Avalanche Lake, Montana, United States

5The Places Where We Go Podcast 5:00 PM Jun 30, 2021

Popular hike (P.S. continue past the lake for more adventures)
We arrived just after 9am, and found parking a challenge, though we did find a spot. So early arrival is helpful for more certainty of a parking spot. I saw this as three distinct experiences - a hike along a river that changed at every turn, arrival at the lake itself, which provided a wonderful setting for lunch, and then a continuation of the area beyond the lake which transitions into a very different scene. A very popular hike – one of the most crowded we encountered during our hikes in Glacier National Park (though the crowds thin if you make it past the initial beach area for the lake). Our day here was just under 6 hours - capped off with a stroll through the Trail of the Cedars, and then taking advantage of the multiple turnoffs on the ride back past Lake McDonald.

5A K 5:00 PM Jul 18, 2022

Beautiful Lake, Moderate Hike for Families
Avalanche Lake is a perfect hike for families who are willing to do some moderate uphill (sweat it out) for a very rewarding and picturesque payoff at the top. The exertion begins past Trail of the Cedars. My advice with kids is to pace it into thirds (0.5 miles, then break for water and photos). Give yourself about an hour to 90 minutes up, and about an hour down. The lake itself has great views, the water is ice cold but an experience to dip your feet into it for a bit. Take sandals in your backpacks. Rock skipping is fun along the shores (look for the flat rocks). Plenty of shade on this hike. Parking, like everywhere in Glacier, is a challenge, but just be patient and something will open up (no need to go crazy leaving early in the morning in my opinion). Tip about Going-to-the Sun road passes: register on national park service, have your phone or tablet or laptop open at 7:58 am local time (have all of your family members do the same, logged in to same account), and load up the page where you apply for a day pass. Then right at 8 am, everyone click and hopefully one of you will get a pass (the rest will get a message saying unavailable, try reloading page). It can be frustrating, but you'll likely get something if you have a fast finger. Once you get a pass (its only $2.00), its good for three days, so you can try this process even two days before your planned hike. If that doesn't work, by a boat ride through Glacier Boat Tours for Lake McDonald and the GTSR pass is included. and the boat ride itself is enjoyable (but will cost about 25 bucks a person).