The Two Medicine area of Glacier National Park lies on the southeastern side of the Continental Divide, a little north of the town of East Glacier. In this area, amazing landscapes, hikes, boat rides, and wildlife viewing await, but also fewer crowds. Most activities center around Two Medicine Lake. There is a campground, and numerous trails leave from there. The Two Medicine area feels like a different world from the Going-to-the-Sun Road and Many Glacier areas. With many fewer visitors, it is possible to feel a sense of peace and enjoy nature uninterrupted.
Note: Check out our other guides to Glacier National Park, including our overview Guide to Glacier National Park, the Going to the Sun Road/Area Guide, and Many Glacier Area Guide.
We visited Glacier National Park on a larger trip that included Banff NP, Jasper NP (Icefields Parkway), and Kootenay NP.
Glacier Park Lodge, Two Medicine Entrance
Located in East Glacier about 14 miles from the Two Medicine General Store, the Glacier Park Lodge was opened in 1913. Originally, it marked the beginning of most tours of Glacier National Park. “Red Bus” tours still leave from the Lodge, many for Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Stop in to visit the impressive lobby, take some photos and sit in front of the huge fireplace. There are restaurants, a coffee shop, and a large gift shop.
Two Medicine General Store
The Two Medicine General Store, open seasonally, was closed when we visited in early September. It is set in a 1924 building and sells snacks, drinks, souvenirs, and camping supplies. Sit on its front porch for views of beautiful Two Medicine Lake!
Boat Tour on the Historic Sinopah
Glacier Park Boat Tours offers scenic boat rides (shuttles) on the “Sinopah,” which was built in 1926 and is the oldest wooden boat in its fleet. Book your boat tour well in advance at Glacier Park Boat Tours. As with other boat tours offered in Glacier National Park, there are both roundtrip and one-way “return” tickets available. The ticket office and boat dock are adjacent to the Two Medicine Campground.
Note: You do not need to be a hiker to take this tour. Many people just ride to the west end of the lake and back. But we do recommend hiking!
We took the 10 AM boat and arrived on the other side of the lake about 20 minutes later. The boat guides do a good job telling passengers about the boat and the area. You can stand in the front of the boat to take pictures.
Recommended Hike: Upper Two Medicine Lake with Detour to Twin Falls
If you take the boat across Two Medicine Lake and start from the boat dock at the end of the lake, this wonderful hike is a little over 4 miles roundtrip. (Alternatively, you can hike along the lakeshore of Two Medicine Lake, and then on to Upper Two Medicine Lake, but by taking the boat, you avoid a 3.1-mile hike each way just to get to the Upper Two Medicine Lake trailhead. We recommend taking the boat across the lake.)
Twin Falls
At about 0.7 miles, and after an uphill climb and a short walk over boardwalks and footbridges, you come to a split in the trail. Travel straight ahead here for a short (0.1-mile) detour to Twin Falls. These pretty falls cascade down the Pumpelly Pillar, which is a large, glacially carved rock. There are separate flows at the top of the falls and then the two converge as they splash down near the trail.
Hiking back out to the main trail, turn right toward Upper Two Medicine Lake. From here, it is 1.3 miles to the lake along a relatively easy trail with little elevation gain. The trail passes through alpine meadows with majestic mountain views. Look for bighorn sheep high on the cliffs to your right. We saw some!
Upper Two Medicine Lake
The Upper Lake is a splendid sight. Multi-colored rocks are visible at the shoreline through the crystal-clear blue water. Bleached-out downed trees dot the shore, creating a striking contrast of color. Evergreen forests line the shore and climb up the slopes of the mountains. Looking across the lake, you see impressive mountains.
This lake is not as heavily visited since it requires a boat ride plus 1.7-miles of hiking (or almost 5 miles if you don’t take the boat) just to get there. And then you must travel back! So it’s a lovely and peaceful place to picnic and enjoy the sun and the views. We sat on the log-jam just to the left of where the trail comes down to the lake.
Mountain goats were visible high on the mountain to the right the end of the trail at the lake. But from that distance, they were just white spots and hard to locate.
As you hike back to the boat dock from Upper Two Medicine Lake, you are treated to spectacular alpine scenery, especially as you pass a pond below the trail.
It took us about 4 hours to do this hike, including time spent at Upper Two Medicine Lake picnicking and exploring the lake. Back at the boat dock, wait for the next shuttle boat to carry you back to your starting point at the ticket office.
Running Eagle Falls
You can walk to this waterfall from the Two Medicine campground. From the parking lot at Two Medicine, it is a 0.3-mile hike one way to the falls. The trail is easy and wheelchair-accessible.
Above the falls is the 9,500+ foot Rising Wolf Mountain.
Late in the season, the falls spill out in a torrent from the rock wall, dropping 20 feet. Earlier in the spring and summer, there is a higher waterfall that can hide the lower falls. When we visited in September, only the lower falls was active. See the picture below with Fred at the base of the falls to get a sense of the scale of this waterfall.
Two Medicine Campground
The large Two Medicine campground is open from mid-June through mid-September. Reservations are accepted on a 6-month rolling basis (as in, the reservation window changes daily). Book early at Recreation.gov!
The campground has 110 mostly shady sites with amazing views of the mountains and the small Pray Lake. A family of bighorn sheep walked through the campground as we arrived, and we saw beavers swimming in the lake.
Other Related Guides:
Glacier National Park Overview Guide
Going to the Sun Road Area Guide
Many Glacier Area of Glacier National Park
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