Sky Pond
5.0(109)google
5.0(4)yelp
LakeHiking
Overview
Naravit Lertratkosum (Thai: ณราวิชญ์ เลิศรัตน์โกสุมภ์; born 1 February 2001), nicknamed Pond (Thai: ปอนด์), is a Thai actor singer. He began his career after winning the Go On Girl & Guy Star Search in 2020, which led to an exclusive contract with GMMTV. He gained widespread recognition for his role as Mork in the 2021 series Fish upon the Sky. In addition to his acting career, Naravit is a member of the Thai boy group JASP.ER, formed by Riser Music.
Practical Info
Suggested Duration5-7 hours
Best TimeJuly through September is the narrow golden window for snow-free alpine trekking. This is a strenuous, high-altitude hike; hitting the trailhead between 5:00 AM and 6:00 AM is critical. This early departure ensures you summit and safely descend below the tree line before the notoriously hazardous and frequent afternoon alpine thunderstorms roll in.
Getting ThereThe trek begins at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. Driving and parking directly at the lot is heavily restricted by capacity; park at the Bear Lake Road Park & Ride and take the free shuttle to the Glacier Gorge stop. Prepare for a demanding 4.7-mile one-way hike (gaining 1,780 vertical feet) that includes a scramble up the wet rock face next to Timberline Falls.
Travel Tips
- Sky Pond tracks a high-consequence, strenuous 9.5-mile roundtrip scaling to 10,900 feet. The definitive safety barrier involves scrambles directly up the wet, vertical rock face of Timberline Falls; the flow is freezing and slick with alpine moss without fixed ropes—abort if lacking heavy-lug Vibram outsoles.
- Because Sky Pond is perched in an alpine cirque fully exposed above the Krummholz zone, it is a high-strike lightning grid. The ironclad mountaineering rule commands that regardless of proximity to the water, all trekkers must initiate their down-mountain retreat prior to 12:00 PM to escape deadly lightning sweeps.
- The most direct staging portal for Sky Pond is Glacier Gorge Trailhead, which features an even smaller lot that locks under maximum capacity by 6:00 AM. Skip this bottleneck entirely; program your navigation grid to the Park & Ride lot first and mount the Glacier Gorge shuttle loop.
Reviews
Positive
- The jagged Sharkstooth spire towering over the glacial tarn delivers an epic, raw alpine view that takes your breath away.
- The ultimate hike for hardcore backpackers, blending rushing creeks, waterfalls, frozen tarns, and hands-on rock scrambling.
- Scrambling up the final waterfall cliff to reveal the hidden lake brings an unmatched sense of triumph that rewards every drop of sweat.
- The glacial terrain is perfectly preserved and free of commercial clutter, offering true high-altitude solitude and peace.
Heads up
- Extremely difficult 9-mile trek; the crux requires free-climbing a wet, icy, and slippery waterfall rock face, which is dangerous.
- Underprepared tourists frequently slip and injure themselves on the rocky upper scrambles, requiring high-altitude rescue search.
- Exposed upper basins are prone to dangerous afternoon alpine lightning and hail storms, with zero shelters to shield hikers.
- The rugged trail is entirely rough boulders and root-tangled dirt; zero accessibility, making it unusable for kids or seniors.