Arrow Lake: A Life-Changing Backpacking Trip on Glacier's West Side

Arrow Lake sits on the west side of Glacier National Park, in the Lake McDonald area. I hiked it over the 4th of July weekend this year, 2026, and it’s forever going to be one of the best and most life-changing hikes of my entire life.

The Trail

The hike itself is about 7.2 miles one way. You start just on the west side of Lake McDonald, via North Lake McDonald Road. Parking at the trailhead is pretty limited, so plan to get there early, especially if you don’t plan on camping. This was a camping trip for me, so after securing a permit from the ranger station, we were ready for the next day.

The trailhead — and a reminder of what country you’re walking into.

At the beginning of the trail you have a pretty good climb — about 1,700 feet over 2.5 miles through a burn area — until you get to the crest. From up there you should be able to see Rogers Lake to your southwest and Trout Lake to your northwest in the valley, and Lake McDonald behind you. That’s probably the hardest part of the hike. It’s mostly downhill from there, with some slight uphill sections.

The view from the crest, looking out over the burn area — about as hard as this hike gets.

Come prepared for this one. It’s very remote compared to other trails in Glacier — after the burn area, we didn’t see anyone the whole rest of the hike.

Trout Lake

The downhill to Trout Lake was fairly uneventful until you get to the lake itself. At the lake we saw a very friendly marmot and a log jam stretching across the water. I did have my fishing pole with me on this trip but didn’t try casting at Trout Lake at all.

The friendly marmot at Trout Lake.

The log jam stretching across Trout Lake.

On to Arrow Lake

From Trout Lake to Arrow Lake, the trail was pretty overgrown but manageable to walk through. You could tell it had been cleared of logs and trees, but the ferns and plants were definitely taking over wherever they could. There were some fresh moose tracks along the trail, but we never did see it anywhere.

The original plan was to go all the way to Camas Lake — that’ll have to be an adventure for another time. There’s a river crossing involved with no bridge, so you’d need to be fairly skilled and prepared to make that happen.

The junction toward Camas Lake — the road not taken, this time.

Arrow Lake

At Arrow Lake, the view is incredible. It’s maybe a bit selfish of me, but I love having nature without crowds, where it feels like I have the whole view to myself — and that’s Arrow Lake. The expansive mountains reaching up around you, with a lake like glass, was awesome.

Casting out at Arrow Lake.

There are definitely fish to be caught. It was hard for me to cast out far enough to them, but when I could, they were pretty actively feeding. I was just casting a little Cleo on my Berkley Cherrywood 5'6" two-piece rod. I was able to catch two what looked like native cutthroat trout, so they went back into the lake to swim another day.

One of the two cutthroat, right before it went back in.

The morning after the hike in, the water was absolutely pristine — trout rising up on occasion was the only disturbance on the water.

Arrow Lake, pristine and still.

The weather moving through — Arrow Lake has a different mood every hour.

I’ll say, unfortunately, most good things come to an end, and we had to pack out. Until another time, Arrow Lake — I will always cherish the memories you’ve given me.

— Adam

More from Glacier National Park: Cobalt Lake · Otokomi Lake · Highline Trail to Grinnell Glacier Overlook · Swiftcurrent Pass · Glacier National Park: Best-Kept Secrets.