A Guide to Hiking the Avalanche Lake Trail

Hiking the Avalanche Lake Trail is one of the most rewarding and low-commitment experiences in Glacier National Park. With a round trip distance of 4 miles (6.4 km), the trail is a worthwhile hike across a relatively flat, diverse, vibrant, and stunning landscape that features panoramic views and incredible photo opportunities.

As an added bonus, there is shade for the vast majority of the journey—making the overall hike relatively stress-free. The shade is so important because hiking in the blistering heat sucks ass. Hiking to Angel’s Landing, for example, can be a grueling and miserable experience if the sun is high in the sky.

For more information on how to explore Glacier overall, refer to the Glacier National Park Adventure Guide for a more comprehensive guide.

Avalanche Lake Trail: Important Information
Difficulty	Easy
Time	3 – 4 hours (including sightseeing time) round trip
Distance	4 miles (6.4 kilometers) round trip
Elevation Change	500 feet (152 meters)
Peak Season	Summer (June to August) is the peak season.
Starting Point	Trail of the Cedars
Hardest Part	Not fainting due to breathtaking views.
Special Considerations: Pets are not allowed on the trail. Bears, mountain lions, goats, and other wildlife often frequent the area, but are harmless as long as you stay far away. Feeding wildlife is forbidden.

Hiking Avalanche Lake Trail is a highly rewarding experience with low stress. Follow this guide for some tips, an overview of the landscape, and amazing photos.

Trail of the Cedars

To reach the Avalanche Lake Trail, you must first hike the Trail of the Cedars. This hiking trail features a .7 mi (1.1 km) hiking loop and is wheelchair accessible. It’s most unique feature is the fact that it’s not a conventional trail; it’s a raised boardwalk for most of the loop, and the remaining part is very well-maintained and flat.

In addition to the cedars that are often over 80 feet (24 meters) tall, the trail also features a diverse landscape with rivers, wildlife, and a small waterfall at its midpoint.

The Trail of the Cedars is a breeze and delight to hike. Toward its midpoint, there will be multiple signs indicating the correct path to Avalanche Lake.

Avalanche Creek

Avalanche Creek will follow you for the majority of your journey to Avalanche Lake. This river is extremely photogenic. To have a smooth flowing river in your photos, set your camera shutter speed to 1 second (I recommend using Manual or Shutter Priority while doing this).

A tripod is not necessary. I managed to take the photo without it. It’ll be difficult, but entirely possible. Carrying a tripod would be a huge pain for the rest of the hike.

Path of the Fallen

On your journey you will come across a clearing with multiple fallen trees, indicating that you are almost at the midpoint of the hike. This area is great for a quick break and some amazing photo sessions.

One tree was blocking the path, so I moved it out of the way.

The clearing of fallen trees will have minimal shade. Continue onward and you should find plenty of shelter from the sun.

Avalanche Lake

Avalanche Lake—a glacially carved amphitheater—resembles a beautiful drawing of nature.

There are multiple tree trunks littered on the water’s surface, so you can easily use them to your advantage when taking photos. There is one particular tree extending out toward the middle of the lake. As long as you watch your step, you will find yourself in a prime photography location.

All that’s left to do is enjoy yourself. Many people like to have picnics, draw, swim, and spend entire days here, so you will find plenty of company.

Not only is Avalanche Lake beautiful and serene, the hike is also incredibly rewarding and easy. If you ever find yourself in Glacier National Park, this is the place to visit. I only know of one person who regretted hiking here, but that’s because his ass fell in the water. As previously mentioned, refer to the Glacier National Park Adventure Guide for a more comprehensive guide on exploring Glacier National Park.