Likely the most popular hike in Glacier National Park, the trail to Avalanche Lake is a well traveled gem that takes you to one of the easiest to reach alpine lakes in Glacier! It’s really popular, and that’s for good reason!
Beginning in the pine forest of one of Glacier’s low altitude valleys, this hike takes you through a number of different environments, ranging from lush green forest, all the way to the shores of a stunning alpine lake. If you’re going to Glacier and you aren’t a huge hiker, but you want a taste of what this magical place has to offer, Avalanche Lake might be the perfect hike for you!
Miles/Elevation:
5.9 miles
757 feet vertical gain
About Glacier National Park:
Make a visit to Glacier the highlight of an epic road trip!
Called the “Crown of the Continent,” Glacier National Park is one of the highlights of the National Park System. Located in northern Montana along the border with Canada, Glacier is one of the most rugged regions of the Rocky Mountains. The mountains here have been carved out by intense glaciation, so visitors are graced with views of some of the most dramatic mountains in North America.
At just over 1 million acres, Glacier National Park is a gigantic wild playground! Criss-crossing those million acres are over 700 miles of hiking trails, from short boardwalks to multi-day backpacking routes! Whether it’s hiking, climbing, or camping, there’s lots of it here!
Named for the glaciers that sculpted this place, Glacier National Park contains one of the greatest concentrations of glaciers in the lower 48. 25 glaciers still remain active today! While in scale the glaciers here pale in comparison to the behemoths of Alaska and the polar regions, a full fledged glacier is a pretty cool thing to see. Hurry though because unfortunately they’re shrinking quickly!
Getting to the Trailhead:
The trailhead for Avalanche Lake is also the trailhead for the Trail of the Cedars Nature Trail, and can be found on Google Maps under that name. Located on Going To The Sun Road, the trailhead is about 16 miles west of Logan Pass, the highpoint of Going To The Sun Road. It is also about 16 miles east of West Glacier. There is a large parking area on the side of the road, and some extra parking can be found across the street at Avalanche Creek Picnic Area.
Glacier does offer a public transit service along Going to the Sun Road that will take you to the trailhead. For most, a car is likely the easiest way to reach the trailhead.
Avalanche Lake Trail:
The Trail of the Cedars:
Check out our full guide to Glacier National Park if you’re planning a visit!
From the trailhead, the hike begins on the very well traveled Trail of the Cedars, an iconic Glacier hike in it’s own right. Taking you through a massive growth of gigantic evergreens, this trail gives you some totally different views compared to the more well known Glacier alpine!
The Trail of the Cedars is actually a boardwalk through the woods as opposed to a hiking trail. This is probably good because of the massive amount of traffic this area sees. I imagine that thousands of boots per day would degrade the soil here pretty quickly, so a boardwalk is probably a good compromise to just closing it off!
The forest is very nice, and is probably one of the most scenic you’re going to find in Montana. Compared to the Redwood forests of California or the lush greenery of the Pacific Northwest, I wasn’t overly impressed. The Trail of the Cedars is pretty, but I don’t really think you should come to Glacier to see the trees.
Anyway, you won’t be on the Trail of the Cedars for long. After half a mile at most, there is a trail intersection. The Trail of the Cedars loops back towards the road while the Avalanche Lake Trail heads uphill, obviously towards the lake. Head up!
Avalanche George:
Almost immediately after beginning on the Avalanche Lake Trail, you’ll cross over Avalanche Creek. Here at the bridge, you’ll get a really cool view looking at the water as it tumbles through a narrow george! It’s a nice photo op, and then it’s time to begin the climb!
Consider purchasing an America the Beautiful Pass if you are visiting Glacier!
The Avalanche Lake Trail takes you along the side of Avalanche Creek as you climb through the appropriately named Avalanche George. That’s a lot of Avalanches to keep track of, but in essence, everything here is named Avalanche. Don’t worry about it and keep climbing!
