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Print Friendly MapThe Gateway to Glacier Trail is an asphalt paved trail that allows the rider to ride from Hungry Horse to West Glacier, which is a small community just outside the west entrance of Glacier National Park. The vast majority of the trail is a dedicated multi-use trail, but at a couple of points it briefly does double duty as a sidewalk and in two cases it utilizes a seldom used asphalt road. It is great for a training run, a quick day ride, or for those traveling cross country on their way to Glacier National Park it’s a nice break from having to travel on the shoulder of a somewhat busy Hwy 2.
A short, one-mile extension was built in 2020 in the nearby community of Columbia Falls along Highway 2, although this portion of the trail is not yet connected to the main route.
In any of the above cases you are never far from services, so if you need to refuel and recharge, such amenities are always close at hand. If you are riding cross country and are headed to Glacier National Park, there are several opportunities for you to camp prior to arriving at GNP too.
If you are accessing the trail from the southern end of the main route in Hungry Horse, take a right off of Hwy 2 onto the first street you come to located on the right, which is South Fork Drive. Having done that, make an immediate left onto Hungry Horse Boulevard. Ahead of you, you will see a large paved parking lot; park on the grassy side of the parking lot anywhere between South Fork Drive and Mountain Drive. The conveniences and accommodations on this main street through Hungry Horse (and for the next 10 miles) are too numerous to mention here — let’s just say that you will never be far from your next bottle of water, pint of beer, bed, or campground.
The Gateway to Glacier Trail crosses Hwy 2 from the south side to the north side just as you enter the town of Coram. This crossover takes place at Hwy 2 and Seville Lane.
During your ride to Glacier, there are 2 deviations from the Gateway to Glacier Trail worth mentioning. One of those comes between mile marker 147 & 148 and the other between mile marker 151 & 152. In each case the path utilizes a seldom used stretch of Old Hwy 2 and requires that you travel 7/10 of a mile on each before rejoining the bike path.
As you come down the final hill you will see a sign for Glacier National Park on your right that indicates that GNP will be your next left turn. Trail users can continue on the path and it will turn into a concrete sidewalk that curves left and then goes under the Gateway-Glacier Park railroad bridge. Ahead of you you will see the little community of West Glacier. Continue down the sidewalk until you are in West Glacier, dismount, take a break and enjoy something to eat and drink at one of the local establishments.
Southern end: In Hungry Horse, turn off of Hwy 2 on to Southfork Drive. You will see a large paved parking lot between you and Hwy 2, park on the grassy side of the parking lot anywhere between Southfork Drive and Mountain Drive.
Northern end: Exit Hwy 2 and enter the community of West Glacier. Park in the paved lot next to the Travel Alberta West Glacier Visitor's center located at 125 Going-To-The-Sun Rd, West Glacier, MT.
Parked in front of the Dam Town Tavern in Hungry Horse and rode from there. (Stay on the right side of road until Coram then switch to left side.) The trail description on TrailLink is pretty accurate plus the trail is easy to follow. Started ride on Sunday morning early, certainly is traffic on highway but not terrible, no other trail users on the way out but did see a few on the return. Trail is in good condition, generally wide and smooth surface. It is gradual uphill for the first 6 miles, didn’t really seem like it with except for a couple steep hills. At West Glacier end of trail continued on into Glacier NP on the bike path from park headquarters area to Apgar. Ended up using all my battery power by time of return to Hungry Horse, total of 30 miles. Normally, can go further on the battery but without realizing how much uphill the first part used more battery. Enjoyed the early morning ride with the real treat of riding into Glacier NP and Apgar. Trail does continue a short distance from center of Hungry Horse to the west and across the South Fork.
We have e-bikes (Pedego) and it was beautiful! Definitely more uphill from the start to Glacier but downhill most the way back. It was a bit tricky sticking to finding the trails off the highway but we did it. Loads of fun!
We rode early in the season which meant there was much less road noise than normal. That also meant the trail hadn’t been cleared yet. Lots of debris and pea gravel left over from melting snow. Lots of piled snow on the trail near access roads, not great for me on my road bike but my husband had no trouble with his hybrid. Beautiful wide trail with hills that get you breathing hard without killing you.
Trail is smooth and hills are not steep. Nice mountain scenery, the only downside is the traffic noise.
The trail is basically uphill going from Hungary Horse toward Glacier, so the ride back to Hungary Horse is fast and easy.
I rode this trail a couple of days ago. It is very hilly so if you not used to riding hills beware. In addition, the trail is right beside a busy highway to Glacier National Park so it can be quite noisy. The scenery is beautiful and well worth the ride.
As noted, this is an 11-mike one way trail along the highway, which is busy in the summer months. It does veer off onto old route 2 a few times, past camps & resorts, tucked away from commercial route 2. Well maintained, with stunning scenery along the way, this trail suffices for our quest of “Cycling the 50” states.
This is not a trail you pick for the scenery, although views along this highway are nice. The description in TrailLink is accurate, from what I can tell. I was very happy to have this trail to do. My husband needed to take a break and get some things done at our RV, which left me free to ride, and this trail was perfect. I could get in as many miles as I wanted and I did 40. It wasn't that easy - some nice long and a bit challenging hills made it interesting. If you just want a trail that will give you some nice miles this is great. I am really, really happy it was here. Thank you!
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