Harding Icefield Trail
The roughly eight-mile round trip gains about 3,000 feet through rapidly changing ecological zones.
Artwork inspired by Sydney Laurence
A steep climb rises from alder and forest to the edge of an immense icefield. The roughly eight-mile round trip gains about 3,000 feet through rapidly changing ecological zones. The final viewpoint reveals only a portion of the Harding Icefield, which continues beyond ordinary scale.
Start early, pace the climb by terrain zones, and turn around for weather or time before the icefield viewpoint becomes a summit obligation. Snow lingers, weather arrives fast, bears use the valley, and the exposed upper trail offers little shelter; this is not an extension of the easy glacier path. The essential insight sits in the relationship between alder slopes and marmot meadows, not in collecting a single perfect photograph.
- Distance
- About 8.2 miles
- Gain
- About 3,000 feet
- Difficulty
- Strenuous
Quick guide
- Start with
- Start early, pace the climb by terrain zones, and turn around for weather or time before the icefield viewpoint becomes a summit obligation.
- Look closely at
- Pause where alder slopes and marmot meadows meet; that transition explains why the place is distinctive.
Know before you go
- Start with
- Start early, pace the climb by terrain zones, and turn around for weather or time before the icefield viewpoint becomes a summit obligation.
- Look closely at
- Pause where alder slopes and marmot meadows meet; that transition explains why the place is distinctive.
- Connect the story
- The roughly eight-mile round trip gains about 3,000 feet through rapidly changing ecological zones. The final viewpoint reveals only a portion of the Harding Icefield, which continues beyond ordinary scale.
- Plan around
- Allow 3–8 hours. Snow lingers, weather arrives fast, bears use the valley, and the exposed upper trail offers little shelter; this is not an extension of the easy glacier path.
Good to know
Snow lingers, weather arrives fast, bears use the valley, and the exposed upper trail offers little shelter; this is not an extension of the easy glacier path.
Notice these
- alder slopes
- marmot meadows
- icefield overlook