Hidden Lake

By car: From Browning, Montana, USA, follow the 89W to Saint Mary. At Saint Mary, turn left onto Going-to-the-Sun Road or Glacier Road to Logan Pass. Park at the Logan's Pass Visitor Centre.

(S/E) The hike to Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park starts on the west side of the visitor centre. Go behind the visitor centre building, climb the stairs and keep right to take the Hidden Lake Trail.

(1) Continue on a paved path that continues as an elevated walkway, allowing you to admire the hanging gardens carpeted with wildflowers in the summer. Continue west towards Mount Clements for one kilometre.

(2) Climb a few steps and head southwest towards Hidden Lake Pass with Bearhat Mountain in front of you. After a short climb up the south side of Mount Clements, the trail levels out and reaches an intersection.

(3) Leave the ascending trail on your left and, 50 m further on, reach Hidden Lake Pass (altitude 2,180 m). After a slight descent, you will reach the lake viewpoint, which offers a magnificent panorama.

(4) Continue and, further on, descend gently (south-west) towards the glacial lake, then take a path that skirts the steep south face of Mont Cléments. At an altitude of 2,080 m, the path turns south and winds down a few hairpin bends to a beach (altitude 1,950 m) equipped with toilets.

(4) Retrace your steps to return to the car park (S/E).

Route description
The route follows a wide, marked trail.

Bring a waterproof windbreaker, as the weather is often unpredictable. This route is very busy and parking spaces are limited for late arrivals.

Early in the morning, you may see mountain goats and bighorn sheep along the trail.
The Hidden Lake viewpoint offers a superb view of the surrounding mountains.
To the south-west, at the foot of Hidden Lake, is Bearhat Mountain; to the west is Cannon Mountain; to the south is Fusillade Mountain; and to the south-west is Gunsight Mountain and its Sperry Glacier.