If you are visiting Glacier National Park in Montana, the hike to Avalanche Lake should be on your must-do list.
The trail is 5.9 miles roundtrip and takes you to the stunning Avalanche Lake, surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. This is a popular hike for families with children.
Road Reservations & Shuttle System
The trailhead is on Going To The Sun Road, about 30 minutes from the West Glacier entrance, just past Lake McDonald. From May 26-September 10, you need vehicle road reservations to be able to enter Glacier National Park
These can be purchased on Recreation.gov on either March 1, April 1 or May 1, depending on which month you will be visiting the park.
Check out my blog post “10 Things You Need To Know Before Planning Your Trip To Glacier National Park” to get more information on vehicle reservations.
The parking lot for the trailhead is small and fills up very early in the morning (by 7:30 a.m most days) In my opinion, this hike is the best in late morning or afternoon. The lake is in the shadows in the morning, the views are much better later in the day.
To avoid the parking issue, you can utilize the free shuttles that run through Glacier National Park. Click here to learn more about the shuttle system.
You must have a vehicle reservation in order to enter the park, even if you intend to use the shuttle once inside.
Trail of the Cedars Hike
The hike to Avalanche Lake actually starts on the Trail of the Cedars, which is a 1 mile roundtrip loop through the cedar and hemlock forest.
Trail of the Cedars is mostly boardwalk and a very easy, family friendly trail for any age. Because it is a flat boardwalk, it is also accessible for wheelchairs and strollers.
From the trailhead, if you go counter-clockwise around the loop, there is a bathroom building not far from the beginning of the trail. You can see the bathroom building on this map, courtesy of All Trails.
Trail of the Cedars walks alongside Avalanche Creek. You can hear the running water from the moment you start on the boardwalk The sound of the creek, the smell of cedar and the sight of the trees towering above you is really amazing.
At just about the halfway point of the Trail of the Cedars loop, you will reach a footbridge. This bridge takes you over Avalanche Creek, with views of the beautiful Avalanche Gorge.
Avalanche Lake Trail
Shortly after passing Avalanche Gorge, you will arrive at the Avalanche Lake Trail turn off. From here, you can continue on Trail of the Cedars for the rest of the loop, or veer off onto the Avalanche Lake Trail. You definitely want to veer off onto the Avalanche Lake Trail.
From this point, it is 1.6 miles to the lake. Avalanche Lake is a dirt trail which is rocky and mostly uphill, although not very steep.
Avalanche Lake trail is almost entirely through the woods, so you will be in the shade for most of the hike.
Unlike other hikes in Glacier National Park, there are not gorgeous views on every step of the way. There will be some sneak peeks of the mountains in clearings along the way. But the real views are towards the end of the trail when you reach the lake.
Avalanche Lake
When you reach the foot of the lake, you will be greeted by a gorgeous blue lake, surrounded by stunning mountains.
The waterfalls that you see straight ahead come from the Sperry Glacier, which is above and behind the mountains you see in the background.
There are benches around the beach area, which makes this a great spot to rest, have a snack or picnic lunch and just take in the spectacular view.
Don’t make the mistake of making this the end of your hike. Continue on past the beach until you reach the head of the lake, which is another beach on the side of the waterfalls. The color of the water becomes a gorgeous teal along this last stretch of the trail.
The Other Side of Avalanche Lake
The trail ends once you reach the other side of Avalanche Lake
The views from this side are really beautiful. It is a completely different perspective, and the reflections of the mountains on the crystal clear water is unbelievably stunning.
The hike back to the trailhead is mostly downhill and will take less time than the way up.
This was our first hike of many that we did the week we were in Glacier, and it was one of our favorites.
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