S. Shore St. Mary Lake
| Trail Features: | Waterfalls, Lake Views |  |
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| Trail Location: | St. Mary Falls Trailhead | ||||
| Roundtrip Length: | 7.2 Miles | ||||
| Total Elevation Gain: | 755 Feet | ||||
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 210 Feet | ||||
| Highest Elevation: | 4845 Feet | ||||
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 8.71 (moderate) | ||||
| Parking Lot Latitude | 48.675213 | ||||
| Parking Lot Longitude | -113.604557 | ||||
Trail Description:
The hike to the overlook along the south shore of St. Mary Lake begins from the St. Mary Falls Trailhead, located roughly 10.4 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 Shuttle Stop, located roughly one-quarter of a mile to the west of the main trailhead. This option will cut roughly two-thirds of a mile from your overall roundtrip mileage. 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 parking area the trail immediately begins descending through an area that was burned during the Reynolds Creek Fire of 2015. At just over one-tenth of a mile hikers will arrive at the Piegan Pass Trail junction. You should turn right here to continue towards St. Mary Falls.
At just under six-tenths of a mile hikers will arrive at the St. Mary Falls Cutoff Trail, which leads back up to the shuttle stop. Hikers should turn left at this junction, and then proceed for a very short distance to reach another junction. The Piegan Pass Trail continues up the hill towards the right. To continue on towards St. Mary Falls hikers should veer left onto the St. Mary Lake Trail at this juncture.
At just under 1.2 miles the footpath reaches the St. Mary River. Soon afterwards you'll begin hearing the thunder of crashing water, and in another quarter-mile, will arrive at St. Mary Falls, one of the more spectacular waterfalls in Glacier National 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.
You may want to 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.
Shortly after passing St. Mary Falls the trail begins to ascend along the west side of Virginia Creek. Before reaching Virginia Falls hikers will pass two series of cascades and waterfalls, both of which would be notable destinations in and of themselves. However, being located between two absolutely spectacular waterfalls, the relative aesthetic quality of the two unnamed falls may be somewhat diminished. That being said, however, they're still well worth a stop.
At just over 1.5 miles hikers will reach the first unnamed falls, a quite impressive cascade that drops in a series of four separate tiers. A quarter-of-a-mile up the trail is the second series of cascades and falls. Again these are quite impressive and well worth a visit.
At just over 2 miles hikers will arrive at the Virginia Falls Viewpoint Trail junction. To visit the falls you should turn right here. The base of the upper falls is less than a tenth-of-a-mile from this junction.
Virginia Falls is another multi-tiered waterfall, with the main fall dropping roughly 50 feet, another secondary chute, and then a short cascade section at the bottom. Stepping up to the base of the main falls and feeling the spray and the blast of cool air is like instant air conditioning, even on a hot August day. You may want to note that the rocks around the falls are quite slick.
After visiting the falls hikers should return to the previous junction where you'll turn right onto the St. Mary Lake Trail. Just a few yards from the junction the trail crosses over a fairly long footbridge. Once on the other side of Virginia Creek hikers will enjoy views of Virginia Falls from its lower base. From this vantage point the trail continues for a short distance to reach another waterfall, and then makes an abrupt turn towards the east. As it proceeds towards the overlook the trail travels through high, dense brush over the course of the next 1.5 miles. Along the way you'll pass a couple of waterfalls cascading down Little Chief Mountain. You'll also enjoy intermittent views of the surrounding mountains.
At roughly 3.6 miles hikers will reach a rock outcropping that overlooks St. Mary Lake, which serves as the ending spot for this hike. From this vantage point, roughly one hundred feet above the lake, you’ll enjoy a commanding view of the peninsula that juts out into the lake across from Sun Point. Since there's no sign here, and the trail continues for several more miles, the coordinates for this overlook is 48.66866 -113.58842. However, the endpoint for this hike is very obvious. It's the first spot on this route to overlook the lake.
While there are a few trees that prevent a wide panoramic view of the surrounding area, you can continue down the trail for roughly one hundred feet or so where you'll enjoy mostly unobstructed views of the mountains rising above the north and northwest side of the lake. Looking from left to right you'll be able to see Going-To-The-Sun Mountain and Matahpi Peak, as well as Goat Mountain, which stands directly across the lake.
While eating our lunch atop the overlook, twice we happened to see a lone bald eagle fly across the lake. Although you'll likely be hiking amongst many other fellow hikers during the first half of your trip, you're just as likely to have the trail to yourself once past Virginia Falls. This section of the St. Mary Lake Trail is quite isolated, but offers hikers a bit of solitude in the heart of Glacier National Park.
