St. Mary Falls
| Trail Features: | Waterfalls |  |
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| Trail Location: | St. Mary Falls Shuttle Stop | ||||
| Roundtrip Length: | 1.7 Miles | ||||
| Total Elevation Gain: | 215 Feet | ||||
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 253 Feet | ||||
| Highest Elevation: | 4737 Feet | ||||
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 2.13 (easy) | ||||
| Parking Lot Latitude | 48.6746 | ||||
| Parking Lot Longitude | -113.60807 | ||||
Trail Description:
This hike to St. Mary Falls in Glacier National Park begins from the St. Mary Falls Shuttle Stop, located 10.6 miles west of the St. Mary Entrance Station on the Going-To-The-Sun Road. Hikers will also have the option of starting their hike from the St. Mary Falls Trailhead, located roughly one-quarter of a mile to the east of the shuttle stop. This option will add roughly two-thirds of a mile to your overall roundtrip hike. With limited parking, and all three waterfalls in this area being extremely popular destinations, parking can be an issue during the summer season. I would recommend arriving early to find a parking spot, or taking the shuttle from Sun Point or Rising Sun to reach the St. Mary Falls Trailhead.
From the shuttle stop you'll begin your hike on the St. Mary Falls Cutoff Trail. For a brief segment near the beginning of the trail you'll enjoy commanding views of 8064-foot Dusty Star Mountain as it towers directly in front of you. Looking towards the south will be 8922-foot Almost-a-Dog Mountain and 9541-foot Little Chief Mountain. And if you look towards the west you’ll be able to see Fusillade, Reynolds and Heavy Runner Mountains.
As you descend towards St. Mary Falls you'll begin passing through an area that was burned during the Reynolds Creek Fire of 2015. At roughly one-quarter of a mile from the shuttle stop hikers will arrive at the Piegan Pass Trail junction. You should turn right here, and then proceed for a very short distance to reach another junction. The Piegan Pass Trail continues up the hill towards the right. To visit St. Mary Falls hikers should veer left onto the St. Mary Lake Trail at this juncture.
At six-tenths of a mile hikers will reach the St. Mary River. Soon afterwards you'll begin hearing the thunder of crashing water, and in another quarter-mile, will finally arrive at St. Mary Falls, one of the more spectacular waterfalls in the park.
St. Mary Falls drops roughly 35 feet in three separate tiers, with the two largest being the most photogenic. A smaller waterfall can be found below the footbridge. Even on a hot August day the rush of water forces a cool breeze down the narrow gorge. You'll also likely notice the incredibly beautiful aqua-green color of the pools just below the falls.
Keep an eye out for American dippers, also known as water ouzels, bobbing, or "dipping", along the rocks around the waterfalls, or diving under the water in search of food. Once below the surface of the water the dippers forage by either walking along the stream bottom, or by "flying" through the water, while using their wings to propel themselves through the swift currents. These small, slate-grey colored birds are also known to nest in this area.
If you thought these falls were pretty good, I highly recommend continuing along the trail, for less than another mile, to see the even more impressive Virginia Falls.
