Glacier National Park
Established in 1910, Glacier National Park is the “Crown of the Continent,” covering 1,583 square miles of spectacular wilderness in northwestern Montana. Defined by massive glacial action, its landscape features U-shaped valleys, over 700 lakes, and it straddles the Continental Divide. It is home to diverse wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose, and mountain goats. The park is traversed by the iconic, 50-mile-long Going-to-the-Sun Road, offering breathtaking views. With over 700 miles of trails, it provides hiking options for every visitor.
Apikuni Falls Trail
The Apikuni Falls Trail, located within Glacier National Park’s stunning Many Glacier Valley, offers a short but moderate hike on the park’s East Side. The path winds steeply through the forest, providing breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and the valley below. Despite seeing three other cars in the trailhead parking lot, the trail itself was incredibly secluded; we saw no other hikers and experienced no direct wildlife encounters, other than the sound of singing birds – we did spot a lone mountain goat way up on the side of the rock face beside the upper falls. While the ascent to the falls requires effort, the close-up view of the cascading waterfall and the distant mountain peaks opposite the falls make the challenging climb absolutely worthwhile.
Hike Overview
- • Location: Apikuni Falls Trail in Glacier National Park
• Start/Finish: Apikuni Falls Trailhead
• Course Type: out and back
• Course Surface: Packed dirt, gravel, and small rocks
• Distance: 1.86 miles
• Moving Time: 54:15
• Average Pace: 27:33 minute/mile
• Elevation Gain: 694 feet
• Elevation Range: 4,921 to 5,544 feet
• Weather: 60° and mostly sunny
• Date of Hike: July 7, 2025
• Start time: 10:48 AM
Fun Pictures from Along the Way
We enjoyed ample parking in the combined lot for the Apikuni Falls and Poia Lake Trailheads, with only three other cars present upon arrival. Since we didn’t see a soul on the Apikuni Falls path, we assumed the other hikers had set out for the more demanding Poia Lake. This left the entire trail to the falls empty for our group of four.
The trail immediately led us away from the road and deep into the thick forest. This required us to activate our bear bells, maintain continuous loud conversation, and break out our bear song whenever we ran out of something to chat about.
Midway up the steep Apikuni Falls Trail, we found a perfect, natural point of rest. With Sherburne Lake serving as a magnificent backdrop, we caught our breath and took a moment to truly savor the view we had worked so hard to earn.
As we approached the final ascent, the trail became distinctly more rugged. The path turned barren and scree-filled, leading directly toward the falls visible in the distance. This rocky, immediate view looking toward the base of the waterfall was a striking contrast to the lush, majestic mountains spreading out behind us.
The final scramble up involved navigating a few large rocks, but the reward was immediate. We stepped into a unique vantage point, positioned perfectly between the upper and lower cascades of the falls. From here, we were treated to a breathtaking 360-degree panorama: the immediate rush of the waterfalls, the dramatic, barren rock-face walls towering above, the deep green of the evergreen forests, and the majestic distant mountains closing out the horizon.
Making our descent back off the mountain was much quicker and less strenuous than the climb up. The trail, though still steep and rocky in spots, felt easier on our legs, allowing us to pick up the pace.
The trailside was dotted with cheerful bursts of color from beautiful wildflowers, including Indian Paintbrush, Beebalm, and Penstemon. Remarkably, even along the mostly barren, scree-filled section of the upper trail, the beautiful purple Penstemon managed to survive and brighten the rocky landscape. Equally lovely, the beautiful coral Indian Paintbrush and fuzzy pink Beebalm stood out against the lush green on the lower slopes.
We paused to admire the magnificent Sherburne Lake spread out below us, framed by the sheer walls of the Many Glacier Valley. The lake’s distinctive turquoise-green waters created a striking, vibrant contrast against the dark green forests. From this altitude, the view was completely panoramic, reminding us exactly why the moderate, steep effort of the hike had been completely worth the visual reward of seeing the heart of the valley laid out before us.
