Hiking In Glacier
Glacier's primary renown is among serious climbers, but day-hikers and backpackers have plenty of options. Some of the park's 21 trails (140km of walking in all) push close to glaciers for casual views of the ice - though only two spots are now safe at the toe of the Illecillewaet - and the backcountry is noticeably less busy than in the Big Four parks to the east. The easiest short strolls off the road are the Abandoned Rails Trail (1.2km one-way; 30min), along old rail beds to abandoned snowsheds betweeen the Rogers Pass centre and the Summit Monument (suitable for wheelchairs); the Loop Trail (1.6km) from the viewpoint just east of the Loop Brook campsite, full of viewpoints and features relating to the building of the railway; the Hemlock Grove Boardwalk (400m), a stroll through old-growth stands of western hemlock trees, some more than 350 years old (wheelchair-accessible; trailhead midway between Loop Brook campsite and the park's western boundary); and the Meeting of the Water Trail (30min) from the Illecillewaet campsite, the hub of Glacier's trail network. Six manageable day-hikes from the campsite give superb views onto the glaciers, particularly the Great Glacier, Avalanche Crest and Abbott's Ridge trails. Other hikes, not centred on the campsite, include Bostock Creek (9km) and Flat Creek (9km), a pair of paths on the park's western edge heading north and south respectively from the same point on the Trans-Canada. Among the backpacking routes, the longest is the Beaver River Trail (30km-plus), which peels off from the highway at the Mount Shaughnessy picnic area on the eastern edge (also a favourite mountain-bike route). The single best long-haul trail, however, is the Copperstain Creek Trail (16km), which leaves the Beaver River path after 3km, and climbs to meadows and bleak alpine tundra from where camping and onward walking options are almost endless
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