Granite Park Chalet via Highline Trail, Grinnell Glacier Overlook, and Swiftcurrent Lookout

Yesterday, we had the adventure of a lifetime. At the suggestion of my aunt Kim, we booked an overnight reservation at the Granite Park Chalet, which is basically a glorified hikers’ hostel in the middle of Glacier National Park. In order to get to the chalet, we hiked nearly 8 miles out via the Highline Trail. The beginning of the trail is a little intense in that you’re basically walking along a cliff edge. The trail is not *too* narrow in that section, and they have a cable secured to the rock wall for those people (like me) who want to hold on for dear life. So it’s not really *that* bad. But it definitely got the juices flowing at 7:30 a.m.

I’m really glad that part was at the beginning, because I was sort of dreading it. I was happy to experience/survive it and enjoy the rest of the hike, which had phenomenal views. In all the places we’ve been, and all the hikes we’ve done, this is probably one of our favorites.

While we both enjoyed the views, it was a bit of a struggle with our overnight packs – for Phil especially, since he had the bulk of our food/clothing – so we were relieved to arrive at the chalet and drop off our gear.

At the Granite Park Chalet, we reserved bedding/linens. (Some people pack in their own.) You also have the option of ordered freeze-dried food, but we brought our own since Amazon had better prices. (However, Phil paid the difference in sweat by being our pack mule.) The room was simple but *actually* quite nice, considering that these accommodations are in the middle of nowhere. (They literally bring mules up a hiking trail to get their supplies delivered.)

However, our day did not end with the Highline Trail and our arrival at the chalet. We managed to knock out the Grinnell Glacier Overlook, which is a short but super steep trail overlooking the Grinnell Glacier, which we had hiked up to earlier this week. Look at how blue that water is! (There is a mineral in the water from the glacier that absorbs all colors except the blue.) And then, when I was totally exhausted at 2 p.m., ready to rest my feet, we had this crazy notion that we would attempt a 4-mile round trip hike (1,700+ feet elevation gain) up to Swiftcurrent Lookout. It was strenuous and steep, but the views were the best we’ve ever had in our lifetime – totally worth it. (We’ll upload a video of the Swiftcurrent Lookout as soon as we’re able to.)

After all this hiking, we were starving. We had a shared kitchen where we prepared our freeze-dried meals of lasagna, Italian pepper steak with rice, and raspberry crumble. (Just add boiling water – water which Phil had to trek down a trail to retrieve from a treated water tank – and stir.) This was my first freeze-dried meal, and it was not too bad, almost good really, especially since we had hiked nearly 15+ miles and were very hungry. I would eat them again (Mountain House brand), which is fortunate, because I have a few more freeze-dried meals left (best if eaten by the year 2049, according to the packages).

In case you’re wondering, at the chalet, the bathrooms are shared pit toilets outside, and they were the nicest pit toilets I’ve ever used – fully stocked with toilet paper and enough air freshener to mask most of the odors. Again, they were not too bad – definitely acceptable, given that the alternative was squatting behind a bush. However, when I had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I literally took a flashlight and bear spray with me, because yes, this is grizzly territory.

The funny thing about the Granite Park Chalet is that the walls are paper thin. The saying is – “there are no secrets in the chalet.” You can hear everything from your neighbors, which is why they offer complimentary ear plugs to all guests. I literally heard people whispering in the rooms next door, as though I were sitting right next to them. However, after a long day of hiking, we passed out nearly as soon as our heads hit the pillow.