Trail grooming

[Rabbit]

Hi all. I have about three weeks until my big trip and I am sooooo excited.

Having never been there, I am scouring the internet for photos of what I can expect to see. Of course, there are so many beautiful pictures of the mountains and glaciers... But none of the trails.

I'm hiking chief mtn to bowman. How re the trails? Are they well groomed and basically like dirt sidewalks? Are they rugged and covered in 3" rocks? Wht can I expect? How does it compare to the hike down into the grand canyon?

I only ask because my pack is just 30 pounds and I might be able to get away with shoes instead of boots if the trails are well groomed.

I truly appreciate y'all sharing your knowledge! Thanks for the info!

B

[Stmarypete]

I wear trail shoes and they are generally plenty. The Belly river area may be a bit wet and overgrown down low but most of the trails are well maintained and don't require heavy duty boots. I save my boots these days for scramble climbs.

[ohioguy]

We did part of your hike last year (COS - STO) with merrell hiking shoes. No prob
Kinda over grown but Ok

[pitamakan]

Yeah, I mostly just use trail runners for overnight trips nowadays, and occasionally even use Vibram toe shoes for shorter trips. If you have a pair of trail shoes that you've comfortably backpacked in before, they'll probably be ideal for your Glacier trip.

Glacier's primary backcountry trails are mostly well-engineered and well-maintained. There are a few stretches that are a little rocky, but not much of that on your route ... you'll have a lot of soft-packed dirt. Most of our trails get much less use than the main Grand Canyon trails, and the treads are considerably narrower, but the footing is as good or better. As Pete said, you might have a few brushy areas if the trail crew hasn't been through recently, but nothing too bad.

Have a great time!

Mark

[Rabbit]

Thank you both for the info. The boots have been brutal on my feet and im hoping a switch to shoes will help. This was just what i needed to know to make the switch! Thanks again!

[smahurin]

Ya I wear trail running shoes on all my backpacking trips in the park. Its really up to the individual but on trail, I feel trail runners are fine. And I'm with pitamakan as I day hike some in some vibram 5-fingers.

Most of the trails are relatively well manicured. The trail from stoney indian lake down into the waterton valley will probably be pretty overgrown (at least it was when I was there 2 years ago). But the rest of the trip should be fine.

[Galdino]

Belly river area could be a little bit wet, but trails are generally well kept and it is not necessary to wear heavy duty boots. You can also wear hiking shoes or trail shoes.

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