Hidden Lake Overlook is one of those hikes that gives you a whole lot of scenery without making you work all day for it.

The trail starts at Logan Pass right off Going-to-the-Sun Road, and honestly, you’re already in a pretty amazing spot before you even start hiking. There are mountains everywhere, wide open views, and a pretty good chance you’ll see a mountain goat somewhere around there.

The hike to the overlook is about 2.7 miles round trip with around 500 feet of elevation gain. So it’s short, but it’s not completely effortless either.

You’re starting at over 6,600 feet, and the hike out is mostly uphill. There are also a bunch of steps and boardwalk sections. Nothing terrible, but if you’re not used to the elevation, you might notice it.

The good thing is there really isn’t a boring part of this hike.

Pretty much as soon as you leave the Logan Pass Visitor Center, you’re walking through open alpine meadows surrounded by mountains. Since there aren’t many trees up there, you have views almost the entire time.

I kept turning around because the views behind me were just as good as the ones in front of me.

This is also a really good area for wildlife. Mountain goats are common around Logan Pass, and you might also see bighorn sheep, marmots, or ground squirrels.

Eventually you get to Hidden Lake Overlook, and that’s where you finally see the lake sitting way down below you with Bearhat Mountain behind it.

It’s a really beautiful view.

There’s a viewing area where you can hang out, take pictures, eat something, or just sit there for a while. I’d definitely recommend not immediately turning around once you get your picture.

Just stay for a bit.

There’s normally a trail that continues from the overlook down to Hidden Lake, but that section can sometimes be closed because of bear activity. Even if you can’t go any farther, I don’t think you’re missing out on the main experience.

The overlook itself is worth the hike.

Honestly, the hardest part of doing this trail might be getting a parking spot at Logan Pass.

It gets extremely busy in the summer, and the parking lot can fill up early. If you’re driving yourself, I’d get there as early as you can. The park shuttle is another option if you don’t want to deal with parking.

Even though it’s a short hike, bring water, sunscreen, layers, and bear spray. You’re high up in the mountains, and the weather can change pretty quickly. There’s also not much shade, so the sun can get intense even when the temperature doesn’t feel that hot.

And wear decent shoes.

You definitely don’t need serious hiking boots for this one, but I wouldn’t do it in flip-flops.

Although somebody probably will.

There’s always somebody. I saw a couple girls dressed like they were heading out for a bachelorette party night in Nashville (short shorts and cowboy boots 😂)

If you’re driving Going-to-the-Sun Road and wondering whether Hidden Lake Overlook is worth stopping for, I’d say yes.

It’s short enough that you can easily fit it into a day of exploring the park, but the scenery feels like something you’d normally have to hike a lot farther to see.

It’s not the hardest hike in Glacier.

It’s not the longest.

But sometimes you don’t need either of those things.

Sometimes you just want to walk a couple miles into the mountains, hopefully see a mountain goat, sit down in front of a ridiculously pretty lake, and think, yeah, this was definitely worth stopping for.

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