Big Four Ice Caves
North Cascades
As of June 27, 2026, the trail to Big Four Ice Caves is generally clear of snow and in good condition, though flora encroaches in places. Reports from late May and June confirm fallen trees have been cleared, and boardwalks are mostly sturdy, with minor damage noted on June 19th.
The "ice caves" themselves are melting rapidly, with reports from June 12th stating they are "just starting to open." Visitors in late June observe melting snow. Beware of significant insect activity, especially mosquitoes, noted on June 25th and June 22nd. Parking and road access are reported as normal, with no snow on the road to the trailhead as of May 10th. Be mindful of signs warning against venturing too close to the caves due to avalanche risk.
generated from 55 reports
Conditions at a Glance
Trail
Obstacles on trail: Trees down across trail.
1 of 1
Snow
Trail snow-covered at times - gear and expertise recommended
1 of 1
Road
Snow and ice on road
1 of 1
Bugs
No bugs
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Sources
We arrived at the trail at 5:30pm on a Thursday to a parking lot with two cars. We left at 7:15pm from a lot with three cars, and encountered one couple walking towards the caves (with a winsome wildf...
After intense 33 mile overnight last weekend I wanted to get into the mountains for an easy breezy hike so took my son with me and we enjoyed lunch staring at big four. Beautiful as always.Easy 2.5 mi...
Great little hike on a warm sunny Father's Day! Our kids, 4 & 7, complained it was too hard... I guess we need to do more hiking 🙃Anyway, no issues with the trail or roads and while popular and busy,...
Boardwalks were damaged in a few spots. Rest of the trail in good condition. Buggy at the start of the hike. Lots of wildflowers: foxglove, poppies, bleeding hearts, lupines, 4 different colors of col...
trail is looking great, fallen trees cleared and walkways sturdy. I was really upset to see so many people do physical damage to the glacial snow/caves! stop walking on them folks! and if you bring li...
All blowdowns have been cleared.Easy to reach the snowfield. Ice caves are just starting to open.
One of the trails is closed, but the other one is open and obstacle free.Several waterfalls and what snow that is there is melting quickly.
This is one of our favorite hikes. The first parking lot was open today which is notated as the picnic area. It was a lovely day for a hike and we even explored the back area waterfalls. This hike is ...
Others have documented the blow downs well. The upside of this is perhaps a quieter visit than I might otherwise have had. The birds might also have been more vocal or present. Merlin picked up a Wils...
This'll be a short trip report, but hopefully still helpful to anyone looking at this trail.(A) Getting There & Parking & TrailheadNo issues getting to the trailhead even with an older FWD car. No sno...
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