhead parking offered a sneak peek of the breathtaking scenery to come.

It was a steep climb right out of the gate.

Here is the view just 30 minutes into the trail.

Gaining altitude and leaving the forest behind us.

Bighorn sheep grazing on the hills.

Krummholz forest of twisted tree trunk along the trail

No words to describe or capture this moment facing Rising Wolf Mountain (right of center) at 9,518 feet and the Two Medicine Valley.

These views of Two Medicine Lake defy description.

The final section of trail traversed alpine tundra. A lone hiker standing on Scenic Point.

Now you know why they call it 'Scenic Point'. The Point rises more than 2000 feet above the valley floor to an elevation of 7500 feet.

A successful hike and amazing start to our trip.

After the hike we drove to Two Medicine Lake. Even in misty and cloudy weather, the view of Sinopah Mountain (8,276 feet) rising above the lake was impressive.

Visit to the Polebridge Mercantile

For our second day in GNP, we drove to Polebridge, MT located in the northwestern section of GNP and stopped at the Mercantile. The 'Merc' is an outpost dating back to the early 1800's and is famous for their huckleberry bear claws and other baked goods.

Welcome to Polebridge, Montana.

The Merc is a well-known stop for simple food and a break from driving rough backroads. Its baked goods, especially huckleberry bear claws, draw visitors, while the setting offers a practical place to rest, refuel, and prepare for exploring the park’s quieter northwest corner.

These huckleberry-filled bear claws are incredibly delicious.

Dave devoured one and couldn't resist ordering another to take with him.

Exploring Bowman Lake

After 'filling up', we drove another 6 miles on unpaved road to Bowman Lake. B

Bowman is located in one of the more remote sections of the park, only 1 in 10 visitors to GNP make it up to Bowman Lake. The effort required to reach Bowman Lake tends to filter out traffic, making the experience feel more deliberate and unhurried. To our amazement, this was the view that greeted us.

The Bowman Lake hike followed the shore for the first mile before heading away from the lake into the surrounding forest. We cut the 2-mile hike short after seeing signs of recent bear activity (a lot of grizzly bear scat) and hearing a pack of wolves howling in the distance. Imagine a horror movie - that's how it sounded!

To avoid surprising any bears, we kept up a loud conversation with a word game. Even so, I hiked back to the car with my bear spray partially unholstered.

Trusty bear spray, never hike in GNP without it. But did you know that drowning is the #1 cause of death among visitors to GNP?

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