Glacier Basin #719

The trail to Monte Cristo is fine; the first bridge(approx. 1 1/4 miles in) over the Sauk river has been repaired since I was there 2 years ago, but the second bridge next to it may fall at any time. We were able to cross it with no major probs, however, it's personal judgement as to whether one wishes to cross it or ford this portion (less than a foot deep). Most of the bridges at the townsite are newly repaired, except the bridge on the old trail to Sunday Falls; a new access trail has been formed at the lower townsite for that...

The trail to Glacier Basin is a mess: no maintanance whatsoever, overgrowth, washouts, and snow all conspire against the hiker. No complaining here, we encountered only one hiker at the Basin. Understand though, that you must earn this solitude, and if it has rained over the past day or so, you are likely to get very wet (saturated) on the trail. Just after passing Glacier Falls, patchy snow exists on the trail; the basin itself is 2/3 snow covered, but there are a few places to camp, albeit in rather soggy conditions. Definitely bring an ice axe if you wish to climb Cadet, Cristo, Kyes, or Wilmans peaks.