Raven Glacier (the Best Part of the Crow Pass Trail)

The challenging but imminently doable hike to Raven Glacier, which sits in Crow Pass, is the first portion of the famous 24-mile Crow Pass trail that runs from Girdwood to Eagle River. Although doing the entire Crow Pass hike is somewhat a rite of passage up here, many people say this first part is the best portion of the entire trail. I agree!

Heads up: Black bear sightings are common anywhere/everywhere in Girdwood.

The trip to Raven Glacier is hike 60 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska and hike 5 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage.

Raven Glacier Trailhead Directions

Access Girdwood via the Alyeska Highway at approximately mile 90 of the New Seward Highway, right next to the big Speedway Express gas station. After 1.9 miles on the Alyeska Highway, turn left onto the unpaved Crow Creek Mine Road.

The road continues another five miles into the mountains, being quite narrow and sometimes fairly rough, before dead-ending at the trailhead. This is a horrible place to get a flat, so make sure you have a jack and a spare tire with air in it.

Hiking to Raven Glacier

The Crow Creek trailhead — the start of the hike to Raven Glacier or Crow Pass — isn’t terribly difficult to reach, and you can’t miss the start of the trail heading uphill into thick brush that lasts about 0.75 mile. As you might imagine, wildlife sightings are quite common along the entirety of the trail — so make sure you bring your bear spray.

You’ll want a good pair of sturdy hiking shoes or boots, too: Once the trail clears the brush, it turns very rocky. At about 1.5 miles from the trailhead, you’ll have to decide whether to continue on the maintained and relatively gentle main trail, which veers off to the right and continues up a few switchbacks to the pass.

If you’re feeling particularly fit and adventurous you might prefer to continue straight ahead, check out a few old mining relics, and then scramble up a steep, slippery footpath beside the rocky stream gorge.

At about 3 miles from the trailhead, you’ll see milky-blue Crystal Lake. To reach its shores, you’ll need to leave the trail and wade a shallow, slow-moving channel flowing out of the lake. The Crow Pass public use cabin also sits on the lakeshore, but there’s plenty of space for you to picnic on the lakeshore without disturbing the folks in the cabin.

If you want to stay in the cabin yourself, make reservations far in advance. It books up very quickly, especially on weekends.

Or, you can continue straight ahead to the pass proper, which is less than a mile away. Plan to linger a while in the pass, which is absolutely worth the effort to reach it. If you hike all the way to the far side of the pass (without descending from it), you’ll earn a great overlook of Raven Glacier.

Want to Do All of the Crow Pass Trail?

If you’re thinking of doing the entire Crow Pass trail, the best source of information is the staff at the Eagle River Nature Center, which sits at the far (finishing) end of the 24-mile trail. They can often relay information from other hikers who’ve recently done the entire trail.

The same information is often posted to the “Crow Pass Trail” Facebook page.

That said, trail conditions can change on a dime, and the 24-mile hike involves a very serious crossing of Eagle River, so you’re always on your own to a certain degree.

Raven Glacier and Crow Pass Are in Avalanche Terrain

Heads up for winter visitors: The Crow Pass trail packs some serious avalanche hazard in the winter and spring. You can read about one couple’s near-miss experience here. Depending on the weather, snowpack — and avalanche hazard — can linger well into June.