Lake of the Hanging Glacier, Toby Creek, BC - August 12th 2025

Trail : Lake of the Hanging Glacier
Date : August 12th 2025
Location : Toby Creek, BC
Trailhead location : At the end of Horsethief Creek Forest service road
Distance : 16.9 km
Elevation gain : 932 m
Starting time : 7h41 am
Total time to complete including lunch and climbing up the boulder field above the lake to get a better view on the lake : 5h15
Difficulty : Hard hike, no scrambling
Trail traffic : Very light

After exploring around Farnham Glacier yesterday, we decided to camp nearby and take on Lake of the Hanging Glacier today. It’s been on my bucket list for a while, and after chatting with a friend who mentioned she was planning to do it soon, it felt like the perfect opportunity.

We set our alarm for 6 AM to beat the heat, especially since Maverick was taging along. The forest service road (FSR) to the trailhead had been washed out by a mudslide earlier this August, but it’s since been cleared. The drive in was bumpy in sections, but overall the road was in decent shape.

When we arrived at the parking lot, we noticed chicken wire wrapped around all vehicles. It reminded me of a photo I’d seen before of a trail known for rodent and porcupine activity. Turns out, this was the spot! Even though the wire is mainly recommended for overnight hikers, we didn’t want to take any chances, so we joined in and wrapped our vehicle too. The wire is conveniently available at the trailhead.

The trail itself stays in the forest almost the entire way, which was a blessing on such a hot day, especially with Maverick in tow. There are a few spots where the trees open up and offer glimpses of the mountains, and when they do… wow. Absolutely soak them in, because they’re short-lived but stunning!

The trail was a little muddy in sections but nothing too bad. We did spot some very clear bear prints in the soft patches, a good reminder that bears are definitely around, even if we didn’t run into any. The constant sound of water was really peaceful too, pretty much the whole trail up to the lake. You start off hiking alongside Horsethief Creek, and later pass Horsethief Falls as the elevation starts to kick in. You hike along these falls almost to the lake, very pleasant.

That forested hike was honestly so serene. And between the flowing water and the mushroom hunt (me ≠ Steve 😂🫣), it turned into a really fun, beautiful adventure. There were so many colorful mushrooms dotting the trail!

As we neared the lake, the views finally opened up, and wow, it was absolutely worth every step. The scenery is jaw-dropping. One thing to note though: you arrive at water level, and if you want to truly appreciate the lake’s unreal aqua color and reflections, you have to climb the boulder field to the left. So I did, and I’m so glad. The view from up there was absolutely breathtaking.
We had lunch at the lake (pro tip: be prepared to be eaten alive by bugs 🫣), then made our way back down the trail.
Lake of the Hanging Glacier definitely deserves its spot on the bucket list. That said, if I had to choose between camping here or at Carnarvon Lake in Kananaskis, AB, I’d pick Carnarvon without hesitation. Just my two cents.