30 seconds. Maybe it was even less. That is how long we had feeling in our feet if we stood still in the water. Would you wade out into the frigid water of Iceberg Lake (you can probably guess why it has that name)? Would you climb on the chunks of ice floating in the water that hovers just above the freezing point? Yes and yes were our answers. We were living the trip motto of “do it because you don’t know the next time you’ll be back here. No regrets.”. This motto is now one of the many rules I live by on my adventures: say yes. We packed two majestic and vastly different landscapes into the same day and you’ll get to journey through both in this blog post. From taking a dip in an iceberg-filled lake to hiking through a man-made tunnel carved 3/4 of the way up the Ptarmigan Pass wall of mountains, Friday, August 11th, 2017 was a memorable day. Let’s dive into my experience of Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan’s Pass in Glacier National Park.
The trailhead is off of the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, which is across the road from the Many Glacier Campground (where we were staying). We packed our day packs and began walking from our campground, knowing that the lot at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn is sometimes full and only fits a couple dozen cars. Below is a map taken from hikinginglacier.com.
Trail to Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Tunnel – Source: http://www.hikinginglacier.com/ptarmigan-tunnel.htm
Our first goal was Iceberg lake. The initial part of the hike was steeper but it eventually flattened out. We trekked in and out of pine-filled forests with incredible views filling the gaps. The photo below captures the Ptarmigan wall, which somewhat resembles a mountain skyline. The mountains are my type of city.
A Partial View of the Skyline that is Ptarmigan’s Wall
There is a cool waterfall area along the trail around Ptarmigan Falls near the junction between Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Tunnel. We spent a few minutes climbing and trying to get the best view of the falls.
Waterfall Peeking Through the Trees
View From the Top of the Waterfall – Look at the Color of the Rocks!!
As many of you are becoming aware… I am a total sucker for a cool bridge
We reached the junction and stuck with our decision to keep left and venture to Iceberg Lake. We weren’t entirely sure if there’d be time to get to Ptarmigan Tunnel or not, but Iceberg Lake was our #1 priority for the time being. Majority of the hike from the junction to Iceberg Lake hides the final destination from you, but still provides amazing views. Much of the hike to the lake is uphill, so the lake just kind of popped out at us right at the end. What was interesting about this trip is how noticeable the haze from the northern wildfires was. Check out the photo below – beyond the closest mountains, the haze begins to blur the distant ranges.
Looking Back Upon the Valley from Which We Came
The Bowl of Mountains, Including Mt. Wilbur at an Elevation of 9321 feet, That Houses Iceberg Lake is Emerging
We marched on and began to work up a sweat. As we neared the lake, the temperature definitely began to drop. During our trip, the temperatures ranged from 30s (Fahrenheit) at night to 80s during the day. The mountains and ice kept the surrounding area refreshing. The trail crosses the stream that outlets Iceberg Lake.
Yet another simple, yet functional and beautiful water crossing
And eventually……..
Our First Views of Iceberg Lake Emerged
Look at the icebergs and the reflection on the lake! We were a few of the first people there and there was not a single ripple in the water. I was taken aback by how beautiful the variety of focus points were, from the icebergs themselves, to the wildflowers and trees, to the steep, sloping mountains that seclude the area. I couldn’t contain my excitement. As we got to the lake, we made sure to keep the trip trends when it comes to water. Can you guess? Yep. We had to get wet. This lake plays both a physical game as well as a psychological game with you. Not only is the water actually just above freezing (think of it like a glass of ice water on a warm sunny day), you are actually seeing the icebergs, so the mind amplifies the cold. I began to wade out and got to just above the knees until my feet started to get numb so I waded back to shore.
My First Dip in Iceberg Lake
Neil decided he would 1-up me, so he took his shirt off and dove under. He was quick to rush to shore, but he did it. He submerged his head in this nearly freezing water.
Neil After Fully Submerging Himself
I had to 1-up from that. I eyeballed one of the icebergs. I began to wade out to one and got submerged up to my chest right at the iceberg. I climbed on.
