Glacier Lake Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Fall Colors · Lake · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Kachemak Bay State Park offers some great runs in a truly wild setting. The Glacier Lake Trail is an easy trail with a gradual climb that will give you some great views of the area and mountain glaciers.

Bring plenty of water, it can be warm on the open plain.

This is the most popular trail in the park, and can be crowded during the peak of visitor season. Watch out for black bears, they are plentiful and need to have their space respected.

Starting at the Glacier Spit Trailhead, you'll enter mixed old growth forest. The trail is well-maintained and marked. There's a gradual ascent until the trail opens up onto the gravel out wash plain of Grewingk glacier, where you'll run through low cottonwood/spruce vegetation. You'll pass a junction at about mile 1.2 that leads to the Tram Trail; stay on the Glacier Lake Trail at this point.

You'll pass the Saddle Trail junction at approximately mile 2. stay on the Glacier Lake Trail and meander through scattered boulders until you reach the large gravel beach on the Grewingk Glacier Lake. If you've packed a lunch, it's a great spot to relax and just enjoy the views.

Most people make this run a 4 hour half-day trip and end up at the Saddle Trailhead for a pickup, where you are safe from the day breeze. Follow the trail back to the Saddle Trail junction, and climb up about 500' through spruce forest. You'll head down a series of switchbacks to the platform in Halibut Cove where you'll meet your boat. Total mileage on this route is approximately 3.5 miles.

Cottonwood, spruce, alder, various low shrubs such as silverberry and blueberry, various low elevation wildflowers, many black bears, some moose, red squirrels, variety of song birds and raptors. Good wildflowers in the spring.

Trail starts at the oldest edge of the out wash plain, where Grewingk glacier sat about 10-15,000 yrs bp. As you run towards the lake, you'll notice less advanced forest on the plain and on the ridges surrounding. The glacier has retreated at least 3 miles in the last 35 yrs.