Lake MacDonald Lodge
Hike to Avalanche Lake
Waterfalls on the MacDonald River
We arrived at the Lake MacDonald Lodge in the rain. I was disappointed because I wanted Bear to see the mountains for his first trip to this glorious park. Instead we had to satisfy ourselves with the wonderful colors of the trees and waterfalls everywhere. Up as high as we could see (which did occasionally include the top of a mountain) all the way down to Lake MacDonald. We went for a hike in the not-yet-rain to Avalanche Falls. The access is by way of the Trail of the Cedars, a level boardwalk less than a mile long and a definite must see for everyone who comes this way. At the falls we left the boardwalk and hiked another two miles up to Avalanche Lake. Along the way we passed wonderful places to look down on the gorge for Avalanche Falls before turning into the forest and the rain. I confess to wondering if the whole thing was worth it – uphill and in the rain. It was! Avalanche Lake is one of those alpine lakes surrounded by mountains and this one had at least 4 visible waterfalls .
On the way back to the Lodge (wet, cold, hungry and tired) the rain had stopped so we pulled over at each overlook on the way. They all turned out to be waterfalls on the MacDonald River. They were fabulous and I had a nice chat with some folks from Western North Carolina – where my Dad was raised. One of the best parts of the National Parks is meeting all the people who have come here from around the world. We had dinner in the bar at the Lodge and met some interesting folks from near Manchester, England. He is a retired physics teacher and they came here to see Glacier and Yellowstone and were having a wonderful time.
On the way back to the Lodge (wet, cold, hungry and tired) the rain had stopped so we pulled over at each overlook on the way. They all turned out to be waterfalls on the MacDonald River. They were fabulous and I had a nice chat with some folks from Western North Carolina – where my Dad was raised. One of the best parts of the National Parks is meeting all the people who have come here from around the world. We had dinner in the bar at the Lodge and met some interesting folks from near Manchester, England. He is a retired physics teacher and they came here to see Glacier and Yellowstone and were having a wonderful time.
Park mammal count: 2 – deer, chipmunk
Trip mammal count: 3 confirmed - deer, moose, chipmunk
Bear thinks that whatever the owl was eating doesn’t count.
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