Heliotrope Ridge

Beautiful day hike. Was nervous the clouds wouldn't burn off, but turned out that the views were above the clouds anyway. The trail is pretty gentle. There are a number of creek crossing, most of which are very manageable, until the very last one just before the glacier. It required fording in deep, fast-moving water. We chickened out and decided to head back a quarter mile up the climbers' route. The climbers' route is steep, but spectacular views and well worth it.

The lower trail has a close-up view of the glacier, but the climbers' route has more sweeping views. We did see a number of people safely cross the river as long as they stayed closed to a fallen tree. Just a judgment call based on your comfort level! I do recommend heading up the climbers' route a little ways either way. The views are spectacular.