Avalanche Gorge

One of the most popular hikes in Glacier National Park is the hike to Avalanche Lake. This is actually two in one hikes. The first part of the hike is actually the Trail of the Cedars. This is a pleasant and easy hike through a forest of cedar trees. The forest can be thick enough of obscure the neighboring mountains that you might forget that you are walking up a mountain. That illusion would eventually end since the trail would become slightly steeper. To the left of the hike, there would always be the ever present water which is running down the mountain. At one point it get loud and you would realize that there has got to be a waterfall here somewhere.

This place is Avalanche Gorge. The rocks part as a powerful torrent of water gushes through. The gorge is actually not that deep but what makes it impressive is that it gives the feel that you are in a tropical rainforest. The rocks here are covered in moss and there is green all over. The colors are very pretty and it definitely makes for a pretty photo. The waterfall itself takes a little skill to see. Visitors can hike where they can see it from almost overhead. As of my visit, the park authorities seem to be building some sort of platform so visitors can see the falls a little better. I can imagine how difficult it is to build anything here since the materials have to be carried in. The only other way I can think of is by helicopter but I don’t see that happening.

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