The Highline Trail, Glacier National Park

On our second day at Glacier National Park, Matt and I woke at 4am, pulled on our warmest hiking gear, grabbed breakfast, and drove into the park right at dawn. Our plan was to hike half of the Highline Trail that morning. Due to its popularity, we knew we had to get an early start to get a parking spot. We arrived at the Logan Pass parking lot and visitor center around 6am, and the lot was already filling up.

The Highline Trail is 15.2 miles round trip, and guide books rate it as “strenuous.” Because the trail has reached almost folkloric levels of fame in the hiking zeitgeist for its exposed trail, I was a bit nervous. Matt and I agreed that we would hike until we wanted to turn around–no pressure to complete the entire hike. The first quarter mile for the parking lot into lush green meadows was deceptively pleasant. We started out in a fairly long line of other hikers, all masked-up to comply with the park’s COVID-19 requirements.

The Ledge

Too soon, we were at the part of the trail that I had secretly dreaded: the ledge that has a reputation for terrifying those with a fear of heights. The ledge hangs like a shelf along the Garden Wall, a section of the park that has hundred-foot drop-offs to the Going-to-the-Sun Road below. In most places the ledge was only six feet in width, making it difficult to pass other people, especially with COVID and its 6-feet restrictions looming in the background.

The segment only lasts for three-tenths of a mile, and there was a hand cable along part of the trail to help anyone with a fear of heights. It wasn’t as scary as I had imagined, so long as I didn’t look down at the cars passing beneath us.

The Garden Wall

The next section of the trail was my favorite. From the cliffside, the trail continued to hug the slopes of the Garden Wall. To our west, we could see Heaven’s Peak in the distance. In late August, the trail was overflowing with wildflowers of every color and variety.

We encountered bees, deer, and mountain goats on this portion of the trail. On our return journey, we would encounter a group of boys who had actually been attacked by a mountain goat! One of the boys had had the sense of mind to spray the goat with his bear mace before the animal could knock them off the trail. After the incident, we could see the wily mountain goat causing chaos far above on a slab of ice and snow. His coat was striped with orange bear mace.

It felt like we were walking through an English garden. At some points, the trail passed through thick woods, and the flowers would fade into waterfalls or granite slabs. At other times, we’d emerge from a thick spray of flowers to see the sun starting to hit the mountains west of us. By this point in our hike, it was only seven in the morning.

About 2.5 miles from Logan Pass where we started, the sloping Garden Wall began to shallow out and the views were unobstructed in every direction. Due to the nature of the narrow trail (making it nearly impossible to pass other hikers), we found ourselves consistently hiking behind and in front of the same hikers. Because of this, we made friends from various parts of the country and around the world–Spain, France, Michigan, & California.

The Sun Rises

Around eight in the morning, the sun rose above the mountains at our backs, and suddenly the fields were flooded with color. We began our first major climb of the day, a short section of trail that takes hikers up to Haystack Pass. In the distance, we spotted shaggy white mountain goats waking up.

We had hiked about 3.6 miles and climbed 275 feet up one long switchback to reach Haystack Pass. The pass formed a saddle between the 7,486-foot Haystack Butte and the Garden Wall. We took this moment to sit and enjoy the panoramic views and have a snack. With the sun rising, we had to shed clothing and Matt got to carry it all in our day pack.

The Way Back

From Haystack Pass, the trail continues to climb along the Garden Wall before it starts descending towards Granite Park. We had about 3 more miles of hiking to reach the end, and decided to turn around at Haystack Pass instead of continuing further.

The way back was sunny and far more crowded. We had to stop several times to let incoming hikers pass and make room on the narrow trail to accommodate COVID restrictions. At one point, we found ourselves hiking with a family when we spotted a trio of deer–a mother and two fawns. The deer walked along the trail in front of us for half a mile as we followed, making sure to keep a safe distance. At one point, the deer family got separated from each other and our group of hikers democratically decided to park it on the trail for fifteen minutes until the animals could be reunited with each other. It was a really special moment to watch the children in our group admonish other hikers to make way for the deer.

On our second pass of the Ledge, I was tired and therefore fearless. It didn’t feel as scary as it had the first time. I think it was a good lesson in how the mind can overhype things. I have a tendency to make future events seem big and scary in my mind; once I actually get around to doing the thing I’m scared of, it’s not nearly as terrifying as I had imagined.

The Highline Trail is probably my favorite trail I’ve ever hiked, apart from the Torres Hike in Torres del Paine. The trail was challenging but beautiful. It offered stunning views, wildflowers, animal sightings, and a chance to make friends along the journey.