Ice Lake Trail

Beautiful lake and hike. We did it in one day, including going up to Matterhorn peak after having lunch at the lake. Would have been better to camp the night instead of doing that all in one shot. Very challenging, especially from the lake to Matterhorn. We started at 8:30 am and got back to the car at 6:30 pm. We kept a pretty fast pace to beat sundown. Definitely go up to Matterhorn, I suggest walking sticks though! The view is absolutely amazing. Be sure to follow the cairns to get to the peak.

Trail was a bit harder than we thought it would be, but not impossible. Beautiful lake. Lots of people backpacking over labor day, but still plenty of spots when we got up there late. Planned on summiting Matterhorn, but didn't get to it. I'll be back ice lake.

My dog and I hiked in starting around 1pm on the Friday before Labor Day. The trail was well-marked with several opportunities for water along the way. Lots of flowers and nice views. The route was steep but the timing kept me out of the sun during the steepest bit. When we arrived, I opted to walk down the trail to my right to the far side of the lake and, to my surprise, had the place all to myself. (Good timing as I passed hordes of backpackers on the trail during my descent the next day). There are some nice campsites in the trees with a short walk to the lake for a chilly dip in the water.

I camped overnight at Ice Lake in July 2017. This place is absolutely gorgeous. The view of the Matterhorn from Ice Lake is breathtaking. This is one of my favorite hikes and I would love to do it in the winter.

Did this as a day hike, took about 6 hours round trip. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!

Great trip; highly recommend!

I had trouble beforehand finding current maps that showed the route up to Matterhorn so recorded the entire there/back trip. As an FYI: if you use my recording, know that there were snow fields that covered the trail to Matterhorn summit so we went off trail a few times between ice lake and Matterhorn. Our return route (i.e. From Matterhorn back to ice lake) is closer to the suggested trail and definitely recommended over the route we took going up.

Beautiful trip. We hiked to the lake and used it as a base camp to access a couple nearby peaks. Despite the elevation gain the trail never felt steep or particularly difficult. There is a lot of exposure to the sun, so get it done early if you're afraid of the heat. Bugs were an annoyance in camp, but the views and seclusion were totally worth it.

This is a wonderful trail and is snow free. The bugs were especially bad at the campsites to the right of the trail when you are headed in. Crossing the Lake's outlet seemed like the better option for camping, so that you catch the breeze off of the lake. Also, leave enough time to explore around the lake. It's bigger than it looks and there are a bunch of cool areas to explore.

Excellent trail with a consistent elevation climb.

one of my all time favorite trails to hike into and camp over night!