As we continued along the wooded slope of the lower trail, we immediately reverted to our established bear protocol: ensuring the bells were jingling and maintaining continuous conversation to alert any nearby wildlife to our presence.
Making our way back down the final slope, we soon emerged from the dense woods and into the wide-open clearing near the trailhead, concluding another fantastic and rewarding hike in Glacier National Park.
Garmin Stats
Garmin map and elevation graph…
Final Thoughts on Our Apikuni Falls Trail Hike
This hike truly solidified its place as a Glacier favorite. Despite the steep climb, the effort was instantly forgotten when we were rewarded with the stunning panoramic views of Sherburne Lake and the dramatic 360-degree vista from between the falls. The feeling of solitude we found in the popular Many Glacier Valley, coupled with the spectacular scenery, makes this a truly must-do trek. We would recommend hiking the Apikuni Falls Trail without hesitation.
Questions
- • What’s the hardest (or steepest) hike you’ve ever completed that felt absolutely worth every bit of effort once you reached the summit or the viewpoint? ~ Our hike up Cascade Canyon Trail to Lake Solitude in the Tetons while on our honeymoon was much longer and harder, and that view was stunning as well!
- • What’s the most unusual or memorable vantage point – like behind a waterfall or from a narrow mountain perch – you’ve encountered while exploring? ~ Because I’m so risk adverse these days, I don’t recall a recent unusual vantage point. Looking back at photos from hiking to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park in 1981, there are pictures of me next to the arch where I didn’t dare stand when we returned in 2018.
- • Have you visited Montana or Glacier National Park? ~ This was our second visit to Montana, our first to Glacier.
This looks like a beautiful trail with some strenuous parts but still very doable. I really like forest trails like this but in the US it seems dangerous! Are bear bells and singing reliable enough to keep bears away?
I’m just getting into hiking and have been chickened out from trails many times as I’ve told you before, but one of my best experiences in Italy this year was walking to the hermitage of San Bartolomeo near Roccamorice. We did the short walk, there is also a longer walk from the village. The trail was easy to begin with but became VERY tricky with rocks and steep downhills and then the old stone steps to get down to the hermitage. I was so proud of myself afterwards so now I want to do more of it.
Bear bells and talking loudly let the bears know you’re around so you don’t suddenly surprise them. Hopefully, when they hear you coming they’ll mosey out of the way, but if they’re surprised they may react in a defensive way.
I just looked up hiking to the Hermitage of San Bartolomeo in Legio and it sounds like a hike my husband and I would love to do, but I might be a little nervous on certain sections. Kudos to you for doing it!
This trail served up everything: solitude, scenery, and just enough “are-we-sure-there-aren’t-bears?” tension to keep things interesting.
Those views from the vantage point between the cascades are spectacular.
My steepest hike would be the Table Mountain. You cover about 700m (2’200ft) over a very short distance. The views are worth it, though!
You would have loved this hike, Catrina! It was one of my favorites while in Glacier for all the reasons you mention.
Your Table Mountain hike sounds tough, but the tough hikes usually have the best views.
Oh how gorgeous!
I don’t really have access to too many hiking trails with great views, but I do remember the beauty of some of the peaks in Acadia National Forest, as well as some lookouts in San Francisco. I wish I could do more summits.
That’s a good point about not having good views on your hikes in Florida. We loved Acadia National Park when we were there a few years ago. Did you go up to watch the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain?
This is so, so beautiful! And you didn’t see any other hikers? I can see why this was a favorite- the waterfall, the lake, the flowers… it’s all stunning.
I would imagine all the noise you made was plenty to keep the bears away. I’ve heard of runners listening to music or podcasts out loud (as opposed to with headphones) on remote trails for the same reason.
I had not heard about runners listening to music/podcasts out loud versus with headphones to alert bears of their presence, but it certainly makes sense.