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Montana

Trailside Glacier: Hiking in Glacier National Park

Program No. 4863RJ

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Glacier National Park is a hiker’s paradise, with over 1 million acres of unspoiled wilderness and over 700 miles of hiking trails. Immerse yourself in the silent grandeur of the mountains as you hike spectacular trails amid soaring peaks, verdant forests, mountain meadows and turquoise lakes. Discover a wealth of natural beauty around every turn of the trail.

Best of all, you'll...

Enjoy expert-led hikes on some of the most inspiring trails in Glacier National Park, where breathtaking vistas, pristine lakes and wildlife abound.
Travel the historic Going-to-the-Sun Road — a National Historic Landmark — for spectacular views of rugged peaks, vast canyons and idyllic waterfalls.
Develop a deeper understanding of this intact and wild ecosystem with trailside lessons as local flora and fauna are encountered, and learn about the geological forces that carved this magnificent landscape thousands of years ago.

Activity Level

Varies by Date

Learn About Activity Levels

Select dates are Outdoor: Challenging; see Itinerary Note for activity requirements. Most dates are Outdoor: Spirited with the following activity requirements: Hiking up to 5 miles per day over maintained dirt trails that may be rocky and uneven. Program will require approximately 23 miles of hiking over 5 days; opportunities for longer hikes available each day. Elevation changes between 800 feet and 1,850 feet on some trails. Transportation to hiking trails requires getting in/out of passenger vans several times a day. Elevations between 3,000 feet and 7,600 feet. Elevators not available at all accommodations. Due to pacing, terrain and limited elevator availability, this program is not suitable for wheelchairs, scooters, or canes. Must be physically capable of participating in all planned program activities.

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General Notes

This program will be split into small groups of about 10 for daily field trips and hikes.

Featured Expert

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Ellen Horowitz

Ellen Horowitz is a naturalist, writer, hiking leader, and Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide whose outdoor education career spans 40 years. Ellen teaches botany classes at Flathead Valley Community College, and she is a long-time field instructor for the Glacier Institute and Road Scholar. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors including Montana Audubon’s Educator of the Year Award, and magazine writing awards from the National Wildlife Federation. She is the author of the award-winning children’s book, “What I Saw in Glacier.”

Please Note:

This expert may not be available for every date of the program

Please Note:

These experts may not be available for every date of the program

Ellen Horowitz

Ashley Mason

Ashley Mason has spent over three decades as a naturalist, educator, and guide in Glacier National Park and Northwest Montana. She specializes in distilling the amazing geologic wonders of the area into captivating stories. She is a former ranger naturalist for Glacier National Park and has worked for many organizations, including The Glacier Institute, Swan Ecosystem Center, Flathead Audubon Society, Crown of the Continent Ecosystem Education Consortium, and Flathead Valley Community College. In 2012, she was voted Audubon Educator of the Year.

Denny Olson

Denny Olson is an award-winning naturalist and acclaimed author. He received an M.S. in zoology and geology from the University of Minnesota and has researched beavers, hares, and loons. Using Native American and personal stories as tools, he blends science, humor, and drama. Denny has experience leading hundreds of interpretive hikes, writing the nature and science sections for the park website and an 88-activity International Peace Park K-12 curriculum, leading Road Scholar trips for over a decade, and making presentations in 44 other national parks.

Dave Streeter

Dave Streeter spent seven years traveling the world auditing computer systems, then had a flat tire in Great Falls, MT where he remains four decades later, having taught at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell and exploring Montana at every opportunity. He has been a Road Scholar instructor since 1990. He is experienced with bears, mountain goats, wolves, weather, flowers, glaciation, winter ecology, backcountry skiing, and healthy hiking with his 50 years of experience in the high country of Glacier.

Megan Chaisson

Megan Chaisson hails from Concord, Massachusetts and developed a passion for nature early on. After attending Tufts University, she left New England to explore the Rocky Mountains at Glacier National Park in Montana. Enchanted by the free great spaces, she worked as a Park Ranger with Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest for the next ten years. After leading hikes, snowshoeing, boat trips and youth field trips, Megan is now a 7th- and 8th-grade science teacher in Whitefish, Montana.

Helen Pilling

Helen has lived in Montana two-thirds of her life now and can’t imagine living anywhere else. She leads hiking, skiing, dog sledding and bicycle adventures and loves to share her knowledge and gratitude of the Northwest with others. Her entrepreneurialism keeps her exceptionally busy playing music, fighting for clean water, creating cases for musical instruments, building bicycle trails, making her special handcrafted licorice, and keeping a positive attitude. Helen’s home base is an off-the-grid cabin she and her husband built in the woods.

Al Koss

Al Koss has lived and worked in the Glacier Park area for over 30 years. His love for the out-of-doors and passion for hiking was well represented in his career with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service. Al taught environmental education and is a Master Trainer for the Leave No Trace Program. His experience as a Park Naturalist has given him extensive experience and knowledge of the flora and fauna of the park. He enjoys sharing his passion for natural areas with others.

Susan Atkinson

Susan Atkinson is an award-winning architect and professor of environmental design at Colorado State University. She has traveled the world researching how people design and build in response to culture and climate. Susan grew up in the Flathead Valley, learning about wildflowers and spotting grizzlies in Glacier National Park every summer since 1980. She is an avid trail runner who loves fly fishing, watercolor painting, and reading about wolverines. Susan is certified as a backcountry first responder.

Chris Crane

Chris Crane began his outdoor education journey in North Carolina. He followed his passion to Montana, where he spent years exploring and teaching in and around Glacier National Park. By assisting in multiple research projects with bears and bull trout, he grew his understanding and respect for wild things and habitats. He spent the next 21 years as a Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Game Warden. He retired as a Sergeant in 2025, in which capacity he protected the wildlife, places, and people of Montana. His years of patrolling the outdoor spaces of Montana enables Chris to bring a game warden’s experience, a tracker’s eye, a naturalist’s curiosity and a deep respect for Glacier’s rugged beauty to every hike.

Activity Level

Varies by Date

Suggested Books and Resources

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You can also find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone?

We can help. Give us a call, and we can answer all of your questions!

Call 800-454-5768

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Peace of Mind

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. That’s why we go to the ends of the earth to give you peace of mind, from the moment you enroll until the day you return home.

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Assurance Plan

Road Scholar is committed to the well-being of every participant, whether on a program in the United States or abroad. That’s why all participants are covered under our Road Scholar Assurance Plan, which provides 24-hour assistance in the event of an emergency during your program, as well as insurance for emergency medical evacuation.

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Want to Protect Your Investment?

Road Scholar is pleased to offer its Trip Protection Plan as a way to protect your program investment. You may purchase this optional trip protection plan when enrolling in your program.

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Sustainable Travel

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Read about our commitment to a more sustainable planet.

An illustration of a hand holding a globe with a small bird flying around it

Peace of Mind

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. That’s why we go to the ends of the earth to give you peace of mind, from the moment you enroll until the day you return home.
Assurance Plan

Road Scholar is committed to the well-being of every participant, whether on a program in the United States or abroad. That’s why all participants are covered under our Road Scholar Assurance Plan, which provides 24-hour assistance in the event of an emergency during your program, as well as insurance for emergency medical evacuation.
Want to Protect Your Investment?

Road Scholar is pleased to offer its Trip Protection Plan as a way to protect your program investment. You may purchase this optional trip protection plan when enrolling in your program.
Sustainable Travel

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Read about our commitment to a more sustainable planet.

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