Travel Tuesday - Hiking Saint Mary Falls, Glacier National Park

This week for Travel Tuesday I am taking you on a beautiful hike in Glacier National Park - Saint Mary Falls & Virgina Falls.  To get here, you begin on the Saint Mary Fall's Trailhead, about 10 miles west of St. Mary on the Going to the Sun Road.

The hiking trails are easy, and you can easily do an out and back on this hike in an hour or two depending on if you want to stop and relax near the falls.  It's only about a 3 mile round trip hike if you go to the end.

You'll be hiking in lush forests, along this beautiful river.  You'll see lookout spots, like this one I pictured above.  I took this particular hike around the 4th of July.  This picture is the river merge between St. Mary Falls, and Virginia Falls.

As you take this hike, you won't want to stay exactly on the trail at all times.  A few ventures off just a tad can bring you beautiful views like this above.

The above picture is Saint Mary Falls.  A beautiful double white water waterfall.  There is a bridge that goes across the river below the falls, so you can stop and relax on the rocks and enjoy the spray of the falls, or take a picture like above.

Then if you'd like to keep going, just continue on up the trail.  You'll be back in and out of the beautiful pine tree forests and along the edge of one of the other water tributaries from Virginia Falls.

If you hop off this trail a little and walk down the rocks toward the river, at times you'll see a few other falls, as you are making your way up.

In the distance you'll see the falls coming up, but you'll still have a ways to go and a bit more climbing to get there.

Above is Virgina Falls, at this particular time of the day the falls were in the shade.  I had a heck of a time grabbing a shot from this point because the water spray was a bit all over the place.  Sure it felt good to have the ice cold water sprayed on me, but not so good for the camera.  I had to clean the lens off a couple of times before turning around quick to grab the shot, before the lens was covered in water again:)

Although this is a short hike, there is so much beauty in it, its one I highly recommend you do if you visit Glacier National Park.  The best part, is you can do this hike and several other short hikes on the Going to the Sun road in the same day!

IF YOU GO:

* You'll have to pay the Glacier National Park entrance fee
* Grab a map, so you will know where the trailhead begins
* Bring water & a camera
* If hiking alone or with a quiet group on a slow traffic day, you may want to carry bear mace, or wear bells while you are walking.  It is rare to have a bear encounter, but if the bears hear you, there will likely be little problem spooking them while on your hike.