A very popular hike in the Lake McDonald area of Glacier National Park is the hike to Avalanche Lake. For more information, click
here. Since parking is a problem, and the weather forecast was for rain after lunch, we left at early o'clock again to alleviate some of that. We have discovered how much easier it is to leave early, as parking is a real problem at most of the trailheads. To reach the trailhead for Avalanche Lake, you walk the Trail of the Cedars, which is accessible for everyone-wheelchairs and strollers. The trail is really nice, through a very moist forest, with lots of tall trees, and moss and a beautiful waterfall!
 |
| bright and early |
 |
| totally accessible trail |
 |
| lots of signage on this nature trail |
 |
| looks like art, doesn't it? |
 |
| lots of moss here too |
 |
| very tall trees!! |
 |
| moss just everywhere |
 |
| walking along the creek for a bit |
 |
| look at that beautiful glacial water |
 |
| just gorgeous |
 |
| a magical place! |
The Avalanche Lake trailhead is right off the Trail of the Cedars and is very well marked. Right from the beginning, the trail seems to follow Avalanche Creek for quite a bit of the hike, before the trail veers off into the forest. Between the sound of the creek, and walking through the shady old growth forest, this hike would be enjoyable even on a hot summer day. We had a cool, rainy day....and it was still awesome!
 |
| heading out on the Avalanche Lake trail |
 |
| wow...already a scenic hike! |
 |
| walking along the river |
 |
| wide open forest |
 |
| lots of gentle waterfalls |
 |
| so pretty-nature is amazing |
 |
| a bit cool this morning....getting good use out of the new jacket:) |
 |
| easy to see through the forest |
 |
| so many trees! |
 |
| the creek right along the trail |
 |
| very refreshing hike... |
 |
| so peaceful here-no crowds yet |
Entering the old growth forest, we admired the tall trees and the moss-covered floor. There was a very peaceful "quiet", and it seemed like a magical place. Of course, it was still early, and there weren't too many people on our hike in. At one area, there were a ton of trees down, due to an avalanche a few years ago. It opened up a view across to another mountain. We looked, but did not spot any wildlife.
 |
| nice soft moss blanketing the forest floor |
 |
| great hike through the forest |
 |
| gentle "up" most of the way |
 |
| a clearing off the trail....lots of downed trees (from an avalanche) |
 |
| the moss looks so soft |
 |
| lots of shade on this hike |
 |
| continuing on |
 |
| a view of the waterfall by the lake...we must be almost there! |
It was not too much longer when we reached the lake. We spent a few minutes just gawking at the view....3 long, beautiful waterfalls flowing freely, and the beautiful lake itself....before we were able to take any pictures.What a beautiful place! There were lots of benches nicely spaced around the lake near the trailhead area, perfect for refueling with a snack or lunch. The chipmunks were looking forward to lots of visitors, we could tell, because they seemed to be waiting for someone to sit down and break out a snack. (I swear, one of the chips kept looking at me, the chubby hiker, waiting for me to break out a snack...hahahah)!
 |
| Avalanche Lake...with 3 long waterfalls |
 |
| a nice little resting spot |
 |
| a beautiful glacial lake |
 |
| such clear and green water |
 |
| so nice and green |
 |
| so peaceful here |
 |
| lots of chippys....I imagine lots of people feed them ;/ |
 |
| lakeside cairn |
 |
| just lovely! |
 |
| zoom in |
 |
| another closeup shot |
 |
| and one more closeup |
 |
| beautiful glacial water |
 |
| pristine |
 |
| another delightful view of nature at its finest |
 |
| isn't this priceless? |
 |
| catching some reflections in the lake |
 |
| getting a sip of water (and waiting for me to break out a snack!) |
 |
| we don't really want to leave.............its so peaceful here |
As we headed back, Tom stopped at the pit toilet located right near the lake. I thought he was being pretty brave to do that...hahahah...but he said it was clean! We have been really impressed with the bathroom cleanliness at the national parks, which makes for a much more enjoyable visit, right Tom?
 |
| a happy customer |
 |
| gotta take advantage of bathrooms on the hiking trails! |
 |
| bear country...we are making lots of noise walking through! You never know! |
As we headed past the low growth area near the lake, its started to drizzle lightly, but once we entered the forest, we weren't really getting too wet. We did notice that most of the hikers coming in were wearing full out rain gear, so we weren't too surprised that it was raining pretty nicely once we left the forest area. We were happy we started early and lucky the rain held out for most of the hike, though we did have our rain gear with us. I did put my camera in my backpack though!!
 |
| its starting to rain now! |
 |
| heading back onto the Trail of the Cedars...the other side of the loop leading back to the parking lot |
No comments:
Post a Comment