Beware this trail is opening and closing frequently this year due to flooding!
As of 7-21-11 Avalanche Lake Trail was in great shape but heavy rains could change that rapidly! Several new snags have altered the stream flow. NPS Trail crew has jury rigged a temporary diversion to keep the stream within it's bank. So for now the trail is mostly dry and above the water level.

Avalanche Lake Trail

  • Avalanche Lake
       2 miles gains 500 feet
       (rolling hills actual ascent closer to 800 feet)
       Crowds, difficult to find peace & quiet on this trail!
       Spectacular View at Avalanche Lake, Old Growth Forest, waterfalls
       After observing thousands of hikers on this trail, I rate this a
       Moderate hike.


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NPS Trail Crew Report as of 7-6-11
Avalanche Campground - Foot of Avalanche Lake ~ 2.0 mi.
TRAIL OPEN: 7/1/11 Trail is clear. 07/05/2011
UPDATE: Trail no longer muddy as of 6/27/11
75-100 yd section of trail is flooded due to high water approx. 1/3 mile from trailhead.
There are a number of other trail sections that are very muddy as of 6/23/11.

TRAIL CLOSED: 6/24/11 from Avalanche Gorge to Avalanche Lake due to Creek flooding above the gorge.
TRAIL OPEN: 6/26/2011 but is muddy and wet about 100-150 feet in
TRAIL CLOSED: 6/30/11 from Avalanche Gorge to Avalanche Lake due to creek flooding above the gorge.
Trail clear of down trees. 5/18/11.

During the winter of 2010 / 2011 there was an avalanche/microburst that knocked down over fifty large trees from Avalanche Creek up to the Avalanche Lake Trail. These downed trees have opened up a new view of the mountains at Logan Pass from the Avalanche Lake Trail. The south western slopes of Mount Canon and Hidden Creek are now visible from Avalanche Lake Trail. The downed trees from the microburst are about 1 mile from the start of the trail so at this point about one half mile remains till Avalanche Lake. Glacier National Park Trail crews have cleared all but one of these trees from the trail. The mud and snow that was everywhere at the start of July 2011 are gone. On the return from Avalanche Lake at the new view spot I watched a grizzly sow and her twin bear cubs on the slopes of Mount Canon. Luckily some other hikers had good binoculars as I did not have my telephoto lens with me. I returned to this site on 7-21-11 with my long lens but no sign of any bears on the trail. Did see a large black bear cross Going To The Sun Road about half way between Apgar and Sprague Creek. The normally wide beach at Avalanche Lake is almost non existent. As you get nearer to the lake the forest undergrowth crowds the trail, having grown two feet a week sense my last hike up to Avalanche Lake.

Avalanche Lake Trail is one of the most traveled trails in Glacier National Park. Avalanche Lake Trail is a fairly easy rolling trail through an old growth cedar forest. This is a busy, crowded trail during the height of the summer season. The top photo of Avalanche Lake was taken in mid August of 2006. The black and white photo above was taken in 1901. Water level in 2006 was very low. Trail of the Cedars provides a scenic link to the trailhead for Avalanche Lake Trail. Few hikers realize the amount of maintenance that Glacier National Park Trail crews perform every year to keep these trails open.

The latest image from Google of Avalanche Lake (click the hybrid button) shows the classic turquoise color of glacier fed lakes. Cracker Lake is the only glacier fed lake that I have hiked to that the turquoise color of glacier fed lakes shows at the shoreline of the lake itself. You get a hint of the color looking at the farside of the lake but nothing as powerful as how Grinnell Lake looks from the Grinnell Lake Overlook Trail.

Top photo of Avalanche Lake was taken by me in 2006, bottom photo was taken one hundred and five years earlier by USGS in 1901. Glacier National Park, Montana. Avalanche basin.
Chapman, R.H.

avalanche lake glacier park © Shawn Coggins

Photo of Avalanche Lake, Glacier National Park. © Shawn Coggins


avalanche lake 1911

USGS 1901. Glacier National Park, Montana. Avalanche basin. Chapman, R.H.

Trail of the Cedars Glacier Park © Shawn Coggins

© Shawn Coggins The photo above was taken in early April of 2007 on the Trail of the Cedars just a short distance away from Avalanche Gorge. When I returned a month later to hike the Avalanche Lake Trail the Trail of the Cedars boardwalk was free of downed trees. The Avalanche Lake Trail had many more downed trees recently cleared from the trail in the spring of 2007. These downed trees were the aftermath of 'The Pineapple Express' in November of 2006. 'The Pineapple Express' was a major freak winter storm that occurred in early November of 2006. Heavy rains at high altitude that already had snow cover caused catastrophic flooding.

Avalanche Gorge Glacier National Park © Shawn Coggins

Trail of the Cedars, Avalanche Gorge spring run off mid May. Photo © Shawn Coggins
How clear the water is in Avalanche Gorge is directly related in the spring to how warm the preceding days had been. The water can change from crystal clear to a ragging torrent in a matter of hours, especially after a heavy spring rain.

Avalanche Gorge spring run off Glacier National Park
Avalanche Lake mid May 2007 © Shawn Coggins

Photo of Avalanche Lake mid May 2007. © Shawn Coggins The winter of 2006/2007 was a 'light' snow year. Surprisingly, I didn't encounter any other hikers until arriving at Avalanche Lake shore. On the return hike I ran into several bus loads of school kids on a field trip to Glacier National Park. If you're seeking tranquility this is not the trail to hike.