PHOTOS: Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park

Cobalt Lake sits below Mount Rockwell, left, Sinopah Mountain, center, and Painted Teepee Peak, right, along the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Wednesday, Aug. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Cooling off under the lower section of Rockwell Falls along the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Sunday, Aug. 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Hikers cross a suspension bridge over Paradise Creek near the South Shore Trail's intersection with the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Wednesday, Aug. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Soaking in the views of Mount Rockwell and Sinopah Mountain from Cobalt Lake on the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Sunday, Aug. 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Looking down into the Park Creek Valley at Statuary Mountain, Vigil Peak and Lake Isabel from near Two Medicine Pass in Glacier National Park on Wednesday, Aug. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

A pika nibbles on a blade of grass near Cobalt Lake along the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Sunday, Aug. 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

One of several small cascades and pools on the way to Two Medicine Pass in Glacier National Park on Wednesday, Aug. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Vigil Peak, Battlement Mountain and Lake Isabel from the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Wednesday, Aug. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

A view of Never Laughs Mountain between Rockwell Falls and Cobalt Lake on the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Wednesday, Aug. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Looking back toward Mount Rockwell along the krummholz-covered ridgeline near Two Medicine Pass and Chief Lodgepole Peak in Glacier National Park on Wednesday, Aug. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
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Panorama over Cobalt Lake showing Mount Rockwell, Sinopah Mountain, Rising Wolf Mountain, Painted Teepee Peak, Appistoki Peak, Mount Henry and Grizzly Mountain near Chief Lodgepole Peak on the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Wednesday, Aug. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)

View of the Park Creek Valley with Statuary Mountain, Church Butte, Vigil Peak, Battlement Mountain, Lake Isabel, Mount Rockwell and Sinopah Mountain from the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Wednesday, Aug. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)

The lower section of Rockwell Falls along the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Sunday, Aug. 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

A pika peaks from behind rocks lining the shore of Cobalt Lake along the Two Medicine Pass Trail in Glacier National Park on Sunday, Aug. 11. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

by CASEY KREIDER, Daily Inter Lake
| September 8, 2024 12:00 AM

The 16-mile round trip hike to Two Medicine Pass begins on the South Shore Trail along Two Medicine Lake and meanders for two miles before crossing over Paradise Creek on a suspension bridge below the face of Sinopah Mountain. Shortly after, make a left onto the Two Medicine Pass Trail, wade through some head-high vegetation and skirt the south side of Sinopah. At around the 3.3-mile mark, cross a footbridge and come to a short spur for Rockwell Falls, a worthy stop for a sip, return-trip dip and a snap of the shutter.

From here, the trail switchbacks up through huckleberry patches and wildflower-filled meadows, eventually paralleling a stream fed by Cobalt Lake full of water-carved pools and short cascades in the valley between Painted Teepee Peak and Sinopah. As you crest a short incline 2.5 miles from Rockwell Falls, keep your ears open for the squeaky call of the pika as they announce your arrival at Cobalt Lake.

After the lake, the trail hustles you up and over a glacial moraine toward the base of Mount Rockwell before turning and ascending the windswept ridgeline. Surrounded by summits, the trail rises and falls before zig-zagging up to the sweeping summit of Chief Lodgepole Peak. The trail falls off the opposite side for another half-mile before reaching Two Medicine Pass, where it sharply descends down to the Upper Park Creek, Lake Isabel and Park Creek backcountry campgrounds. Beyond that, Essex and the Walton Ranger Station lay miles ahead.

Then, when you’re ready, turn around.