How long does the Highline Trail take?

Most hikers take six to eight hours for the 11.8 miles from Logan Pass to The Loop with the chalet stop, longer with the Grinnell Glacier Overlook spur. The out-and-back to Haystack Butte is a shorter taste at the same height.

Can I hike it without a shuttle?

Only as an out-and-back from Logan Pass within the parking limit, or starting from The Loop and climbing 2,200 feet to the chalet first. The through-hike needs the park's ticketed shuttle from The Loop back to Logan Pass or down to Apgar.

Is the ledge dangerous?

The trail is well built and the exposed stretch past the pass has a hand cable, but it is a cliffside path with a long drop. The park's advice is to stay on the trail, keep children close and turn around if snow still covers it.

Do you guide the Highline?

No. Guided hiking inside the park is limited by permit. Our guided day hikes run on named trails in the Flathead National Forest next to the park, and our shuttles get you to the park's trailheads with the parking solved.

The cliffs of the Garden Wall above Going-to-the-Sun Road

The Highline Trail

Glacier's most famous day on foot: along the Garden Wall from Logan Pass to Granite Park Chalet, then down to The Loop. Here is how it adds up and how to get there.

The Highline Trail leaves the Continental Divide sign at Logan Pass, 6,646 feet up, and follows the Garden Wall north with the valley of Going-to-the-Sun Road a thousand feet below your boots. It is the hike people fly in for, and in July and August it is among the park's ten busiest trails, hundreds of hikers a day.

It is inside Glacier National Park, so we do not guide it. What we can do is tell you exactly what it takes, get you to the park with the parking solved, and offer the near-Glacier hikes that give you the same mountains without the Logan Pass scramble.

Distances and rules from the park service, checked October 21, 2026

The Hike in Numbers

Leg	Distance	Elevation	Trailhead
Logan Pass to Granite Park Chalet	7.6 miles one way	800 feet of gain	Continental Divide sign, Logan Pass
Granite Park Chalet down to The Loop	4.2 miles	2,200 feet of descent	Ends at The Loop on Going-to-the-Sun Road
The classic through-hike	11.8 miles	800 up, 2,200 down	Logan Pass to The Loop, shuttle back
Swiftcurrent Pass to the chalet from Many Glacier	7.6 miles one way	2,300 feet of gain	Swiftcurrent Trailhead, Many Glacier
Hidden Lake Overlook, the short option	1.4 miles one way	460 feet of gain	Logan Pass Visitor Center

The first stretch past the pass crosses a ledge with a hand cable; it is wide enough, but people with a fear of heights should know it is there. The Grinnell Glacier Overlook spur climbs steeply off the main trail near the chalet and is worth the extra hour when it is open.

Getting to Logan Pass in 2026

Parking at Logan Pass was limited to three hours in 2026, which rules out a through-hike from your own car. The park's answer was the ticketed Logan Pass shuttle: $1 on Recreation.gov, released 60 days ahead and again at 7 pm the night before, express from Apgar Visitor Center, Lake McDonald Lodge, St. Mary Visitor Center and Rising Sun, July 1 to September 7. The Loop is a pickup stop for Highline hikers, westbound to Apgar from 11 am to 8 pm, with a 30-minute ride back up to Logan Pass for anyone parked on the east side. Arrive 30 minutes before your ticket time.

The park said visitors planning the Highline or Granite Park Chalet from Logan Pass must obtain a shuttle ticket.
The last shuttle leaves Logan Pass at 7:30 pm westbound and 8 pm eastbound; the park warns there is no other ride back.
Apgar to Logan Pass takes about 90 minutes on the shuttle; St. Mary to Logan Pass about 60.
The Loop has restrooms and no drinking water.

When It Opens

Trails over the Continental Divide are typically snow-free by late July; early-season hikers meet steep snowfields the park says need an ice axe.
The park closes the trail for snow in the fall and for bears at any time; both show on the trail status page each morning.
Bears are most active in September and October; hike in a group and carry bear spray.
Weather at the pass runs 10 to 15 degrees cooler than West Glacier; pack a shell and a warm layer even in August.

How We Fit In

In the spring car-free weeks our e-bike tour and bike shuttle put you on the upper road below the Garden Wall, the same cliffs the Highline walks along, with the trail itself still under snow. In summer, our guided day hikes are in the Flathead National Forest next to the park: named trails, lunch, bear safety and a guide who knows them, with no permit and no Logan Pass parking. If the Highline is the day you came for, do it with the park shuttle and let us take care of a different day: the Many Glacier shuttle drops you for Grinnell Glacier or Iceberg Lake with the parking handled.

Trips That Pair With It

Guided

Good to Know

How long does the Highline Trail take?: Most hikers take six to eight hours for the 11.8 miles from Logan Pass to The Loop with the chalet stop, longer with the Grinnell Glacier Overlook spur. The out-and-back to Haystack Butte is a shorter taste at the same height.
Can I hike it without a shuttle?: Only as an out-and-back from Logan Pass within the parking limit, or starting from The Loop and climbing 2,200 feet to the chalet first. The through-hike needs the park's ticketed shuttle from The Loop back to Logan Pass or down to Apgar.
Is the ledge dangerous?: The trail is well built and the exposed stretch past the pass has a hand cable, but it is a cliffside path with a long drop. The park's advice is to stay on the trail, keep children close and turn around if snow still covers it.
Do you guide the Highline?: No. Guided hiking inside the park is limited by permit. Our guided day hikes run on named trails in the Flathead National Forest next to the park, and our shuttles get you to the park's trailheads with the parking solved.

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