Just six miles from Many Glacier is one of the prettiest lakes you may ever see inside Glacier National Park’s 1 million acres. Cracker Lake, located on the park’s east side, is a splendid day hike that is perfect for people who want to get outdoors (especially in these final days of summer) and also want to learn a little about the industrial age at the same time.
A lesson in the industrial age may seem farfetched in such a remote location, but at the end of the lake, visitors will find the leftovers of the Cracker Lake Mine. The mine was built in 1898 after copper was discovered nearby. At one time there was 1,300-foot adit and a small steam-driven processor. Little ever came of the mine and it was abandoned within a few years.
The hike itself is also great and takes visitors along the Cracker Flats before turning into the hills and up the canyon to the lake. Be sure to bring bear spray as this is prime grizzly country.
Plan Your Adventure:
From the west side, the quickest way to get to Cracker Lake is to take the Going-to-the-Sun Road to St. Mary and then turn north to Babb and enter the park at Many Glacier. The trailhead is at the end of the Many Glacier parking lot.