Virginia Falls
| Trail Features: | Waterfalls |  |
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| Trail Location: | St. Mary Falls Shuttle Stop | ||||
| Roundtrip Length: | 3.6 Miles | ||||
| Total Elevation Gain: | 525 Feet | ||||
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 292 Feet | ||||
| Highest Elevation: | 4845 Feet | ||||
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 4.65 (easy) | ||||
| Parking Lot Latitude | 48.6746 | ||||
| Parking Lot Longitude | -113.60807 | ||||
Trail Description:
This hike to Virginia 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 continue on towards 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 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.
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 1.2 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 1.7 miles hikers will arrive at the Virginia Falls Viewpoint Trail junction. Staying towards the left continues along the St. Mary Lake Trail. To visit Virginia Falls hikers should take the right fork. 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.
Having hiked this several times now, I would probably have to rate Virginia Falls as the best waterfall hike in Glacier National Park. That's just my humble opinion, though. If you still have plenty of time and energy after viewing the falls, hikers can continue along the St. Mary Lake Trail to visit a rock outcropping that overlooks St. Mary Lake from its southern shore.
