Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake

The Trail of the Cedars and the Avalanche Lake Trail start together at the Avalanche Picnic Area on Going-to-the-Sun Road, about 16 miles from the West Glacier entrance, and between them make the most popular short hike on Glacier's west side. The Trail of the Cedars is a 0.9-mile loop, with only about 83 feet of climb, on boardwalk and smooth paving through an old forest of western redcedar and western hemlock, some trees more than 80 feet tall. It is wheelchair accessible. The southwest corner of Glacier holds the easternmost western redcedar and hemlock forests in the park's region.

Halfway around the loop, Avalanche Creek cuts a narrow, deep gorge through red rock, and the water runs bright blue-green through it. From here the Avalanche Lake Trail leaves the loop and climbs through the forest beside the creek. The Park Service describes it as about five miles round trip; after the first half mile the path becomes steeper and rockier. It ends at Avalanche Lake, which sits in a bowl beneath tall cliffs, with several waterfalls pouring down them from the snowfields above in early summer. A rough path continues along the shore toward the head of the lake.

The trail's popularity is its problem. The parking at Avalanche is small and fills early in summer, and in 2026 the park confirmed that Avalanche Lake and the Trail of the Cedars could not be reached by park shuttle. There were no vehicle reservations this year, so the practical answer was to arrive early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Vehicles longer than 21 feet or wider than 8 feet may drive as far as Avalanche Creek, where the size limit for the alpine section begins.

Avalanche sits below the alpine section, so it was not affected when a storm closed the road from Avalanche to Jackson Glacier Overlook on October 9, 2026. Snow typically closes this part of Going-to-the-Sun Road to cars later in the year, since winter plowing stops at Lake McDonald Lodge. The area is grizzly and black bear habitat: carry bear spray and make noise on the lake trail.

Practical tip: the lake gets crowded by late morning. If you want the shore to yourself, start before 8 a.m., and save the cedar loop for the walk back when your legs are tired.