GLACIER GORGE TRAILHEAD
Alberta Falls
Glacier Gorge Trailhead is the jumping off point for some of the finest hiking in the park. You can find an interesting hike of almost any length, from the easy one mile round trip to beautiful Alberta Falls, or a 12+ mile hike to remote lakes or mountain peaks. If you're going to hike Glacier Gorge, GET THERE EARLY!! The parking lot is VERY small.
Getting there early is a good idea for several reasons. It's the only time you'll be able to get a picture of Alberta Falls without swarms of people around. It also means you should be back from wherever you're going before the afternoon storms hit.
Alberta Falls is a bit more than a half mile of easy hiking from the trailhead. On our first trip to the park in '75 it was the only hike we took. There's a fork in the trail a little over a mile past the falls. The trail to the right takes you uphill to the Lake Haiyaha Trail, the one to the left takes you into Glacier Gorge, and going straight takes you to Loch Vale. It's hard to decide whether Glacier Gorge or Loch Vale is the better choice. Sky Pond in Loch Vale is my favorite hike. Black Lake in the Gorge is Flo's pick. If you have enough time in the park, take them both. The Loch and Mills Lake in Glacier Gorge can easily be done in the same day. But if you want to really do some great hiking, take a full day for each trail.
Glacier Gorge - Mills, Jewel, Black and Frozen Lakes
Loch Vale - The Loch, Glass Lake, Sky Pond and Andrew's Glacier
We're hoping to get to Shelf and Solitude Lakes in 2004,
so I'll be adding another section.
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