Nature Walk & Float

Let’s Go For a Couple of Short, Easy Nature Walks in Glacier National Park

Enjoy a ride in our van through the Lake McDonald Valley on the way to our Nature Walks in Glacier. Then, we take a leisurely walk on a .6 mile paved path to the McDonald Creek Oxbow – 1.2 mile round trip. Next, enjoy vistas into the park from the Camas Road. We’ll stop at several viewpoints, such as McGee Meadows and McDonald Creek. Finally, we end up at the Wild and Scenic North Fork of the Flathead River. There, we walk the Forest and Fire Nature Trail for about 1.1 miles.

What is provided on the Glacier Nature Walk and Float?

Interpretive Guide with first aid kit and bear spray, van transport, snacks, hiking poles.

Nature Walk in Glacier Itinerary

Times are approximate!

Meet your guide at our West Glacier office at 9:30 am. Next, your guide will do a quick orientation, check your gear, and go over last minute details. We drive into Glacier National Park via the West Glacier entrance, 1 mile from our office. Don’t forget your park pass!

Lake McDonald Valley

Once in Glacier, we will walk 1.2 miles round trip through the Lake McDonald Valley. This is a glaciated valley, and we will walk on the terminal glacial moraine that dams Lake McDonald. This area is characterized by lodgepole pine forest left from a 1927 fire. You’ll delight in seeing the aquamarine waters that flow from Lake McDonald. Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for this valley’s resident beaver and moose!

The Forest and Fire Nature Trail

Next, we’ll load up in our van and continue our adventure by driving the short distance to Glacier’s North Fork Valley. Along the way, we’ll stop at various viewpoints until we reach the Wild and Scenic North Fork of the Flathead River. Here, we’ll take another short, easy walk on The Forest and Fire Nature Trail. This 1.1 mile loop weaves in and out of new growth lodgepole pine and aspen forest.

The Forest and Fire Nature Trail area burned in 1967 and again in the 2001 Moose Creek Fire. There are beautiful views and fantastic opportunities for interpretation along this loop. You will learn about a variety of tree and plant species, fire impacts, and wildlife inhabitants along the river corridor. Views include Glacier National Park, the North Fork of the Flathead River, and the Flathead National Forest.

This nature walk in Glacier is easy but not completely flat: the trail climbs gains and loses about 180 vertical feet in elevation.

Early Afternoon: Glacier Nature Walk and Float Lunchtime!

After we’re done walking, we’ll return along the same route by van to the Glacier Guides and Montana Raft office. As we drive, be sure to ask your guide any remaining questions that you might have. Our guides are passionate and have encyclopedic knowledge about Glacier National Park — no matter your level of hiking experience, we promise they’ll teach you something new. You’ll end the day knowing more about Glacier National Park than you ever expected!

Typically, we return to the Glacier Guides and Montana Raft office no later than 1:00 PM. A delicious, homemade sack lunch will be waiting for you. We like to eat, and eat well. Our kitchen sources locally and organically whenever possible. Enjoy our shaded pavilion while you eat, and volleyball, gift shop, and free Wi-Fi between trips! You will have an extended lunch break of about 1.5 hours until you’ll meet for the rafting portion of your trip at 2:30 pm.

After your Nature Walk in Glacier National Park, enjoy an extended lunch break of about 1.5 hours and then a Wild and Scenic raft trip on Glacier National Park’s Middle Fork of the Flathead River. We like to eat, and eat well. Our kitchen sources locally and organically whenever possible. Enjoy our shaded pavilion while you eat, and volleyball, gift shop, and free Wi-Fi between trips! You’ll have about a 1.5 hour break between trips until 2:30 when it’s time to head to the life jacket pavilion to get geared up for the scenic float which leaves at 3:00.

Glacier Nature Walk and Float

This Glacier National Park rafting trip will take you down the scenic section of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, from West Glacier to Blankenship Bridge. This river forms Glacier National Park’s southwestern border. If you would like to explore this gorgeous Wild and Scenic designated river, but are not interested in a whitewater adventure, then this mellow Glacier National Park Scenic Float Trip is for you! Learn more about Glacier Park, historical and cultural considerations, flora and fauna, environmental concerns, river ecology, and much, much more. Next, soak in gorgeous views of Glacier National Park from its stunning Wild and Scenic border river, the Middle Fork Flathead.

Meet your guide at life jacket pavilion by 2:30 and get fitted for lifejackets and any other necessary equipment. Next, if you have an epi-pen or other medication, your guide can stow it safely for you in a dry bag. At 3:00 PM, take a short bus ride — approximately 5 minutes — to the river put in. Finally, your guide will launch the boat and you’ll be floating down the stunning Wild and Scenic Middle Fork of the Flathead River!

Next, you’ll pass through a steep, walled canyon. Views from river right are of Glacier National Park. A highlight is passing through where the Middle and North Forks of the Flathead River come together to form the southern tip of Glacier National Park. Finally, your guide will take the raft out of the water just past the confluence, at Blankenship Bridge. From there, it’s about a 15 minute bus ride back to where you started.