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Avalanche Lake Bike and Hike 2025
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Avalanche Lake early in the season is a rare treat. If you time it just right, you can bike the road to the Avalanche Lake trailhead, and walk up on consolidated snow, avoiding punching through or the mud. You also might just get lucky and have the whole place to yourself.
It was a chilly morning when we rolled up to the parking lot at Lake McDonald Lodge. There were only a few cars as we unloaded our bikes. It was cold before we even hopped on our bikes and pedaled through the gate that shut the road off to vehicles, but it was even chillier with the wind hitting our face.
Despite the recent snow that we received, much of the road was clear. As we pedaled up alongside McDonald Creek, you could see where the plows had scraped off the winter’s snow. We briefly stopped at the top of McDonald Falls, then Sacred Dancing Cascade, admiring the white cascades and the aquamarine waters. Varied Thrushes sang their metallic calls all around us and a Steller’s Jay alerted us to a raptor (it looked like it might have even been an American Goshawk!) that flew off through the trees before we could get a great look.
The rime ice clung to the trees and cliffs high up in the mountains that had ample amounts of snow, waiting to melt out and become creeks and rivers themselves. We found our first patch of sunshine along the road near a pond where we flushed a handful of American Wigeons. We let the warmth melt our faces while we watched a couple of Varied Thrushes rummage through last year’s brown ferns compacted on the ground.
Further up we found more snow and some ice on the road and then we were at the Avalanche Creek Campground and our trailhead. This is the furthest we could go as it was closed at this point to any hikers or bikers. We locked up our bikes and hit the trail. The snow on the trail appeared to be more of the recent snow and not really all that deep. Avalanche Gorge, as always, was beautiful, as was the excited creek as it crashed, circled, tumbled, and flowed over rocks and through the canyon.
After the brief stint along the gorge and some along the chattering creek above, we broke away and climbed up through the quiet trees. The occasional Pacific Wren with it’s impossibly long and chattery song broke out through an otherwise quiet forest, save for the sound of drips as the sun began melting snow off of branches.
Once we were opposite the Hidden Creek drainage, we were able to look up at it and the surrounding peaks, a welcome break in the trees. Along the trail, what looked like soot in the snow were actually millions of Springtails, little hexapods who flick their bodies and spring into the air!
The forest began opening up and with it, the snow depth below our feet increased. Fortunately for us, it had been cold enough and enough people had walked on it for it to be very consolidated and we were able to walk on top without punching through! Whew!
From there, it was increasing views until we got to the foot of the lake. The Steller’s Jays were particularly chatty and it was evident that they frequently get food based upon how “friendly” they were. (Please don’t feed the animals!!) They made some wonderfully hilarious noises and provided some entertainment as we enjoyed the ice/water/rock amphitheater. One other person was there, but he left a short bit after we arrived and we had the place all to ourselves which was delightful.
I glassed around with my binoculars to see if I could see any bears or goats, but all I found were some tracks that looked like bear tracks high up on the snowfield. Two Barrow’s Goldeneye males and a male Common Goldeneye fed under the water while other birds flitted in the trees and chatted.
After a bite to eat and some pictures, we packed up, headed down the trail, hopped on our bikes and rode back with the temperatures being very much more tolerable.
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