Pure Joy and a Lack of Feeling in My Extremities
Neil had to cap it off with a victory. He swam out to one of the icebergs and ended up cannonballing off of it. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a capture of him jumping off, but we got him in his glory on the iceberg itself!
Neil and His Iceberg
Iceberg lake was a blast. We hung around for a bit and watched as the trend of climbing on icebergs picked up and other hikers began to venture out. It was still early afternoon at this point and we decided that we had time and were going to try to get up to Ptarmigan Tunnel. This ended up being one of the best decisions of the trip. The view from the tunnel ended up being my second favorite from the trip behind Grinnell Glacier Overlook. Absolutely amazing. As we hiked away from Iceberg Lake, the temperature rose and we began to get full functionality back in our limbs. The combination of flowers, grass, and rocky mountains had me in a constantly awe-struck state.
The Path En Route to Ptarmigan Tunnel
As we rounded the mountain on the left in the above photo, we were presented with a view of the destination. You have to really focus on the photo, but you can see the approximate location of the Ptarmigan Tunnel. Follow the trail along the mountainside and you will see a large switchback followed by a smaller one farther up the mountain. For those of you who don’t know, a switchback is a 180 degree bend in the path, many times used to gain rapid elevation while minimizing the horizontal distance covered. The tunnel is above the second switchback just under the lowest point in the saddle between mountains.
View of the Destination – Ptarmigan Tunnel from Roughly 1700 feet Below
We made our way around the lake and looked back at the valley.
Ptarmigan Lake Looking Like A Puddle With Reference to the Scale of the Mountains
As we climbed, we separated with different paces, as we were all still visible to each other. I was up ahead and was able to capture a sweet photograph of Neil that gives a good reference of the scale of everything.
A Man on His Journey. Neil and His Mountains.
The tunnel ended up being one of the coolest parts of the trip. Man-made, this tunnel was made to provide a shorter route for horses through the mountains (at least that’s what we were told).
Ptarmigan Tunnel
The Inside of Ptarmigan Tunnel
The tunnel was refreshing – probably a good 10-20 degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler than outside. What awaited us on the other side was jaw-dropping. We made our way through the tunnel and were speechless as the completely different landscape of the other side took shape.
Red Rocks, Pines, Lakes, and a Distant Mountain Range that Is Home to Old Sun Glacier
In talking with a few fellow hikers, we were told that there is a sweet view of the Old Sun Glacier if you hike down the mountain a ways. The Glacier was hidden by Ptarmigan’s Pass from where we stood, and we really only contemplated whether or not we should go for like 3 seconds (with the only drawback being the hike back up the mountain – we were already beat). We had to check it out. Going back to the common theme – NO REGRETS. Do everything you can. We made our way down and were totally stoked when Old Sun emerged. It’s a freaking glacier way up on top of a mountain!
Old Sun Glacier Perched Atop the Mountains
So…was it worth it to conquer both Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Tunnel all in one day? YES. You definitely need to put the work in, carry enough water, and prepare yourself for a good amount of up and down, but the rewarding views and experiences are totally worth every second. Me, Rose, and Neil enjoyed our last moments at Glacier high on life and soaking in the beauty that mother nature has created. We backtracked to the trailhead and called it a day.
The Hike Out Beautifully Capped off an Unforgettable Trip – Here, Rose Takes It All In
We had one more night at Many Glacier Campground and had flights out of Spokane the following day. I hope you have enjoyed this recap of a place that should be added to everyone’s bucket list. I appreciate you for reading the content and hope you found value and inspiration in the posts. My recap posts included the Highline Trail, Grinnell Glacier Overlook, Backcountry Camping on Logging Lake, A “Refresh Day” near Many Glacier Hotel on Swiftcurrent Lake and Apikuni Falls, Cracker Lake, and this post, which covered Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Tunnel. Every. Single. Destination. Was. Incredible. Feel free to check out the other posts if you are interested and haven’t already. Additional photos from Friday, August 11th, 2017 as well as any other day can be found in the GALLERY. This post wraps up the trip to Glacier National Park from August 2017.
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Stay adventurous, explore as much as possible, and think about how your actions impact both other people and the world around us. Inspire adventure, live passionately, and love your story.
Until Next Post,
Ryan
