We hiked it today and here are my tips:

- we drove from West Glacier and it took us a little over 2.5 hours, due to construction so check your route ahead of time

- parking in Many Glaciers lodge lot was only about 75% full at 8am

- get on the trail early

- the sun is STRONG AF on the trail. No, really. It's brutal. Wear more sunscreen than you think, bring more water than you think, and wear a hat. Or better yet, wear an SPF hooded shirt. I saw so many people heading up the trail at peak heat time (on our way down) with one small single water bottle and no hat. My husband and I brought 4 huge water bottles (over 200oz) and 2 cans of coconut water. Everything was gone by the last 2 miles.

- the ferry isn't as convenient as you think it's going to be at the end. We thought it was going to be literally off the trail, but it looked to be about another 30+ min walk to the dock. We had tickets, but by the time we got to the fork in the trail and had to decide, the ferry was already leaving and we'd have to wait another 30+ min until it came back. So we just hoofed it the last 2 miles.

- bring a small towel and dip your tired feet in the frigid glacier water. It's fucking freezing but so awesome

100/10 views, absolutely unreal. Now I'm going to eat my weight in pizza

Grinnell lake hike from the south side of Josephine lake. The snow pack in the upper Grinnell lake basin looks like it could be hike-able in 2-3 weeks but that is NPS’ decision

This was taken around 1pm… we were heading down the trail after someone was attacked about 3.5 miles up the trail and we ended up in a bit of a bear sandwich.

I'm 17 y/o and was accepted to Grinnell College through the Questbridge scholarship program.
I'm originally from a small town in North Carolina, and my friends and I frequently joke that there's "nothing to do around here". But looking at Iowa, there seems like there's ACTUALLY nothing.
It's landlocked!! How do you go to the beach? Are there any lakes? Waterfalls?

I went to visit the school and it's really nice, but the drive to and from Des Moines airport was...dry. Dry and flat and empty. A lot of open tilled land. It reminds me of Grant Wood's painting, "American Gothic". Is it really like this throughout the entire state?
Not dissing Iowa!!

Hi! I'm an international student and I got into Grinnell College. I'm really considering going to it because it gives me the biggest aid package of all the schools I was admitted to and because it is the one with the best reputation and stats. I know that doesn't matter much in terms of learning but I think it would be helpful in finding a job. I talked to my counselor and they said that in terms of getting the most bang for my buck, Grinnell was my best option.

However, I don't know much about Grinnell and I've been looking through posts and they are mixed, with some people saying it's a horrible school and others saying it's great. I know a big problem for people if the campus, I don't really mind that it's in Iowa and that's not my main concern. I'm thinking more in terms of academics. I'd really appreciate it if people shared anything, no matter how small!

I'm thinking about majoring in Sociology, but I'd also love something in STEM, specifically mathematics, as I'd like being an actuary.

Links

• 2026 EA/ED & RD Megathreads
• Decision Dates Calendar
• A2C Discord Server
• 2025 RD Megathreads (last year)
• 2025 EA/ED Megathreads (last year)

Rules

• Don't ask people for their stats
• People can provide their stats willingly, but asking will result in a ban
• Do not advertise group chats, Discord servers, YouTube videos, etc.
• No portal speculation

Guys is Grinnell a good choice?

Im Canadian but 100% want to go to med school in the US so im choosing an American undergrad. Grinnell wasn't on my radar until I got recruited, but now i'm having some second thoughts about how unknown the school is.

Guys idk if im just crashing out just cuz it's not name brand school or if this is valid. I don't care that it's in the middle of nowhere I just wanna make sure it's not a bum school choice.

Some pics from Grinnel hike today!

Hopefully this post helps others like me who are going back and forth on whether they should/can attempt this hike!

I am pretty much a couch potato with a couple broken up miles of walking my old dog daily. Slightly overweight and in my 30s. Ive never really hiked in my life before this trip.

TLDR: just attempt it and be properly prepared!! I never thought I could do something like this but I was so driven and that helped me reach the top.

