Lake McDonald and Walk of the Cedars in Glacier National Park July 8, 2018.

On Friday, July 8 2016 I headed back into Glacier National Park with Mom, Abby, Amber and Craig. We decided to check out the lay of the land around iconic Lake McDonald at the Western Entrance of this American Jewel.

We picked this trail because it was rated easy and it would allow Mom and Abby and Amber an opportunity to experience the beauty of this place from more than the car windows, gift shops, and The Visitor Centers. The Trail Head is located near Fish Creek Campground off North Fork Road, a gravel road.

We skirted the Campground stopping once to make use of the facilities. It had rained earlier and the air was damp and chill. The rains held off despite the overcast skies. The mosquitoes were abundant and they found my southern blood a tasty treat as they mercilessly treated me as a walking buffet.

Rocky Point trail winds through the woods to cross Fish Creek then climbs toward Rocky Point. We included a bit of the Lake McDonald trail on our wandering adventure beside Lake McDonald. The climbs up and down wore Mom out and we took our time enjoying the magnificent views. I walked down to the edge of the lake, the waters are crystal clear and cold. The multicolored rocks on the bed of the lake draw the eye. Then we took Mom to eat so she could recharge and we could continue our exploration of the Park.

On the advice of friends we headed up Going to the Sun Road to check out Trail of the Cedars. Trail of the Cedars is wheel chair accessible. It is a 1 mile loop hike 5.5 miles east of Lake McDonald. It is an extremely popular trail so the trail head parking is a premium. We had to do a drive by and come back before we lucked out and found parking.

The trail itself is a raised boardwalk passing through a grove of western hemlocks and red Cedars. There are conviently located benches along the boardwalk and the trail is heavily travelled. We wove in and out of the throng of folks enjoying this scenic walk.

A footbridge crosses Avalanche Creek. The view of Lower Avalanche Gorge is pause worthy. The boardwalk turns into pavement as one heads back towards the parking area. A side trail leads to Avalanche Lake, which we marked for later exploration. Mom really liked this little trail. We saw a couple of deer off the side of the trail.