St. Mary Falls
| Trail Features: | Waterfalls |  |
|||
| Trail Location: | St. Mary Falls Trailhead | ||||
| 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:
The hike to St. Mary Falls begins from the St. Mary Falls Trailhead, located 10.6 miles west of the St. Mary Entrance Station on the Going-To-The-Sun Road.
With limited parking, and all three waterfalls in this area being popular destinations, parking can be an issue during the summer season. I would recommend arriving early to find a space, or taking the shuttle from Sun Point or Rising Sun to the St. Mary Falls Trailhead.
The hike begins on the St. Mary Falls Cutoff Trail. For a brief segment near the beginning of the trail, as you pass through an opening in the forest, hikers will have 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 see Fusillade, Reynolds and Heavy Runner Mountains.
Soon the trail enters the canopy
of a dense pine forest. Roughly one-quarter of a mile from the parking area you’ll
reach the Piegan Pass Trail junction. Hikers should turn right here, and then walk
a few more yards where you’ll 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 you’ll reach the St. Mary River. Soon after you’ll hear the thunder of crashing water, and in another quarter-mile, will finally reach 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 gorge. You’ll immediately notice the incredibly beautiful aqua-green color of the pools below the falls.
Look for dippers, also known as water ouzels, nesting and diving under the water in search of food near the falls.
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.
