ANDERSON GLACIER TRAIL

Length 0.7mi/1.1 km 
Access West Fork Dosewallips Trail 
USGS Map Mount Steel 
Agency Olympic National Park

This spur trail climbs from Anderson Pass (4464 ft/1361 m) on the West Fork 
Dosewallips Trail to the moraine alongside Anderson Glacier on the south 
side of Mount Anderson. The path ascends through stands of mountain hemlock, 
then switchbacks up steep slopes covered with heather, huckleberry, and fields 
of avalanche lilies. The trail ends at the moraine (0.7 mi/1.1 km; 5200 ft/1585 m), 
but one can wander at will along the rock wall and enjoy the views-north to 
Mount Anderson, which is often flecked with fresh snow after summer storms; 
south across the upper Quinault to White Mountain. A good campsite is located 
by a little tarn near the lateral moraine, which consists of huge, angular 
boulders and rocks of all sizes piled up in a long row. The glacier's terminus 
is littered with debris, and large chunks of ice float in the lake impounded 
between the ice and the moraine. The glacier has receded a great deal during 
the last sixty years, leaving a field of rubble-sharp, angular rocks strewn 
across the barren glacial bed. The silt-laden lake has also become much larger.

The glaciers on Mount Anderson are, despite their recession, the largest ones 
in the eastern Olympics, and the mountain looks truly alpine from this point, 
its sharp peaks overshadowing the ice. Only experienced climbers should attempt 
the ascent.