Jul 28, 2015 — A permit is now required to hike the lakes in this popular, beautiful area. It's still unlikely you'll be able to park at the Bear Lake Trailhead, which was the case for me. Instead I parked at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead, but either starting point makes little difference because both are part of this loop.
I headed south along the Glacier Gorge Trail, which passes by Alberta Falls and ascends to The Loch. Along the way I passed the junction with the Lake Haiyah Cutoff Trail which I'll be returnnig to after checking out Sky Pond. The trail to Sky pond passes The Loch, Lake of Glass, and ascends on a slightly less well-maintained trail to my favorite of the lakes I visited on this hike.
I backtracked to the Cutoff trail and took it, taking advantage of a short frolic to Lake Haiyah before continuing north to Dream Lake. I took the excursion out to Emerald Lake before continuing to Bear Lake and following the loop back to my car.
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