- Iceberg Lake Trail
4.8 miles elevation gain 1,200 feet
Crowds, heavily traveled trail.
Limited Shuttle Service One Trip Out a day
Moderate/Strenuous hike
NPS Trail crew report from 9-30-11
Iceberg Plank Bridge: Bridge removed 9/29/11
Motel parking lot to jct. above Ptarmigan Falls/ 2.4 mi.
Jct. above Ptarmigan Falls to Iceberg Lake/ 2.1 mi.
Trail OPEN but POSTED: for bear frequenting 9/5/2011
Trail CLOSED: for bear frequenting 8/30/2011
TRAIL POSTED: for bear frequenting 8/17/2011
TRAIL has been REOPENED: 8/16/2011
TRAIL CLOSED: for bear frequenting 8/10/11
TRAIL POSTED: for bear frequenting 7/24/11
Iceberg Plank Bridge: Bridge installed 7/11/11
Trail clear of trees.
Snow: Snow slopes have been treaded, patchy snow becoming 100% last 5/8 mile.
Trail has been "flagged" with orange posts. 7/12/11
Initial clearing completed: 6/23/11
Trail is 50% snow covered for 1/2 mile approaching Ptarmigan Falls. 6/29/11
Jct. above Ptarmigan Falls to Iceberg Lake/ 2.1 mi.
Iceberg Plank Bridge: Install rescheduled for 7/8/11
per conversation with 851 as depth of snow banks 5+ft on bridge banks 6/29/11
Trail 80% snow covered. 6/23/11
Red Rock Falls on the Swiftcurrent Trail is an easy hike with great views.
Iceberg Lake Trail is one of the more popular trails in Glacier Park. Iceberg Lake Trail is usually a very crowded trail. Wildflowers can be spectacular on this trail. Iceberg Lake Trail is very frequently closed because of bear activity. This is a very active grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) corridor. The trailhead is behind the Swiftcurrent Motor Lodge, take the last right hand turn before the end of Many Glacier Road. There is a small parking area for Iceberg Trail. On most trails in Glacier Park bugs aren't a problem. Iceberg Lake Trail is usually a very buggy trail. The steepest part of Iceberg Lake Trail is at the trailhead, after the initial climb the trail ascends to Iceberg Lake very gradually. Bugs along with snowfall are setting new 'records' in Glacier Park this year!
2010/2011 is a record breaking heavy snowfall year!
Don't expect this trail to be clear of all snow until early August 2011!
2009/2010 was a light snow year.
2008/2009 was a heavy snow year. This trail wasn't completely clear of snow until mid July.
© Shawn Coggins 2005 Glacier National Park, Montana.
Iceberg Lake, no glacier.
July 20, 2005.
by mid August there were no icebergs
USGS photo Glacier National Park, Montana.
August 13, 1911.
USGS photo Glacier National Park, Montana.
Front of glacier at Iceberg Lake, showing crevasses.
August 13, 1911. Alden, W.C. 551
There is no longer a glacier at Iceberg Lake. Barely a permanent snow field.
Small Iceberg on Iceberg Lake, July 2005, compared to the icebergs in Upper Grinnell Lake these guys are ice cubes! Of all the trails I've hiked in Glacier Park this is the buggiest.
USGS photo August 25, 1920 Alden, W.C. 1040
Glacier National Park Montana.
View of southern part of the front of glacier at Iceberg Glacier, Glacier National Park Montana.
Showing vertical ice cliff, upturned dirt bands, and rock debris on surface.
Iceberg Lake July 2005 was for me the year of the flowers. The wildflowers below were taken on the meadow next to Iceberg Lake. The amount of wildflowers blooming varies greatly from year to year.
These flowers were taken on the Ptarmigan Tunnel Trail a few days before. I've lost track of how many times I've hiked the Iceberg Lake Trail. 2005 was the last year that I hiked Iceberg Lake Trail, trying to get to other trails that I haven't ever hiked.
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