St. Mary Falls Trail
in Montana
St. Mary Falls is an iconic, double waterfall of clear blue water just above St. Mary Lake. Fires burned through the forest in this area in 2015, meaning the trail has little shade. Because there are a variety of ways to reach St.
Mary Falls, please consult a map before setting out. The St. Mary Falls trailhead also provides access to Virginia Falls. These are the three main ways to hike to St. Mary Falls: Trailhead: St. Mary Falls Shuttle Stop 0.8 mi (1.3 km), one way Elevation loss: 260 ft (79 m) Trailhead: St.
Mary Falls Trailhead 1.2 mi (1.9 km), one way Elevation loss: 260 ft (79 m) Trailhead: Using concession operated tour boat from Rising Sun, tour fees apply 1.6 mi (2.5 km), one way Elevation gain: 140 ft (42.5 m) Virginia Falls Distance: 1.8 mi (2.9 km), one way Elevation gain: 359 ft (109 m) Elevation loss: 335 ft (102 m) Trailhead: St. Mary Falls Trailhead (Virginia Falls can also be reached from the Sun Point Picnic Area) While in Glacier National Park, please maintain extra awareness around water, steep dropoffs, and wildlife. You are responsible for your own safety.
- States
- Montana
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Spokane, WA · 189 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 48.6703°, -113.6122°
About Glacier National Park
This trail is inside Glacier National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $35 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/st-mary-falls-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked St. Mary Falls Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Avalanche Lake Trail
9 miles from this trail's centroid
Apikuni Falls Trail
9 miles from this trail's centroid
Trail of the Cedars
9 miles from this trail's centroid
Redrock Falls Trail
9 miles from this trail's centroid
The Loop
10 miles from this trail's centroid
CDT fccCM - Chief Mountain Route to Canada
16 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.