Hiking Glacier National Park In Early July

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Hi! I am hoping that you can give me some advice about day hiking in Glacier in early July.

Every trip that I have taken to Glacier has been in August when all of Glacier National Park’s hiking trails were open/clear of snow.

I was so excited to be able to get back to Glacier this year that I stupidly wasn’t thinking about snow when I booked our trip for July 1 to 5.

Two of my favorite hikes in the park are Dawson Pass and Siyeh Pass and I was hoping to do at least one of these hikes on our upcoming trip.

Do you know if there is any possibility that these trails will be open in early July?

If so, are we going to need to bring special equipment like crampons or do you think hiking poles will be sufficient?

If these trails may not be open, can you recommend any other day hikes that will get us up to alpine level during that time of year?

Thanks so much for any advice that you can give.

Answer

Hi Heather,

Great question and you have great taste in hiking trails 🙂

Siyeh Bend is my favorite day hike in Glacier. Typically, Siyeh opens in early July.

But then again, you never know with Glacier National Park. For example, just the other day Logan Pass got another 6 inches of snow. 6 inches in late June!

I can say with near certainty that Dawson-Pitamakan will be closed in early July this year (2010). Two Medicine is just under too much snow.

If Siyeh is open, hiking poles should suffice–however, I’d also recommend buying an ice axe just to be safe.

A few years back I hiked Siyeh in early July. The front-side was clear of snow but the backside was just a giant snowbank.

We decided to slide down the snow on our butts. Not the most brilliant idea in hindsight, but it sure was a lot of fun!

Below is my list of other hikes to consider–but keep in mind, if high elevation hikes are closed due to snow pack, that these suggest hiking trails will likely be closed, too.

Other hikes to consider:

• Brown Pass
• Gunsight Lake & Florence Falls (gorgeous in late June/early July due to snowfall runoff)
• Iceberg Lake
• Ptarmigan Tunnel
• Dawn Mist Falls

Please be sure to stop by and let me know how your Glacier National Park vacation goes!