For many Glacier visitors, this relatively straightforward hike is the one occasion in which they step out of their cars and take a sniff of the sweet-scented alpine air for which the area is famous. Starting at the busy Logan Pass Visitor Center, the hike ascends gradually along a raised boardwalk (with steps) through expansive alpine meadows replete with monkey-flower and pink laurel.
Just before you reach the overlook itself, you cross the Continental Divide – probably without realizing it – before your first stunning glimpse of deep-blue Hidden Lake (and a realization of what all the fuss is about).
Hearty souls continue on to Hidden Lake via a 1.5-mile trail from the overlook, steeply descending 765ft. Sans this detour, it’s an easy-to-moderate, 3.2-mile hike. Allow about two hours.
