Grinnell Glacier is located in the heart of Glacier National Park (U.S.) in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
MontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. The glacier is named for
George Bird GrinnellGeorge Bird Grinnell was an American anthropologist, historian, naturalist, and writer. Grinnell was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in 1870 and a Ph.D. in 1880. Originally specializing in zoology, he became a prominent early conservationist and student...
, an early American
conservationistConservationists are proponents or advocates of the ethic of conservation and may be part of the conservation movement.Conservationists advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
and explorer, who was also a strong advocate of ensuring the creation of Glacier National Park. The glacier is in the
Lewis RangeThe Lewis Range is a mountain range located in the Rocky Mountains of northern Montana, U.S. and extreme southern Alberta, Canada. Formed by the Lewis Overthrust beginning 170 million years ago, an enormous slab of Precambrian rocks 3 miles thick, wide and long faulted and slid over newer...
and rests on the north flank of Mount Gould at an altitude averaging 7,000 feet (2,133 m), in the
Many GlacierMany Glacier is an area within Glacier National Park which is located in the U.S. state of Montana. The Many Glacier region is not located on the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road but instead north of there on the east side of the park...
region of the park.
The glacier has been one of the most photographed glaciers in the park and many of these photographs date back to the mid 19th century. When compared with images taken over subsequent years, the glacier has obviously retreated substantially. In 1850, at the end of what has been referred to as the
Little Ice AgeThe Little Ice Age was a period of cooling that occurred after a warmer era known as the Medieval Warm Period. While not a true ice age, the term was introduced into scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939...
, Grinnell Glacier measured 2.88 km², including the area of The Salamander, an ice apron or shelf glacier that used to be attached to Grinnell, but is now separate. By 1993, Grinnell Glacier measured 0.88 km² and The Salamander measured 0.23 km². Glaciologists that have researched the glaciers in the park have predicted that all the glaciers in the park, including Grinnell, will disappear by the year 2030.
Gem GlacierGem Glacier is the smallest named glacier in Glacier National Park . Located on the east side of the Continental Divide arete known as the Garden Wall, the glacier is situated on the cliff face above the better known Grinnell Glacier. Unlike the much larger Grinnell Glacier, Gem Glacier has shown...
, the smallest remaining glacier in the park, is located on the
Garden WallThe Garden Wall is a steep alpine area within Glacier National Park well known during the summer months to be heavily covered in dozens of species of flowering plants and shrubs...
above Grinnell. Repeat photography taken between the years 1938 and 2005 (as shown below) show that Grinnell Glacier has retreated significantly over that period. Interestingly, The Salamander and Gem Glaciers have shown little change in area over the same period of time. The Salamander receives its name for its shape and its coloring, which comes from the serratia bacteria that grows on it.
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| 1938 T.J. Hileman GNP |
1981 Carl Key (USGS) |
1998 Dan Fagre (USGS) |
2005 Blase Reardon (USGS) |
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The glacier can be reached after a 6 mile (9.6 km) hike from a trailhead beginning at
Swiftcurrent LakeSwiftcurrent Lake is located in the Many Glacier region of Glacier National Park, Montana, United States. The Many Glacier Hotel, the largest hotel in the park, is along the east shore of the lake. Many hiking trails originate from the area and scenic tour boats provide access to the lake for...
. The trail has an altitude gain of just over 1,600 feet (487 m), with the majority of that in the second half of the hike.