The trail along Avalanche Creek is really well made and for the most part at least double track. You’ll have around 500 feet of climbing to do in a mile and a half or so, and while that isn’t crazy steep, it is still an incline. I pretty much power walked the whole way up, so if you’re a decently strong hiker, this should be pretty easy.
This is grizzly country so make sure you are bear safe!
You’ll get occasional views looking down to the left towards the creek, but other than that you’re mostly just looking at trees, dirt, and roots. It’s a pretty uneventful climb, and that kinda makes it drag on. I kept waiting for Avalanche Lake to appear over the next rise, and it kept not appearing. Oh well. The climb really isn’t that long, and soon enough, you will actually be at Avalanche Lake!
Avalanche Lake:
The first view of Avalanche Lake appears over a thick stand of tall grasses and aquatic plants from the absolute farthest point of the water. Keep walking a bit further to the shore of the actual lake, and a great view awaits!
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
Avalanche Lake sits in a high altitude bowl. Forested hillsides drop down towards the water from the left, and in the background, steep rocky slopes lead towards high rugged peaks. The most eye-catching element of the view though is the set of waterfalls that tumble down the far slopes into the lake. I’ve been to plenty of lakes that have waterfalls flowing into them, but very few have this many!
When you’re at Avalanche Lake, you have the option of either stopping at the shore where you first meet it, or continuing along the right side of the lake. I elected to not hike farther along the lakeshore because I felt the most iconic view of the lake is from the near side where the water first emerges.
I will say, if you want to get a little away from the crowds, then it’s probably worth hiking a bit further up the lake. I was mostly just here to check out the views though, so I elected not to. I still think that the best view is from where you first meet the water, but if you want, I’m sure the views farther up are good too!
Hiking Out:
From Avalanche Lake, it’s an easy and quick hike out. It’s less than 2.5 miles to the trailhead from where you first meet Avalanche Lake, so if you hike at even a decent pace downhill, it shouldn’t take more than an hour.
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
The one thing to note about the hike out is that the Trail of the Cedars is a loop, and you can hike out the way you came in, or take the other half of the loop. I elected to take the other side of the loop, and while it presented some slightly different scenery, it was mostly just more of the same, trees trees and more trees! I would still take the other side because why not, but it isn’t a big difference!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 8/10
This is probably the most popular hike in all of Glacier National Park, and I get it. It’s a moderate hike that gets you to a really cool alpine lake. You don’t have to work too hard, kids can make it, you can have a picnic, what’s not to like!
While I understand why this trail is so popular, I don’t think this is a special hike by any means. The views at Avalanche Lake are excellent, but there are no views for most of the trail. Yes Avalanche Lake is really pretty, but it’s definitely not the most beautiful lake in Glacier.
If you just want a moderate hike that gets you to a really pretty lake, then this hike is fine. But, if you’re looking for the best that Glacier has to offer, this isn’t it.
Pros:
- Avalanche Lake is beautiful
- Well made trail
- Cool trees
Cons:
- Very busy
- Few good views until the end
Alternative Hikes:
When to Hike to Avalanche Lake:
This trail will take you to around 4,000 feet in a northern state, in a place known for its glaciers, so the biggest factor to consider is snow! There will likely be snow here into May, though this is actually pretty low elevation for Glacier, so it could melt out sooner. Peak hiking season in Montana is July and August, but you should be able to hike to Avalanche Lake from May to September or October.
I generally prefer hiking early in the season, but all I can say is the best time to hike this trail is once the snow has melted. Whether that’s May or maybe earlier is impossible to say. Keep an eye on the conditions, or just wait until late May or June and you should be good pretty much any year! Although, the fall colors here would be awesome!
Links for Further Reading:
Avalanche Lake via the Trail of the Cedars – Montana | AllTrails
Hike to Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park
Avalanche Lake Trail near West Glacier in Glacier National Park, MT
Richard
March 25, 2022Love this place