Trail of the Cedars/Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park

Before going into what this hike was like, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share these photos on Pray Lake right by our campsite from that morning. Stunning!

Arugably one of the most popular hikes in Glacier, this one had been recommended to us by several people. The beginning of this trail is a 1-mile long accessible boardwalk through a dense forest of old cedar trees (in case you couldn’t guess by the name). It was especially beautiful on this chilly morning as rays of sun started to poke through the trees. As if the light coming through wasn’t beautiful enough, it also started to heat up the trees and wooden boards, causing them to release steam, like we were in a tropical rainforest or something! Truly stunning to see!

As we kept going, we followed Avalanche Creek around and even saw a few deer peeking out from the trees!

And saw some more of the beautiful cedar forest…

About 2.5 miles and a gain of 730 feet later, we reached our destination. A crystal clear, blue-green lake encased half-way around by mountains, it is a favorite lunchtime spot in the park. So obviously, we ate our lunch there! If you look closely, there are some streams of snowmelt coming down the mountains, too. I swear, you couldn’t find all of the streams and waterfalls in this park if you tried!

An hour quickly passed and we trekked back the same way we came. Having to backtrack can sometimes be a bummer, but seeing trails from a different direction and in a different light can give you a whole different perspective of it! They always say, the best views are sometimes behind you on the trails! Granted, this particular trail was prettier in the morning, I just wanted to make that point! 🙂