Tucked into the southeast corner of Glacier National Park, Two Medicine Lake stays noticeably calmer than Logan Pass and Many Glacier, even at the height of summer. Sinopah Mountain rises straight out of the water here, and the area is also home to one of the park’s oldest running boat tours, a lakeside campground, and hiking options that suit everyone from casual walkers to serious backcountry hikers.
This guide covers the basics of the area, how to get there, the best hikes, the boat tour, camping, and the questions people ask most.
Two Medicine Lake at a Glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Southeast corner of Glacier National Park, on the park’s east side |
| Lake size | About 2 miles long and a third of a mile wide |
| Elevation | 5,164 feet |
| Nearby peaks | Sinopah Mountain at the west end of the lake, and Rising Wolf Mountain to the north, standing over 4,450 feet taller than the water below it |
| Historic buildings | The Two Medicine Store carries National Historic Landmark status, and the Swanson Boathouse has its own spot on the National Register of Historic Places |
Two Medicine has drawn visitors for well over a century. Before Going-to-the-Sun Road opened in 1932, this side of the park saw more traffic than almost anywhere else in Glacier, and that long history is still visible in the older buildings around the lake today.
Getting to Two Medicine
Two Medicine sits a fair distance from the west side of the park. Combining a verified 56 mile, roughly 1 hour drive between West Glacier and East Glacier on US Highway 2 with the additional stretch to the Two Medicine turnoff, expect somewhere around 1 to 1.5 hours from West Glacier, depending on traffic and stops along the way. From there, an 8 mile paved road off Highway 49 leads the rest of the way in.
One thing that makes Two Medicine easier to plan around than parts of the west side: it does not require a vehicle reservation to enter, even during the busiest weeks of summer.
For example, someone splitting a week between the west side of the park and a day trip east could leave after breakfast and still have a full afternoon at the lake before heading back. Our best time to visit Glacier National Park guide covers how the season affects road and trail access on both sides of the park.
The Two Lakes You’ll See on a Map
Search for two medicines and three different lakes can turn up, so it helps to know which is which.
- Lower Two Medicine Lake sits partly on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and is usually just seen from the highway rather than visited directly.
- Two Medicine Lake is the main lake covered in this guide, with the boat dock, the campground, and most of the trailheads.
- Upper Two Medicine Lake sits further into the valley and is reached only by hiking or taking the boat partway.
Best Hikes in the Two Medicine Area
The area has trails for nearly every fitness level, and distances below are round trip unless noted otherwise. Elevation gain, meaning the total amount of climbing a trail involves, is a better measure of how tiring a hike will feel than distance alone.
- Running Eagle Falls. Just under a third of a mile on a paved, wheelchair friendly path, ending at a waterfall locals call “trick falls,” because the upper drop only shows itself once spring snowmelt picks up.
- Twin Falls. About 3.5 to 3.8 miles depending on the source, or under a mile if you take the boat partway across the lake first.
- Upper Two Medicine Lake. 5 miles, or about 2.2 miles with the boat shortcut, with 350 feet of elevation gain.
- Aster Falls and Aster Park. Two shorter options from the South Shore Trailhead, running 1.2 to 2 miles.
- No Name Lake. 4.9 miles, or 2.2 miles with the boat, gaining 800 feet and passing the sheer rock face of Pumpelly Pillar.
- Cobalt Lake. 5.7 to 5.8 miles with 1,400 feet of gain, a longer route that passes both Aster and Rockwell Falls along the way.
- Scenic Point and Dawson Pass. The two toughest options here, both well over 6 miles with more than 2,000 feet of gain, best left to experienced hikers.
One safety note worth taking seriously: grizzly bears turn up more often around Two Medicine than in most other parts of Glacier. Carrying bear spray and hiking in a group of three or more are both strongly recommended on any of these trails. Our best hikes in Glacier National Park guide covers trails on the rest of the park if you are planning a trip that covers more than just the east side.
The Two Medicine Boat Tour
The Sinopah is a wooden tour boat built in 1926, making it the oldest boat still running tours anywhere in Glacier. A full loop across the lake and back takes roughly three quarters of an hour, and one way tickets are also sold for hikers who want to cut a trail short in one direction.
2026 round trip pricing runs about $21 for an adult and about $10 for a child age 4 to 12, with kids under 4 riding free. Tours generally run from early June through the first week of September, with several departures spread across the day. Kayaks, canoes, and rowboats can also be rented right at the dock for anyone who wants to explore the water on their own.
For example, a family that wants to see Twin Falls without committing to the full hike could ride the boat one way, walk to the falls, and catch a later boat back to the dock.
Camping at Two Medicine
The Two Medicine Campground sits right on the lake, with several sites facing across the water toward Sinopah Mountain. Sources disagree slightly on the exact site count, some put it at 99, others closer to 110, so it is safest to think of it as a campground of around 100 sites rather than an exact number.
Book ahead on recreation.gov if you plan to camp here in July or August, since the sites go fast during those two months. There are no RV hookups here, which is worth knowing before you arrive with a larger rig.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Two Medicine Lake worth visiting?
Yes, especially if you would rather skip the peak-season crowds at Logan Pass and Many Glacier and still get the same dramatic mountain scenery.
Why is it called Two Medicine Lake?
Two different origin stories turned up during research, and both are worth knowing. One says two Blackfeet bands once planned to meet in the valley for a medicine ceremony, failed to find each other, and each held their own ceremony instead. The other says two sun dance lodges once stood on opposite sides of Two Medicine Creek.
How long is the Two Medicine Lake boat tour?
Plan on roughly 45 minutes if you ride the Sinopah across the lake and straight back.
Can I drive to Two Medicine Lake?
Yes. An 8-mile paved road off Highway 49 leads directly to the lake, and no vehicle reservation is required to enter.
Is there cell service at Two Medicine Lake?
Reliable information on this was hard to confirm, but cell service is limited across most of Glacier’s more remote areas, so it is worth downloading offline maps before you go rather than counting on a signal.
Plan Your Visit to Two Medicine
Two Medicine sits far enough from the west side of the park that it works best as a day trip rather than a place to base your whole stay. Explore Montana Rentals is based in the Flathead Valley, close to Glacier’s west side entrances, which makes it a practical home base for exploring West Glacier and Whitefish day to day, then setting aside one full day for the longer drive out to Two Medicine.
Our properties range from budget-friendly condos to larger homes built for groups, many with the kind of storage space that makes it easy to pack bear spray, hiking gear, and a cooler for a long day trip like this one. If you are still working out how Two Medicine fits into a bigger Montana itinerary, our national parks in Montana guide can help with the rest of the planning.
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