Best Hikes in Montana

Montana's hiking ranges from Glacier National Park's legendary high-altitude trails to the remote wilderness of the Bob Marshall and the dramatic Beartooth plateau above Red Lodge.

Glacier National Park: Highline Trail (11.4 miles)
The signature trail of Glacier and one of the most celebrated hikes in America. Beginning at Logan Pass (6,646 ft) on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, the Highline traverses the Garden Wall — a high narrow ridge — with views of the full Glacier landscape. Mountain goats and bighorn sheep are commonly encountered. The trail can be done as a point-to-point with a shuttle back from the Loop trailhead.

Grinnell Glacier Trail (10 miles)
From Many Glacier, this trail climbs through wildflower meadows and past Grinnell Lake to the terminus of Grinnell Glacier — one of the remaining active glaciers in the park. The hike through the moraine field left by the glacier's retreat makes climate change viscerally real. Upper Grinnell Lake's turquoise water (colored by glacial flour) is extraordinary.

Beartooth Plateau Loop (various)
The Beartooth Highway's summit area near the Beartooth Pass trailheads gives access to open tundra plateau hiking above 10,000 feet. Trails lead to isolated alpine lakes in cirques carved by Pleistocene glaciers. The scale and exposure of the plateau make this feel more like Alaska than the lower 48.

Bob Marshall Wilderness: South Fork Sun River
The "Bob" is one of the most remote wilderness areas in the lower 48 — 1.5 million acres with no roads. The Chinese Wall — a 1,000-foot continuous limestone escarpment 22 miles long — is the geological centerpiece. Reaching the Chinese Wall requires a 12-mile hike from Augusta or a multi-day horsepacking trip. Grizzly bears are common.

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness: Beaten Path Trail (28 miles)
A classic multi-day traverse through the Beartooth Range from Cooke City to Red Lodge, crossing 8 passes above 10,000 feet and 28 named lakes. One of the finest backpacking routes in Montana.