Hiking in Glacier National Park, British Columbia, Canada

We were on an adventure to explore the many bike parks of British Columbia. Our last destination of this trip was going to be Revelstoke. While we were researching things to do in the area, Glacier National Park came up. Of all the lists that it could come up on, it showed up on a dog friendly list. We couldn’t believe it but we gave it a shot. Glacier National Park in British Columbia, Canada quickly became one of our favorite national parks to hike in. It might not have the bright blue lakes of some of its neighbors to the east, but it does have some of the most beautiful hikes through the mountains. But what really makes this one of the best hiking national parks is it is really dog friendly! The list did not lie and Anza was able to hike wherever we could! Unfortunately if she wasn’t able to hike with us we might have missed this entirely. If you can believe it, we didn’t see any dog poop on the trails, nor did we see any poop bags left behind!

One of the reasons why this isn’t the most popular national park in British Columbia, is that it is not the easiest of destinations to get to. The closest town is Revelstoke and the closest major airports are Calgary and Vancouver. They rely on RVers and road trip adventurers. If your goal was to get into the mountains, then this is the best national park of the top 5 in British Columbia. It is a hiker or trail runner’s ultimate destination. There are so many hikes to choose from within this national park, even within a single parking lot. With so many options, what should you do if you have a limited amount of time? Here are our three favorite hikes that we did. You can choose one or all three, but there is something for everyone. From meandering along the river, to challenging yourself to chase a waterfall or digging deep to get to one of the most epic views in Canada, all from one spot!

Easy Hike in Glacier National Park in British Columbia

The great thing about these hikes is that they all start from the same campground/parking lot! Your hiking adventure starts at Illecillewaet Campground.

Meeting of the Waters

At just over a half of a mile one way it is great for everyone and dogs! At the meeting of the waters, you will not want to let your dogs play, as you will see how dangerous this area is. However, at the beginning of the hike there are a few pools that would be good on a hot day. There are a few chairs near the bridge, which was nice to relax. We should have brought a picnic!

There are a few other easy hikes in the national park but this one was by far the best.

Moderate Hike in Glacier National Park in British Columbia

There are a lot of hikes to choose from that fall into this category. Almost all of the hikes have a decent amount of elevation gain. This is a mountainous national park and that is what gives it its appeal. What makes it become more moderate are how many miles you have to do that elevation in.

Great Glacier

This was a great hike for the family. At around 5 miles and 1,200′ in elevation gain it has parts where you are hiking easily along the river and then you hit the moderate climb to the view point and as you can see it is very much worth it! On of the most beautiful waterfalls we have seen. Even on a cloudy day the glacier was also in view!

We loved this one. At the very end to get a better view of the waterfall you are rock scrambling and walking on slick rock. It is a steep and slippery drop off. So, be careful yourself and if you have pups with.

Hard Hike in Glacier National Park in British Columbia

Most of the top hikes in Glacier National Park in British Columbia are in this category. We had about 5 that we kept trying to choose from and when we saw pictures from this one we knew it was the one.

Abbott Ridge

This hike is simply amazing.

At 9.5 miles and 3,500′ in elevation gain, there are parts where it borders on painful. There were moments where I thought “this really isn’t my thing anymore.” I was worried how slow I was going and that is the last thing that should be on your mind. Take your time, enjoy the entire process because I can almost guarantee, that when you get to the top and see the views and what you accomplished, it will be all worth it. You can read about this specific hike here: Abbott Ridge Hike

They joke in the ultra world that in one outing you can go through every emotion there is. This one definitely did that to me, but in the end, it was worth it.

We had finally made it to Chamonix, France at the beginning of the summer and somehow these views took my breath away just like Chamonix did. Some might say that it is a unfair comparison. Chamonix is known for being one of the top hiking destinations in the world. But something about this hike and the views of the surrounding mountains felt just as amazing.

Glacier National Park in British Columbia is Dog friendly

This is one of the most dog friendly national parks we have ever been to. With the typical restrictions of dogs always on leash and in control, you could have them on all the trails. This is not normal and we couldn’t believe how dog friendly it was and it made it that much better. Please remember to leave no trace and pick up after them.

Camping

As mentioned, these hikes all start from Illecillewaet Campground. We normally don’t camp in national parks. This could actually have been the first time. We did enjoy it. Maybe we were there at the right time but it was quiet, we had open skies for Starlink and didn’t have any neighbors!