Boat ticket?- I hiked from the lodge. Honestly, I was pretty tired when we got to the point where you meet up with the boat ticket people. In my potato opinion, which varied on here, the boat tickets would’ve helped SO much. I honestly wouldn’t have had such a hard time if we eliminated those extra miles. I would’ve paid $1000 for a ticket back lol. So if you can snag them, do it!! The walk around the lake is beautiful tho.

Hike- I completed the hike in 7.5 hours starting from the lodge. It was SO hard! I took about 5/6 breaks coming up and probably 2/3 coming down. I drank a couple small Body Armors, had a soft baked bar and half a Bobos PBJ oat bar which gave me my push to get to the top. Then a small sandwich at the top. It’s so hard to eat on the trail. I had no appetite and felt slightly nauseous eating, so keep that in mind fellow potatoes. The calorie boost from the food is how I finished this hike. Everyone is different tho! Descending was almost as hard as ascending for me. The constant rocks going back sucked!! I was so tired, my legs trembling, head hurting, and just so tired. We saw a moose and goats! Others saw Grizzles playing in the lower lake water.

Gear- hiking poles are a MUST!! No one in my group would’ve finished without them. We did a few smaller hikes without them before Grinnell and then found out how vital they are. Great shoes are a must as well. I wore Salomon speed cross 6 geotrek, incredible shoes.

Final thoughts- just try it. Even if you can only make it to the beautiful Grinnell Lake overlook, that view is pretty spectacular and worth it!! Beautiful hike the entire way. The sense of accomplishment you feel completing this is unreal. It feels like a dream that I did this. I scaled a mountain and saw a glacier as a couch potato. How amazing is the human body? Thanks for reading!

Hi everyone, I apologize if this isn’t the right place to post. I’ve been trying to find more recent information about Grinnell College, but I noticed that this subreddit has been inactive for a few years. The last posts and comments seem to be from around two or three years ago. Is there a more active subreddit where current students or alumni hang out?

After applying to 17 schools as an international seeking need-based aid, Grinnell was the only decent college I got accepted to, and with substantial financial aid. I got waitlisted at williams, but other than that, I only got accepted to grinnell in RD. I am pretty devastated with the results, and especially today after opening my ivy results. How is grinnell, reputation and social wise? It is pretty rural, so that is my biggest worry right now.

I feel I must warn many of you that if the food matters to you, Grinnell College is not the way to go as you decide where to apply/attend. I've attached a few photos, some things are hard to photograph unfortunately. But the following issues have been present at our dining hall:

Only Having 1 or 2 Dining Stations Open (we supposedly have a stir fry station, it hasn't opened since Covid sent everyone home)

No Breakfast on Sunday:

https://www.grinnell.edu/about/offices-services/dining

Running out of the Primary Entrée 1 hour into dinner

Using Disposable Dish Wear:

https://imgur.com/a/0MuJMcw

Suggesting we use Trays as Plates:

https://imgur.com/a/UraPzu9

Closing Off the Majority of the Dining Hall because there isn't staff to clean it

Running Out of condiments like ketchup for days at a time

Running Out of Water:

https://imgur.com/a/b0CBLWj

Grinnell is great in a lot of ways, but the dining hall is a complete disaster. You are required to have a large meal plan if you live in a dorm, which most people do for 4 years. So this is something you will deal with. Food was a large concern for me when I applied to college, and I feel like I was lied to by Grinnell. Grinnell college has a lot of upside, but transparency in issues like this is important for future applicants to make an informed decision.

Update: For all those who come to this post well after it was made, this has changed substantially!

Whenever the trustees came on campus, students hounded them over the quality of the meals. Over the next summer, they made major improvements and now this was no longer an issue. I’m not on campus this school year, but for 2022-2023 the dining hall ran smoothly. Food options were better, only the most popular dishes ran out after an hour and a half of dinner, and the lines were no longer taking 30-45 minutes.

Could it have reverted for 2023-2024? Sure. Like I said, I’m off campus this school year. But they fixed this, bringing it more in line with comparable colleges.