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| Last Updated: September 17, 2007 | ||
Difficulty |
Easy; very little elevation gain. A stretch of boulders at the end commands caution while maneuvering through them. | |
Connects With |
Eagle Peak Hanging Valley Flute Glacier Rendezvous Peak Triangle Peak |
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Miles One Way |
6 to 8 depending on where you want to camp. | |
Miles
from
|
About 25 miles; on the outskirts of the town of Eagle River. | |
General Vicinity |
Chugach State Park | |
Season |
June to September (too much snow before then) | |
Description |
One of my favorite
places to go! Very convenient to Anchorage and one of the most accessible
ways to get into the backcountry. The trail starts over a ridge
then descends into the valley. At the end, after climbing over the
a slew of rocks and boulders from a long ago slide, are two lakes situated on both sides of a lateral
moraine;
Eagle Lake, which is a green milky color and Symphony Lake, a rich blue aquamarine
color. The contrast in color is amazing and is one of the coolest
sites in the park. While many hike to the Lakes as a day hike, plan an overnighter to allow time for exploring. The scenery is gorgeous whichever lake you decide to camp by. Some people choose to camp right on the spine of the moraine getting views of both lakes. On the ridge is a strange wooden structure that was supposedly the start of a cabin. If you head further down past Eagle Lake, a deep canyon forms where
large herds of Dall Sheep reside. You can proceed up the end to Flute
Glacier and Eagle Peak. Further down the Symphony Lake
side is
another canyon with waterfalls, boulder slopes and hidden lakes (tarns),
as well as the trail to Triangle Peak.
You may even want to explore the mountain, Cantata, that runs right up the middle of
the moraine. September 15, 2007 Hiked out here with some friends and
10-15 minutes out of the parking lot we saw a pack of wolves up on the
mountain. These are the same wolves that usually travel in the Eagle
River Valley and they were a nice surprise. Also, the mountains by the
lakes had a nice dusting of snow from the nights rain. :o) |
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Important Information |
Until you get to the
bridge down in the valley, you are on private property. Stay on
the trail and respect the owners. There are good spots to pitch a tent but you have to look. Drop your pack on the spine and take a good look around before you decide. Expect to get your feet wet if you head into the Eagle Lake Canyon;
some parts are marshy. Frank Baker, who submitted the hike for Flute
Glacier, suggests bringing tennis shoes to use till you get to the
end of the canyon. |
|
Etc. |
From a geologists perspective, the landscape is quite interesting. Here we have two glaciers running side by side each grinding a different set of minerals affecting the color of the tarns they left behind. FYI-glacial lakes get their color from the sun reflecting off the minerals that the previous glacier ground to a fine silt. |
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